Clean, green and family-friendly, Boise is a great place to take the kids, and Boise’s top museums and youngster-oriented attractions are fun for parents as well.

Always popular with the younger set, the Discovery Center of Idaho —the state’s “hands-on science museum”—is always chock full of in-house and traveling exhibits that highlight the fun and fascinating side of science for a reasonable price ($6 for adults, #3.50 for children). Among those exhibits currently featured at the museum, which is located near Julia Davis Park on Myrtle St., are “Under Your Skin,” an in-depth look at x-ray technology, and “TEETH!,” the DTI’s dental exhibit.   

Great for older kids (and particularly those with a bit of a mischievous streak), the Old Idaho Penitentiary is now operated as a museum examining the gritty history of the facility from its establishment during pioneer days until its closure in 1973.

For a look at the other side of Idaho’s territory days, check out Old Boise , a district of spruced-up historical buildings, shops and restaurants located in the heart of the modern downtown. And after the kids have gone to bed, discover why Old Boise is also the center of New Boise’s nightlife.  

Just outside the city limits, the Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey is at the forefront of research into some of the world’s most endangered flyers, and also welcomes visitors. The Velma Morrison Interpretive Center at the facility offers both interactive exhibits on and close-up views of the center’s rarest residents.