A Rainy Day Win: How We Ended Up at the Discovery Center of Idaho During Our Boise Weekend

Despite living in multiple corners of Idaho for more than a decade, I have spent very little time in Boise. Yes, I’ve stopped at various attractions, restaurants, hotels, etc., as I’ve traveled through but I have never spent multiple days exploring the City of Trees … until recently.

For spring break, I wanted to take my family of five out of our southeastern corner of the state and explore. However, I didn’t want to venture too far or spend too much money, and Boise was a great option as we could spend days playing. Unfortunately, when we arrived, it rained and rained and rained some more. We had to scrap our itinerary filled with hikes, parks, and the zoo for a weekend of indoor activities. Luckily, we found the perfect rainy-day destination — the Discovery Center of Idaho.

Located in downtown Boise, this science museum is geared towards children, particularly younger children, and is Idaho’s only hands-on science center. My three kiddos, ages 5, 9, and 12, each found something to love here, and we spent approximately two hours of our rainy morning learning and discovering.

Admission to this science center gives you access to all the unique exhibits. Several of these exhibits rotate throughout the year, and we were lucky enough to enjoy “The World’s Largest Dinosaurs” exhibit during our visit. In this large area, we learned more about the size of dinosaurs and how they compare to animals we know today, the functions of a dinosaur’s body, and even dinosaur eggs. We spent time reading every sign, pointing out facts, and being amazed by these creatures who walked on our earth such a long time ago.

My children certainly loved the dinosaurs, but we spent the majority of our time in the Classics Collection, which is a room filled with some of the center’s most popular exhibits throughout the years. We each took a turn using an air cannon and building structures with small toys to see if our designs would withstand an earthquake. We learned all about force, motion, magnetics, and so much more.

While the exhibits allow visitors to use their hands to learn, each station also has signs telling you about the principle you are learning, what you are observing, and even a few fun facts about it. While my kids would test and play, I would read to them each sign and ask questions. There were countless opportunities to learn together.

In the Classics Collection, many of the projects were designed for older children. However, the Discovery Center has an area for learners under the age of four. As my children were too old for these exhibits, we never ventured inside, but I could see activities like a forest of pool noodles and interactive projections on the floor that would certainly keep young minds thinking.

Of course, this is just the beginning of the exhibits at the Discovery Center, with more opening in the upcoming months. As we headed out for the day, we stopped in the Tinker The T-Rex exhibit, one of my favorite areas. This 1,000-square-foot space allows children to learn about fossils, power, strength, etc. Despite this science center focused on younger children, I certainly left learning many things.

Yes, my multi-day trip to Boise wasn’t exactly how I imagined it — I thought I’d spend a lot more time outdoors. But the rain didn’t stop us from having a wonderful adventure. The Discovery Center of Idaho was one of the best family-friendly attractions to spend a rainy day in Boise. I can’t wait to venture back and, of course, complete all the activities I had on my original itinerary.