A real guide to Boise from the creative people who live there – from the best walks to the best snacks and record shopping.
Treefort Music Fest kicks off this week, drawing more than 20,000 people a day to Boise, Idaho for what's slowly becoming one of the best showcase festivals in the world.
The capitol of Idaho - which lies close to the Oregon border - is a liberal pocket in a red state and oozes with a frontier charm that sits comfortably alongside its vibrant and progressive social scene. A few years back, NPR called it the next Portland, Oregon, and in the mid 2020s, it’s a place in bloom: Boise is clean, safe and punching far above its weight in food, music and arts. It’s the little city that could, and did.
The transformation of Idaho’s capital has been marked - if not carried in some part by - its annual music festival. Treefort is almost 15 years old and takes its name from Boise’s own nickname - the city of trees. According to one story, European settlers climbed a hill and were impressed with the vast forest (“les bois!”) that stretched before them.
Treefort Music Fest sprawls across this patchwork city for five days with strands of programming – or ‘Forts’ – which extend far beyond music alone to showcase a richer tapestry of culture in the Boise community. You can catch Filmfort’s screenings in collaboration with the Idaho Film Society; or curl up with a cocktail at Ochos to listen to readings from trailblazing authors as part of Storyfort. There is also Hackfort, with workshops that will teach you how to crack a password, how to build a ‘bracelet’ from Binary and ASCII code, down to the hallowed art of picking locks. There's also legendary Dragfort programme which celebrates vibrant self-expression and Boise’s thriving queer community. That’s without mentioning Skatefort, Comedyfort, Podfort, Kidfort, Yogafort, Alefort and Foodfort.
Beyond the festival, Boise itself is a joyful backdrop to a week of decompressing, filled with secrets and pleasures any curious traveller will delight in unravelling. To find out how to augment our time in this Idaho capital, we spoke to some of the city, festival and music scenes most colourful characters.
Dining around Boise during Treefort
Dave Yasuda is the direct of Foodfort, a weekend-long celebration of the food and food systems local to the greater-Boise area. As the culinary branch of the Treefort mothership, Foodfort works to bring local, regional and national chefs, media, and culinary experts together to facilitate thinking and discussion about food in our daily lives.
"This is my tenth year as director of Foodfort. I work in the food biz and have a bad tendency to dine out too much. I have an MFA in creative writing and food is a primary topic for my writing."
The Treefort Music Festival brings out the best in Boise and that includes the food scene. Boise is historically a meat and potatoes town, but things have shifted especially since Chef Kris Komori of KIN restaurant received a James Beard Award in 2023.
Although known for their tasting menu, I stop by KIN’s Art Haus Bar to meet friends for a drink and a bite. I tend to be a bourbon drinker, but I love the Moron made with carrot juice, gin, aquavit and ginger. I like the house made pickles and Mabel’s Mah Fry, a riff on Japanese fried chicken. Their ramen-ish bowl of noodles that is a fan favorite.
Boise is home to a large Basque population and there are a number of Basque restaurants. Bar Gernika is right down from the street from Treefort Music Hall and has a small but creative tap list and Basque-ish pub fare. My standing order is the spicy lamb grinder. Croquetas, a deep fried ball of savory goodness, are popular but I love the French fries which are some of the best in town.
Keeping in the Basque theme, Ansot’s is a must stop for lunch. Dan and Ellie Ansotegui make their own chorizos which are a foundation of the menu. I start with a gilda a Spanish green olive with anchovy and guindilla peppers, have a bocadillo (sandwich) with chistorra (a spicy chorizo).
Late night dining is limited in Boise, although there are hot dog stands you might encounter as you cruise between venues. When I’m checking out bands at The Shrine Social Club, tasty Mexican food is just a few steps away at Toro’s Tacos in the basement. It’s open until 2 AM and it might be me, but the tacos reach their peak flavor when I eat them around 1:30.
If it’s after 2 and I’m still hungry I wander down to Pie Hole on 8th Street. I’m never alone and run into a lot of friends standing in line for a slice. Pie Hole is open until 4 AM, thank you very much.
Treefort means less sleep than usual for me and there are a lot of places downtown to get your caffeine fix. Two of my regular stops happen to be close to the Treefort action.
Neckar on 10th Street has great java and has some tasty house made snacks. I enjoy their mushroom hand pie and pick up a chocolate cookie to stash in my backpack for a sugar blast when I’m on the fly.Slow by Slow on 8th Street does a mean pour over (Chef Hugh Acheson, a Foodfort regular, says it’s the best coffee in Boise) and also have local pastries to round out your coffee experience.
If I have time for a sit down breakfast, I’ll head to the Highnote Café for their fresh food, made to order. Get the breakfast potatoes cooked up with kale, peppers onion, avocado salsa and cilantro lime cream served with a side of tofu scramble.
I’ve kept my suggestions to the downtown area, but one place worth a long walk or short drive is Janjou Patisserie. When I feel the need for beautiful French pastries and desserts it’s the absolute best. Laminated treats both sweet and savory.
Don’t forget the food trucks and cool food happenings at Alefort near the Mainstage. No matter where you are, you’ll find a place to chill and get nourished in Boise. Happy Treefort!'
Check out @highzoot on IG for more of Dave's local food picks in Boise
Discover The Shrine Social Club
The Shrine Social Club has risen to become Boise's best venue for new music. Treefort Music Fest started using it in 2014, when it was known as El Korah Shrine, home to the local Shriner’s Club.
"My name is Gustav Huxley Wimmera Marsden, but I usually just go by 'Gus', or 'Blanket Ghost' when I’m playing music around town. Perhaps with a name like mine you wouldn’t be surprised to hear that I come from creative parents. The apple didn’t fall too far from the tree, as I have spent most of my life creating things, though I struggle with labeling myself as an 'artist'. It may be the most convenient categorisation but alternatively I’d say that I am a 'doer and organiser of various things' based in Boise, ID, including Zone Management for our annual Treefort Music Fest.
Within my purview as a Zone Manager is a venue called The Shrine Social Club, a former horse stable rebuilt to serve as an El Korah Shriner’s temple after a fire destroyed most of the building. For those unfamiliar, the Shriners are a fraternal organisation who focus their philanthropic efforts to support children’s hospitals around the United States while wearing fezzes. This is, of course, in addition to eccentric theatrical productions like those once hosted at the Boise temple.
Rebuilt in 1914, the building has a deep history of ceremony, dance, and music. The temple was a community center of sorts. Its legacy continues into the present, operating as a two-room live music venue during the Fest and throughout the year. Inside you can still find various artifacts of the past, from historic photographs hung on the walls to giant Egypt-inspired murals and Sphinx heads. My personal favorite artifact, which has since been removed, was a decades-old open PBR we once found in the attic of the ballroom while installing a new lighting truss. Taking a single sip from that can would’ve likely given us some disease forgotten by science or laid an ancient curse upon us, so it was determined that we should not attempt to do so. Though experiencing the supernatural in the Shrine is not uncommon even if you leave the beer cans alone!
If you have the opportunity to chat with a local crew member when they’re not working, there's a good chance they have first-hand experience with one of the ghosts that inhabit the building. Bands, too, have shared numerous stories about supernatural energy or activity, specifically from within the side-stage green room upstairs.
For anyone attending a show this Treefort or after it, I strongly suggest stopping by. The beers are cold, the bands are shredding, there’s an award winning bathroom, and there are ghosts. What more could you ask for?"
Walking in the Boise hills
Mishap Records is an independent music label based in Boise, Idaho, representing a diverse roster of artists from the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Founded in 2017 by Shadrach Tuck, Mishap focuses on experimental music genres, including art rock, post-rock, noise rock, avant-garde jazz, and metal. The label also produces videos and merchandise, with a focus on expanding the boundaries of contemporary art and sound both locally and in the wider music community at large.
"My name is Shadrach (or simply, Shad) Tuck. I am a songwriter, musician, record label runner, graphic artist, web/software dev, and guy who generally does too much here in Boise, Idaho. I have two bands and a decent handful that I've played and participated in. My label is Mishap Records, home to a handful of artist that The Line of Best Fit has covered recently (i.e., Frankie Tillo, Proxi), and my bands Chief Broom, which I front and am the primary songwriter for and play in with my lifelong pals here Cheese and Max V, and TRAUMA KIT, which I cofounded with my 3 collaborators Mason, Dustin and Max B, that we split writing duties for. We are all Boise natives, and proud to contribute to the scene here.
As for my professional duties outside of music, I build and design websites for small businesses and artists that can be seen here. My artwork is mostly associated with the label, (LP/release layouts, album covers, posters). The cover of "hidden in plain sight" for example, is a painting I did back in 2023... That painting and record really embodies (at least for me) the ups and downs of living in a city like Boise, and would probably do a better job illustrating it than anything I could describe here. This is simultaneously a beautiful and ugly place, but it's the devil I know, I guess, and in many ways, love:
I've lived here in the Treasure Valley for a good chunk of my life. I'm an Idaho boy through and through, was born in Salmon, Idaho (where my parents reside, currently), and raised in Star, Idaho. Star is a small town that was once a quaint farming community about 20 miles west of Boise along State Street. Which now atrociously looks like suburban sprawl hell. I sort of detail my feelings on this phenomenon of living here in general, in the song DFAH, by my band Chief Broom. I moved to Boise after a short stint at college in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, at North Idaho College, where I studied music and graphic arts. I transferred back to Boise to attend BSU with my younger brother, TJ, who was going to start his freshman year. For better or worse, I've been here ever since, ha. That was like 2016, so literally a decade ago, holy shit!
An alternative thing I'd recommend tourists check out here is the Boise Hills, especially around dusk; it's breathtaking, an excellent view of the valley, and within walking distance of downtown. It's a huge part of what makes this town awesome, aside from the Boise River that passes through town.
Look up Hyde Park, you can stroll through the streets of the little village there and venture up to Camel's Back Park, which is a base/trailhead where many hill trails meet and split off. It's got this massive hump you can hike up and along (hence its name) and is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and take a break from the noise, if needed. I love taking my fiancé and our dog out there; it's a beautiful place I've adored since I was a child.
There used to be an insane waterslide there back in the 80's that our parents' generation used to play on, but they removed it cause it was sort of a deathtrap, haha."
Catch some drag shows
Kollin Walker is the director of Dragfort, which throws late night parties, drag extravaganzas, and festival wide activations made for community building, cultural education, and personal expression during Treefort Music Fest.
"My name is Kollin Walker – a fourth-generation Idahoan, DJ, and community organiser embedded in Boise’s queer scene. I’m the Director of Dragfort, where I help shape one of the city’s most dynamic queer platforms. I also DJ and throw Lovage parties – high-energy, vocal-driven nights built around connection, expression, and a little chaos.
I’ve grown up with Boise, and my connection to it runs deep. What excites me most is how the city is evolving. The queer community here is small but intentional—people show up, collaborate, and create the spaces they want to exist. It’s not always loud, but it’s real, and it’s growing.
If your trip aligns, experiencing Dragfort during Treefort gives a full picture of Boise’s queer nightlife. But even outside the festival, the smaller, community-driven spaces above show how personal, creative, and alive the city can feel.
To see another different side of Boise, check out the Idaho Black History Museum. Located in Julia Davis Park in Idaho’s first Black church, St. Paul’s Baptist, the museum celebrates Black history and the state’s connections to the broader community.
Urban Cowboy is a queer-owned vintage shop with standout finds and immaculate vibes—perfect for anyone who loves unique style and creative energy.
Two Idaho fast-food staples you can’t miss are Westside Drive In and Fanci Freez – Fries, soft serve, and that nostalgic drive-in charm make these perfect casual stops."
Buy some records at Idaho's best record store
Chad Dryden is co-owner and marketing director of Idaho's largest independent record store The Record Exchange, which has grown over almost 50 years into one of the world's best places to buy music and is an important part of the Boise music scene as well as Treefort Music Fest.
"I was born and raised in Northeast Ohio and moved to Boise in 2005 for a newspaper job. As lifelong music fans and concertgoers, my wife and I got to know the scene pretty quickly and soon started making friends and connections among musicians, venue owners and promoters. In 2007, my brother and I founded a social club for music geeks, the Vinyl Preservation Society of Idaho, which included monthly vinyl listening nights at a downtown lounge and an annual vinyl record swap. Once I started working for The Record Exchange, my wife and I got more and more involved in the music and arts scenes, including Treefort.
I was hired in September 2009 as a part-time marketing assistant and social media manager and soon took over for the departing marketing director. Working for The Record Exchange has literally been a dream come true – I had wanted a record store job since I was 15 and I finally got there 20 years later. As a co-owner, I have maintained my marketing duties and love creating experiences for our customers, especially our daily Second Chance Treefort Sets during the festival.
I have been a co-owner since 2021, when a group of three longtime employees and my wife purchased the business from the retiring founder. We will celebrate the store’s fifth anniversary of second generation ownership in September 2026.
The Record Exchange was founded in 1977 and actually started life in a small storefront up the hill on the Boise Bench but moved to its current downtown location in 1978. Several expansions followed as the store broadened its scope, including opening downtown Boise’s first espresso bar. The original owners started hosting in-store performances as a way for their small children to experience live music in an intimate, all-ages setting, and since then The Record Exchange has hosted hundreds of artists, everyone from international stars to local bands celebrating debut album releases. From day one, we have made space for Idaho musicians to sell their music, and we have forged partnerships with concert venues, promoters, radio stations and arts organizations to help foster the growth of Boise’s creative ecosystem. We're honoured to be a founding sponsor of Treefort.
Treefort Music Fest runs from 25-29 March; find out more at treefortmusicfest.com
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