After a year plus of forced family togetherness, the idea of doing anything as a family unit may be wearing a little thin, but the prospect of adventuring out into the world and pretending everything is back to normal makes selling the idea a little more palatable. There’s a whole wide world of fun stuff for families to do both in and out of town.
Now, at least you can stop at Reed’s Dairy for an ice cream cone on the way back home without feeling like you’re risking your life.
The great thing about Idaho Falls is that we have all kinds of things to do beyond what you would normally expect to find in a city with hardly more than 50,000 people and located hours from the nearest metropolis. Needless to say, there is an almost unlimited number of family-friendly activities to be had on all the public lands that surround Idaho Falls.
Thanks to the fact that Idaho in general seems to have a mandatory requirement for every family to own some type of camper or RV for an extended outing, the hills are alive with the sound of motors, if not music. A quick cruise of any street in town will confirm that just about every other house seems to have some sort of motorized recreational toy ranging from the lowly dirt bike to the latest iteration of the UTV (Stands for Utility Terrain Vehicle, a.k.a. side-by-side). The percentages double if you drive through Ammon. Many of these side-by-sides are larger than the Honda Civic I drove in college!
For those who lack the appropriate motorized devices to enjoy the outdoors, there still is a whole lot of stuff coming back to life to enjoy in town. Families on a budget can enjoy the ever-expanding River Walk. It offers a great place to picnic and chill on a hot summer day, but just be sure to watch the kids near the river! This year you can even rent electric scooters and zoom all over just like in the big cities! Be sure to download the BIRD app to your phone before you head out.
Those of us with older kids can hang out in the comfortable outdoor atmosphere of places like the Idaho Brewing Company and enjoy a cold barley pop.
For families with smaller children, there are so many neat things to do right in Idaho Falls. Some of my family’s favorites are of course the Idaho Falls Zoo in Tautphaus Park. It is one of those places that is worth considering buying an annual family pass. It is so close and shady that it is the perfect place to be able to pop in and out of all summer! Be sure to check out the website for the special events that are planned for all different ages.
The Museum of Idaho is another one of those special places that really deserves more than a single visit and also has family pass options. The museum also has special summer camp programs for kids. (Disclaimer- Some even taught by yours truly!)
To round out the fun and educational options be sure to take the time to locate the East Idaho Aquarium. It is the kind of place that everyone in the family will be sure to enjoy and you can even rent it out for birthday parties!
And what could be more American to help get things back to normal than the whole family attending a Chukars baseball game? After it looked like the lockdown might be the nail in the coffin for the Chukars it looks like they will be coming back better than ever. Hopefully, now we all have a better appreciation for all the fun things that are waiting to be done in Idaho Falls, even though I’m sure we enjoyed being cooped up with our families for a year!