Smart Meetings

Yes, it’s the City of Trees, but this high-desert community offers so much more for your meeting

Colorful hills, a gentle winding river, bright blue skies, white puffy clouds and a sea of green amid the high desert landscape. It sounds like the stuff of storybooks—at least, some of the founders thought so. According to legend, Idaho’s capital city received its name in the early 19th century when travel-weary French-Canadian fur-trappers beheld an unexpected site after traversing a hot desert—a lush, wooded valley divided by a river running through it.

“Les bois! Les bois! (The woods! The woods!),” they cried.

Subsequently, the city became a crossroads for Oregon Trail pioneers. Fort Boise was established in 1863, and the area soon became a center for eager treasure hunters in search of gold and silver in the surrounding hills.

Since its early mining days, the City of Trees has evolved to become a remote urban community, incorporating a mix of unique museums, attractions, art, and dining venues. A burgeoning arts scene puts Boise on a par with cosmopolitan cities twice its size. With a population of 211,000 (more than 500,000 in the greater metropolitan area), the city supports its own philharmonic, ballet, opera and theater companies, not to mention numerous galleries and the only American Association of Museums-accredited art museum in the state. June through September, your group can enjoy picnic dinners while they watch top-notch performances during the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, held at an outdoor amphitheater along the Boise River.

You’ll also have numerous accommodations from which to choose, with a total of 5,000 hotel rooms throughout the city.

“We’re a very urban destination with all the benefits of a big city, but the city itself feels very small,” says Laurie McConnell, communications manager for Boise Convention and Visitors Bureau (boise.org).

Named #1 adventure town in September 2006 by National Geographic Adventure, the Boise area also holds great appeal for outdoor enthusiasts. Several swift-moving rivers like the Payette and the Salmon make for some of the best rafting around, reinforcing the nickname “Whitewater Capital of the World.” The nearby Boise Front mountain range and Owyhee Mountains offer ample skiing. And with its location up against foothills in the heart of high desert country, there are plenty of places to hike, mountain bike and explore.

In the city, an expansive riverside greenbelt, numerous parks and a bike-friendly atmosphere will encourage your group to get out and about. And more than 300 days of sunshine a year, coupled with a temperate climate, will give you a few more excuses to adjourn your meeting a little early and play in the outdoors.

Plus, as the largest population center between Portland, Ore. and Salt Lake City, Boise offers its own truly unique set of cultural experiences. Boise has the highest Basque population per capita in the country. Peruse the Basque neighborhood, marked by the distinctive flags draped on the street lamps, and you’ll find an array of ethnic restaurants, galleries and markets. The Basque Museum and Cultural Center adds further dimension to your visit.

MEETING VENUES

Boise hosts a wide range of meetings, from conventions and trade shows to small corporate gatherings and everything in between, says McConnell. Located in the heart of the city, the Boise Centre on the Grove (boisecentre.com) is the city’s largest meeting center, offering state-of-the-art facilities that include 50,000 sq. ft. of flexible space, a 349-seat auditorium and 20 breakout-room combinations. There are also approximately 1,000 hotel rooms within a short walking distance of the convention center.

Being home to the state’s largest university also has advantages in the meetings market. Boise State University (boisestate.edu) offers 26 meeting rooms and can handle up to 1,500 people theater-style in its student union building. The 12,500-seat Taco Bell Arena (tacobellarena.com) is located on the Boise State campus as well.

Adjacent to the convention center, The Grove Hotel (grovehotelboise.com), Boise’s only AAA Four-Diamond property, offers 250 elegant guest rooms and 36,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, including 20 breakout rooms. Attached to the hotel is the Qwest Arena (questarenaidaho.com), with bowl seating for 5,000, more than 21,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space and 39 entertainment suites. Also within walking distance of the convention center is the Owyhee Plaza Hotel (owyheeplaza.com), with 100 guest rooms and 11 meeting rooms.

The 112-room Statehouse Inn (statehouse-inn.com) is undergoing a transformation to an upscale boutique hotel. In addition to the new name of Hotel 43, a $5-million renovation will add two 900-square-foot meeting rooms and a new restaurant with two private dining rooms and an upscale martini bar, all scheduled for completion in January.

BOISE TREASURES

Some of the city’s most intriguing elements are the unexpected hidden gems and out-of-the-way venues that make for those “Who knew?” moments. Built at the dawn of the Idaho Territory in 1870 and closed a century later, the historic Old Idaho Penitentiary (idahohistory.net/oldpen.html) is one of four U.S. territorial prisons still in existence. It offers unique exhibits such as the largest collection of historic arms and military memorabilia in the country, as well as the imposing sandstone cell houses, solitary confinement, the gallows and the separate women’s quarters. In addition, groups can also hold a reception or banquet at the facility or in the adjacent landscaped rose gardens.

Equally impressive as a spot to tour or hold events is the interpretive center at the World Center for Birds of Prey (peregrinefund.org). The center specializes in raptor conservation and houses more than 200 falcons, eagles and condors. Enjoy viewing rare birds up close, while learning about endangered species through interactive displays and multimedia shows and exhibits.

To get a real flavor of the West, take your attendees to the Idaho Historical Museum (idahohistory.net), Idaho’s largest and most-visited museum. It is situated in Boise’s centrally located Julia Davis Park. Hold a private reception at the museum, where your attendees can order beverages served from the authentic Western saloon bar. Then taste a variety of hors d’oeuvres placed throughout the tour as you explore Idaho’s past, from prehistoric times to the days of fur trading, gold rush and the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Also in Julia Davis Park, you’ll find the Idaho Black History Museum (ibhm.org), housed in a historic 1909 church. Established to educate visitors about the history and culture of African-Americans—with an emphasis on African-Americans in Idaho—the museum features exhibits, educational programs, lectures, films, workshops and musical performances.

Also unique to Boise is the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial (idaho-humanrights.org), the first U.S. memorial to honor the tragic Dutch-Jewish teenager. Located on the banks of the Boise River, the memorial and educational park features an amphitheater, two reflective ponds, three waterfalls and a life-size sculpture of the young woman.

Or you can become immersed in a culture not found anywhere else, with the exception of northern Spain. The Basque Museum and Cultural Center (basquemuseum.com), the only one in North America, offers tours, photographs, artifacts and collections that showcase the community’s proud heritage. Take a stroll through the city’s Basque blocks and enjoy ethnic food and wine, art, dancing and choir performances.

LES BOIS! LES BOIS!

Whether it’s simple exercise or high adventure, you’ll have no trouble finding plenty of outdoor recreation both inside and outside city limits. The Boise River Greenbelt (cityofboise.org) provides a shaded, tree-lined 25-mile path along the banks of the Boise River. Take some time to enjoy the wooded scenery and the trail that winds through parks, quiet neighborhoods, a golf course and a wild bird refuge, along with lovely trees that explode with vibrant colors in the fall.

Just off the Greenbelt, you’ll find the Morrison Knudson Nature Center (fishandgame.idaho.gov), offering a unique wildlife experience. Stroll through the center’s outdoor nature walk and indoor visitor center—then take a peek at the fish from the underwater viewing windows along the stream.

Venture farther and you’ll find almost endless opportunities to explore the outdoors. “Boise is one of the few places where you can golf during the day and ski at night,” says McConnell. “There really isn’t a bad time to be here.”

That includes the winter months. Located just 17 miles north of Boise, the Bogus Basin Mountain Resort (bogusbasin.com) offers day and nighttime skiing, December through April, on 52 groomed runs that cover a total of 2,600 acres.

In the summer, abundant rivers and streams around Boise make it easy to get your group out on the water. Take a half-day float tour (boiserivertours.com) along the Boise River, while keeping vigilant for deer, hawks, osprey, beaver, mink and the occasional bald eagle. An hour north of Boise, the Payette River provides some of the most exciting white-water rafting in the country, with trips that last from a few hours to six days. At the conclusion of your meeting, you might want to schedule a half-day trip, followed by a bank-side dinner to take in the scenic beauty of an Idaho river sunset.

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Getting There

• The Boise Airport (cityofboise.org) is served by 12 national and commuter airlines, with nonstop flights to more than 25 cities. Back to Top