Nestled alongside the Snake River, Rupert is a metropolis in southern Idaho that doesn’t get the eye it deserves. Since Rupert is small, with its inhabitants of roughly 6,000, it’s usually handed over by these driving previous. Nevertheless, Rupert has a lot to supply.
Before everything, the town shows its wealthy and distinctive historical past by way of its museums and traditionally vital buildings. When you desire to get outdoor, Rupert and its surrounding space have loads of points of interest too. Town has a number of sports activities and nature lovers alternatives, from snowboarding to taking part in pickleball to climbing at a nationwide monument. Having lived in Idaho for over 18 years, I’ve found the perfect points of interest within the state. So, listed here are the highest 20 issues to do in Rupert.
Rupert, Idaho
20 Issues To Do In Rupert, Idaho
1- Watch A Present At Historic Wilson Theatre
One in all Rupert’s most iconic buildings is the Historic Wilson Theatre, positioned in historic Rupert Sq..
Initially in-built 1920 and renovated in 2000, it options unique century-old artwork and structure.
The theatre is on the Nationwide Register of Historic Locations record.
You possibly can catch a play, watch a present, attend a live performance, or take a category at Historic Wilson Theatre.
Latest occasions embrace opera reveals and Bob Ross portray lessons, however there’s all the time one thing distinctive to do on the theatre.
Historic Wilson Theatre is at 610 Fremont Ave, Rupert, ID 83350.
2- Spend A Day At Craters Of The Moon
As its identify implies, Craters of the Moon is really an out-of-world expertise.
The huge monument and protect cowl 753,000 acres (304,728 ha) of land within the Snake River Plain, however the terrain is something however boring.
Craters of the Moon Nationwide Monument and Protect is a black sea of lava fields and weird volcanic cones, making the house appear like something however Earth.
You possibly can picnic, hike, backpack, camp, and discover lava tubes right here.
There are many trails superb for each quick strolls and lengthy treks. Plus, caves are simply accessible alongside the paths.
If you wish to try instructional displays and find out about Craters of the Moon earlier than hopping on a path, be sure to begin on the customer centre.
It’s virtually a two-hour drive from Rupert, however it’s properly price it for a day journey.
The Craters of the Moon customer centre is at 1266 Craters Loop Street, Arco, ID 83213.
3- Swim At Rupert Swimming Pool
Just lately renovated, the Rupert Swimming Pool is an outside facility good for a sunny summer season day.
Everybody can benefit from the house with two swimming pools (a kiddie pool and a regulation-sized pool).
The bigger pool additionally has a water slide and diving boards.
Rupert Swimming Pool is at 302 S F St, Rupert, ID 83350.
4- Play Pickleball At Rupert Pickleball Courts
Rupert’s outside pickleball courts are lower than a yr previous, making it an elegant and comparatively new vacation spot to spend time.
Two teams of 4 courts, together with a present court docket, are open and free to the general public.
The courts open day by day from daybreak till 11 pm. Plus, the next-door MC Health Middle has bogs and consuming fountains.
The Rupert Pickleball Courts are at 123 C St, Rupert, ID 83350.
5- Float The Snake River From Kane’s Kove
When you drive down a dust highway surrounded by fields of corn, you in all probability aren’t anticipating to listen to Afro-Caribbean music amidst hammocks and manicured grass.
You’ll discover a day stuffed with leisure, chill vibes, and good meals at Kane’s Kove.
The proprietor, “Captain Ron”, affords a leisurely kayak float down the Snake River.
Captain Ron tells outrageous tales through the shuttle trip in his 70’s van, which ends on the Minidoka Dam.
After unloading the kayaks, count on a chill cruise down the meandering river till you attain Kane’s Kove once more.
You’ll calm down there and have scrumptious barbeque meals on the patio overlooking the river.
Kane’s Kove is at 1114 E 743 N, Declo, ID 83323.
6- Go to The Haunted Mansions Of Albion
Simply 23 minutes south of Rupert, await the Haunted Mansions of Albion, historic buildings that made up a long-abandoned faculty campus.
The expertise contains entry to a number of spooky buildings, such because the previous Steam Plant, the Creature Home, the Clown Home, and the Faculty of Chaos.
The twisting tunnels and corridors cover surprises and scares at each nook.
The Haunted Mansions of Albion are at 201 Water Tower Ln, Albion, ID 83311.
7- Golf At Ponderosa Golf Course
Town of Rupert doesn’t have its personal public house {for golfing}, however there’s a golf course simply quarter-hour away within the close by metropolis of Burley.
The Ponderosa Golf Course is a nine-hole par 3 structure acceptable for gamers of all ranges.
It’s even difficult for superior gamers, with loads of hazards and fairways.
The loop is roughly 1 mile (1.6 km) lengthy, and the holes vary from 85-yard second to 213-yard ninth.
Ponderosa Golf Course is at 320 Minidoka Ave #3491, Burley, ID 83318.
8- Hike To Cache Peak
Cache Peak is the Albion mountain vary’s highest level and the very best peak south of the Snake River.
Though the height affords gorgeous views of a pure panorama, attending to the highest isn’t any straightforward feat.
The journey begins with a 5.5-mile (8.9 km) hike to the saddle between Cache Peak and Independence Peak.
From the saddle, adventurers should scramble up 1,000 ft (305 m) of terrain to get to Cache Peak.
You possibly can recognize Independence Peak, the Independence Lakes, the Fort Rocks, and huge forests and fields.
When you’re up for the problem, begin the hike on the jap finish of N Carson Spur, roughly 95 minutes south of Rupert.
9- Fish At Lake Walcott State Park
Lake Walcott, positioned simply 12 miles (19.3 km) from Rupert, is an oasis in Idaho’s excessive desert.
The water is great for swimming, boating, and fishing.
There’s a wide range of fish to catch at Lake Walcott, together with smallmouth and largemouth bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, yellow perch, and rainbow trout.
You’ll get pleasure from a day or just a few at Lake Walcott with campsites, cabins, grassy and picnic areas.
Lake Walcott State Park is at 959 Minidoka Dam Rd, Rupert, ID 83350.
10- See Shoshone Falls
Shoshone Falls is probably one in all southern Idaho’s hottest points of interest, drawing guests from Boise and throughout the state.
Nicknamed the “Niagara of the West”, Shoshone Falls towers over the Snake river at a whopping 212 ft (65 m).
At 900 ft (274 m) extensive, it’s one of many largest pure waterfalls within the U.S. and is taller than the well-known Niagara Falls.
Shoshone Falls is a 45-minute drive from Rupert at 4155 Shoshone Falls Grade, Twin Falls, ID 83301.
11- Go to Metropolis Of Rocks Nationwide Reserve
Feeling up for an journey?
The Metropolis of Rocks Nationwide Reserve options uncommon geographic options, together with arches, panholes and xenoliths.
The rock formations create a powerful panorama residence to ecosystems brimming with fascinating natural world.
Metropolis of Rocks is nice for hikers, campers, hunters, and rock climbers.
Given the wildlife, it’s additionally a superb vacation spot for testing animals.
You possibly can spot 180 species of birds among the many timber, moose, and a number of other lizards, amongst different creatures.
Head to the customer centre to study in regards to the space and plan your day.
The Metropolis of Rocks customer centre is at 3035 Elba-Almo Street, Almo, ID 83312.
12- Take The Youngsters To Massive Valley Ball Park
When you’re in Rupert with children, take them to Massive Valley Ball Park.
The four-plex softball subject options batting cages usually used for little league video games. However, if there’s not a event taking place, you’ll be able to all the time carry the youngsters to play baseball or softball.
Or, watch a bit league event and seize a chunk from concessions with the household.
Massive Valley Ball Park is close to Rupert Elementary Faculty, at 202 18th St, Rupert, ID 83350.
13- Test Out The Caboose Botanical Backyard
Keen on vegetation? The Caboose Botanical Backyard, simply 13 minutes from the centre of Rupert, is small however price a go to.
Amidst the excessive desert vegetation and vibrant flowers is the backyard’s star of the present: the caboose of a Union Pacific practice.
On the facet of the caboose, there’s an unlimited map with details about the Oregon Path. It’s each a singular and academic backyard!
Caboose Botanical Backyard is in Burley, Idaho, off Interstate 30, subsequent to Freedom Park.
14- Watch A Rodeo At Minidoka County Honest
Each summer season, the Minidoka County Honest and Rodeo affords nation enjoyable for the entire household.
From a number of sorts of rodeos to live shows to shows, the honest has points of interest for days.
The rodeos embrace the Grandma Queen, the Junior Rodeo, Rodeo Royalty, and Mutton Bustin’.
There are many particular nation treats, together with goodies on the dutch oven cobbler, ice cream social, and freshly baked pies.
Not like most gala’s, the Minidoka County Honest affords free gate entry and parking, so don’t miss out!
The Minidoka County Honest and Rodeo is at 85 East Baseline Street, Rupert, ID 83350.
15- Picnic At Neptune Park
Neptune Park is arguably the perfect place in Rupert for picnicking.
The park has 4 reservable coated pavilions with picnic tables, making it a great place for teams or households.
Lush inexperienced grass and timber be sure that the park is a calming vacation spot.
There are additionally tennis courts, horseshoe pits, basketball courts, a playground, and a nine-hole disc golf course, so there’s lots to do earlier than or after a picnic lunch.
Neptune Park is on the intersection of S third St and E St, Rupert, ID 83350.
16- Play In An Airsoft Event At Air Fight Battlefield
This airsoft course is a recreation centre good for an adrenaline rush. It options bunkers, buildings, towers, a faux helicopter, and extra.
Air Fight Battlefield affords weekend video games and particular occasions, however if you happen to can’t make one in all them, you may as well hire the house for a non-public social gathering.
Tools leases are supplied, too.
Air Fight Battlefield is at 1050 E fifth St, Burley, ID 83318.
17- See Wildlife At Minidoka Nationwide Wildlife Refuge
The Minidoka Nationwide Wildlife Refuge is an 80-mile (129-km) part of the Lake Walcott shoreline devoted to defending wildlife and wildlife habitats.
There are actions to maintain you busy whereas visiting, so long as they don’t disturb the wildlife.
The refuge contains many trails for recognizing animals resembling mule deer, pronghorn, beavers, porcupines, and bats.
Rarer animals embrace bobcats, otters, moose, elk, and cougars.
There are a lot of songbirds, and guests can get a guidelines of songbirds from the refuge centre.
One of the best time is at dawn or sundown when the animals are both simply waking up or heading off to mattress.
The Minidoka Nationwide Wildlife Refuge is at 961 Minidoka Dam Rd, Rupert, ID 83350.
18- Go to The Minidoka County Historic Society Museum
The Minidoka County Historic Society Museum, positioned close to the fairgrounds, accommodates attention-grabbing artifacts and points of interest that present perception into many historic durations.
The museum options greater than 600 jars and bottles, a wave machine, and picket carts utilized by firemen up to now.
There are candies and syrups from an early 1900’s confectionary, Native American artefacts, and prehistoric bones.
Informational displays cowl World Struggle II German POW camps and Japanese relocation camp historical past.
Admission to the museum is free, so don’t miss out!
The Minidoka County Historic Society Museum is at 99 E Baseline Rd, Rupert, ID 83350.
19- Ski At Magic Mountain Ski Resort
Magic Mountain is a improbable resort for these visiting Rupert through the winter.
The recreation space covers 120 acres (49 ha) and contains 11 snowboarding, snowboarding, sledding, and tubing trails.
The paths cater to a spread of health ranges from newbie to superior, making Magic Mountain nice for all ages and skills. And, if you happen to don’t have your individual tools, you’ll be able to all the time hire it there.
Magic Mountain Ski Resort is at Forest Street 499, Kimberly, ID 83341.
20- Test Out Rupert Sq. Historic District
On the Nationwide Register of Historic Locations, Rupert Sq. is among the metropolis’s most accessible but necessary locations to take a look at.
Many buildings within the sq. date again to the early twentieth century and have been constructed with brick.
Regardless of a fireplace in 1910, the district is generally intact and options distinctive structure.
Buildings embrace attractive giant home windows, ornamental brick keystones, and flat brick archways.
I like to recommend studying in regards to the historic district whereas visiting to get a style of what every constructing was used for over a century in the past.
Rupert Sq. Historic District is positioned within the centre of Rupert and has the tough boundaries of F Avenue, fifth Avenue, E Avenue, and seventh Avenue.
