IDAHO: THE GEM STATE

BY CLAY LARROY

If you're looking to get away from it all with a trip away from home, don't forget to travel smart. Regardless of whether you are traveling to a nearby location for the weekend or taking a week-long destination vacation, you are always going to benefit from some tips and ideas on how to make the whole process, more fun and less stressful. Take time each day to alleviate stress while traveling or vacationing and you will thank yourself for it when you get back home. When you want to plan a vacation contact me!

BOISE "CITY OF TREES"

Boise could be considered the cultural center of the Gem State with visual and performing arts taking center stage and events such as the Treefort Festival garnering lots of attention. Food is also a focus here, with restaurants serving locally sourced menu items and craft breweries and wine tasting rooms sharing the flavors of Idaho. For outdoor lovers, Boise is close to foothills mountain bike trails, a ski area, the Boise River for fishing and floating, bird watching and much more.

In Boise, boredom is not an option.

Picture this. You step outside your hotel room in the center of town and find a 25-mile long riverside Greenbelt path, a Ridge to Rivers trailhead leading into wild and scenic foothills, or one of the expansive, interconnected parks lining the city. And you can be enjoying any one of them in under five minutes. Really.

Boise is no ordinary place. Here, outdoor pursuits exist in perfect sync with city life. In just minutes you can escape to float a river, ski, boat, hike, bike and more. Boise is quickly becoming a hub for sports fans, too. Home to the famous blue turf of the Boise State Broncos, we also have minor league baseball, ice hockey and basketball teams. So come watch a game, even a rodeo, or play on one of the many golf courses and other sporting venues available in the city.