Idaho you are one fine mammacita.

I love the times where I am able to fully appreciate all the natural beauty this state has! My husband and I went camping in the Falls Creek area of Swan Valley, Idaho a few weeks back and had an amazing time.

Falls Creek has individual campsites and group sites to reserve, as well as individual spots available first come, first-served. We went for the individual sites just down Falls Creek Road. There are a lot of great spots down that way! Most of them have places to start fires (although, I am not sure if you can right now). Ours had a wonderful tree-covered place to put our tent and a little creek flowing behind. It was so nice to look at all the stars and sing around the campfire at night.

TIP: Make sure you bring bug spray! The campsites next to the creek have so many mosquitoes.

I love Palisades, because there is just so much to do.

We went hiking on the Lower Lake Trail – it’s about 4 miles one way. Or, if you are feeling particularly great, you can hike to the Upper Lake (6.2 mi. one way). The Upper is a beautiful, enclosed lake that you can swim out to an island from. The water was really chilly when I went!

However, the Lower Lake has plenty of awesome wildlife (moose, eagles, etc), and is beautiful no matter what time of year you go see it. I hear the fall leaves are gorgeous though!

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Related: While you are in Swan Valley go to Rainey Creek for square ice cream!

We like to take the 40 min. or so trip and head in to Victor and then onward to Jackson (about an additional 40 min.).

My favorite stops in Victor:

• Brakeman Grill
• Big Hole BBQ
• Knotty Pine
• Grand Teton Brewing

Also, if you are there on a Thursday, the Music on Main summer series is so much fun!

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My favorite stops in Jackson:

• Cowboy Coffee
• Made
• Valley Bookstore
• Moo’s Ice Cream
• Snake River Brewing
• Toystore with the Range

Related: SUPER coffee and hang out day in Jackson and Rendezvous Fest

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Where are your favorite places to eat, camp, and hike in Palisades, Victor, Jackson area? What is your go to summer trip in Idaho?

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Life is about to get sweeter, Boise! Revitalize Juice Bar is coming to town.

On Saturday, I attended the grand opening of Revitalize Juice Bar’s new location in Old Boise. I love going to their location in The Village at Meridian, and I am so excited for them to have a location that’s closer to where I live and work!

Revitalize offers a wide variety of nutrient dense juices, kombucha on tap, protein smoothies, lattes, and fruit bowls. They have pitaya bowls, acai bowls, and coconut bowls inspired by the owners’ trips to Hawaii, and they truly are a refreshing bit of paradise!

Both locations are welcoming and have plenty of seating to hang out with friends after a good workout (I recommend re-fueling with a lavender vanilla protein smoothie which is TO DIE FOR).

Or you can hang in the swinging chair at the Boise location and read (or blog!) while eating an Oregon bowl (acai, blueberries, strawberries, banana, goji berries, hemp hearts, honey, and bee pollen).

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Go do something that your tummy will thank you for, and grab a treat at Revitalize Juice Bar!

560 W. Main St. (Boise)

3505 E. Monarch Sky Ln. (Meridian)

Revitalize Juice Bar Facebook

Many thanks to Sharece Mecham, fellow Live a Little Local writer, for this piece!

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This is the final #Idahoicecreamsundaes post! Thanks so much for following along and hopefully eating a lot of ice cream with us. Our last post is about a fantastic shop in Stanley.

Stanley, ID is “Gateway to the Sawtooth Mountains” and home to Stanley Scoops, a cute little ice cream shop just off of Highway 21 on Wall St. Stanley Scoops has some charming locals running the shop, and they’ll be glad to scoop you up a classic Idahoan huckleberry cone as you head over to the majestic Sawtooth Mountains for a hike or some mountain biking!

But ice cream isn’t all they’re dishin’ out! Don’t miss out on their other yummy treats like cookies, cupcakes, and milkshakes.

615 Ace of Diamonds St.

Stanley, ID

Did you miss the other posts in this series?

Rainey Creek

Sarsaparilla

The STIL and Reed’s Dairy

We are excited to start the Best Of Summer series and Explore Idaho series. Subscribe to know when those are posted!

Many thanks to Sharece Mecham, fellow Live a Little Local writer, for her love of ice cream and willingness to write about it.

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I’ve been camping in the Swan Valley area ever since I was a kid. One of my favorite memories of this time was stopping by Rainey Creek to get square ice cream. It was the first SQUARE ice cream I’d ever had and there was definitely something special about it.

This is still a tradition for me, and I love to stop by and get a waffle cone when I am in the area.

They have many different flavors from Huckleberry Cheesecake, Caramel Caribou, Moose Tracks, and one of my favorites Lime Rickey. I fully recommend getting your choice in a waffle cone. They put whoppers in the bottom of the cones which is such a delicious surprise!

2997 Swan Valley Hwy; Swan Valley, Idaho 83449

Rainey Creek Facebook

Congrats to Paige Aitchison for winning the National Ice Cream day giveaway to Reed’s Dairy! Follow Live a Little Local to participate in our next giveaway.

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Week 2 of #IdahoIceCreamSundaes! I’m very excited to tell you about this wonderful ice cream shop.

Forty miles outside of Boise is the quaint little town of Idaho City (‘city’ being a misnomer). Idaho City is surround by national forest and beautiful mountain scenery and within the town is the cutest ice cream and gift shop called Sarsaparilla.

Sarsaparilla scoops up to five flavors on a cone, and they make their waffle cones in house! They’ll also mix you up a milkshake, or you can order a deliciously rich brownie sundae topped with hot fudge and peanut butter. There are around 16 different flavors of ice cream to choose from, including maple nut, butter pecan, cotton candy, and (my personal favorite) black licorice. You’re welcome to sample any of the flavors before you buy, but it’s going to be a tough choice! It’s the perfect treat to enjoy on their spacious front porch on a sunny summer day!

101 Montgomery St suite 2, Idaho City, ID 83631

Sarsaparilla Facebook

Many thanks to Sharece Mecham, fellow Live a Little Local writer, for this piece.

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Hey all! Did you know that July 15th is National Ice Cream day!?

I really dig these national days for food, and could there be a better way to celebrate than a waffle cone?

There are way too many wonderful ice cream places to let all the recognition fall onto a single day. So, we will be using the hashtag #IdahoIceCreamSundaes to celebrate one or more shops every Sunday in July.

This post is a two-fer!

The STIL (Boise)

The STIL (The Sweetest Things in Life) in downtown Boise is the place you’ll want to be when that craving for something sweet hits. This ice cream shop offers unique, vegan, and booze-infused flavors so there’s something delish for everyone. Flavors rotate often, but I recommend Picnic in the Park (raspberry+goat cheese+walnut), Idaho Wilderness (berry+local lavender from Red Chair Lavender), or Pool Days (mint+lime+rum+mojito). The STIL also gives you the option of pairing your ice cream with local and regional beer and wine options OR you can have them scoop you some ice cream onto local cookies from Sugar Whipped and Gluten Free Galaxy for an ice cream sandwich! Cookies also come in vegan and gluten free options.

786 W Broad St, Boise, ID 83702
ilovethestil.com

STIL Facebook

Reed’s Dairy (Idaho Falls and Meridian)

Oh, the whole-milk goodness. This is not the shop to go to if you are looking for almond, soy, alternative ice cream, ok? This shop houses fresh, flavorful, and creamy treats that are sure to bring a smile to your face. You’ll be sure to see flavors like strawberry or huckleberry any time of the year. However, watch out for some rotating flavors that aren’t always in shop (coconut almond fudge, honey comb crunch). Honey comb crunch is definitely one of my favorites! It’s a blend of cinnamon, chocolate pieces of honey comb, and graham cracker.

Milkshakes with local strawberries, brown cows (ice cream and chocolate milk floats), and grilled cheese sandwiches are other items you don’t want to miss.

If you can’t stand to leave without taking some deliciousness home —don’t worry! Reed’s also offers tubs of ice cream to take home, milk, and cheese from their farm, or you can have milk delivered to you!

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Reed’s Dairy has locations in Ammon, Idaho Falls, and Meridian. (In Idaho Falls you can visit the farm.)

http://reedsdairy.com/

Reed’s Facebook

Many thanks to Sharece Mecham, fellow Live a Little Local writer, for her contribution to this piece.

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I recently took a trip to beautiful island of Oahu. My husband’s family grew up there, and some still live there so we were able to visit.

I had a really amazing time trying to experience and eat my way around the Island 🙂

Experiences

Polynesian Cultural Center

The PCC let’s you learn about island cultures (Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Tahiti, New Zealand, etc.) in such a fun and engaging way. My favorite thing was watching the incredible Samoan fire-dancing and drinking out of pineapples.

How PCC stole my heart

Kualoa Range

We went on a raptor tour of the Kualoa range that was really amazing. The Kualoa range is recognizable even if you haven’t been there, because it has been filmed in 50 First Dates, Jumanji, Jurassic Park, etc. When we went it was pouring rain…which made for a very memorable experience!

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Pearl Harbor

If you are on Oahu hands down I think you should go on a tour of Pearl Harbor. We went on a bus tour which was amazing, because of all the history and stories. Ferrying out to the US Arizona was a very humbling experience. You end up being right on top of the ship, and can see the oil leaking out which is crazy to me! Side note: I think that Arizona is shutdown right now, because they found a leak in the memorial. Very grateful that I was able to see it when I did.

Food

Ted’s Bakery plate lunches

Ted’s Bakery is amazing. They have a ton of different pies and baked treats (Chantilly cake, Haupia pie, dobash cake). My favorite thing from them was the teriyaki beef plate lunches though. Plate lunches are huge in Hawaii! You can find them every where. Plate lunches are made up of protein (teriyaki beef, chicken, kalua pork), macaroni salad, and rice, YUM!

Outside of Ted’s

Chantilly

Chantilly is something I’ve never heard of before travelling to Hawaii! You will find it on cakes, cream puffs, etc. My favorite chantilly cake was found at The Willows. It is similar to a German chocolate cake with no coconut, and covered in chopped nuts.

Chantilly cake from Ted’s Bakery

Shave Ice

If you are in Hawaii shave ice is a must! My favorite place was Matsumoto’s in Haleiwa. The flavors were on point. Also, we met Matsumoto and he is a super cool dude! Haleiwa is a must see too. It’s a very cool surfer town with fun shops and great food.

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I can’t wait to get back to Oahu. It is such a beautiful and unique place.

Mahalo for reading!

Links for you!

Polynesian Cultural Center

Kualoa Ranch

Ted’s Bakery

Matsumoto’s

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I got to mark “ice cream shop” off my Idaho Falls downtown wish list this last week.

We have a local ice cream shop now! I am so excited. Downtown is the perfect place for an ice cream shop, and I can’t wait to add Pop’s to all of my summer time routines.

Rating: (on a 0-5 scale, 0 not so great-5 Poppin’)

Over-all Tastiness: 5

Atmosphere: 5

Experience: 5

Taste

Pop’s offers a wide spectrum of flavors, so whether you want to play it safe with a classic flavor (rocky road/ bubblegum) or try something new you can find something that you’ll enjoy. They also have Italian ices that will satisfy your cravings and are dairy-free and vegan-friendly.

When I was there I tried the Lime Rickey (one of my favorites)! It was perfect.

Atmosphere

Pop’s has a really sweet retro vibe to it. The first thing you notice is the bright pink walls. It’s very fun, and the black and white photos are a great touch providing some nostalgia.

Experience

Absolutely wonderful. The owners, Jennifer and Steve, are very friendly and helpful. They also own Idaho Escape Rooms (check out my review) downtown. Which would be a perfect activity to pair with your ice cream.

Couple of new Pop’s fans

I’m very happy to have this great new addition to Idaho Falls. Be sure to check it out on your next bike ride or visit to downtown!

Keep up with Pop’s Ice Cream by following them on Facebook.

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Idaho Escape Rooms

If you are anything like me the term “Escape Rooms” conjures images of being locked in a dark, uncomfortable room while frantically trying to solve Saw inspired puzzles. So uncomfortable!! I was quite wrong.

Idaho Escape Rooms is epically bad ass and fun.

How it works

I’m not going to give you details about the puzzle we solved, but I will let you in on the jist of things. You are in a room, but you aren’t locked in.

You are asked to solve a series of puzzles, but they aren’t delivered by a puppet on a tricycle.

All of our teammates entered their own groove. Exploring the room and trying to help each other think through things.

It was such a great experience. I think trying this with your friends, family, or as team-building for work would be an awesome time.

We ended up finishing with 12 minutes left! BOO YAH.  I felt like we might not make it, but we totally did! With zero hints too which made us feel particularly cool!

Post escape room success

The couple that runs this business ( Jennifer and Steve) are so helpful, and fun to talk to. You can tell that they are passionate, and I am so glad that they are bringing something new to Idaho Falls! They are puzzle masters.

Follow Live a Little Local, and like their page on Facebook for deets.

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Hands down Martini Mayhem is my favorite event of the year.

May 19th will be my 4th consecutive time attending. I don’t think I’ve had such good attendance to anything in my life 🙂

Let me tell you why I love this event so much!

Bottomless martinis for $40 ($50 at the door)

This pretty much explains itself. Martinis are expensive, so you can justify your drinking habit with this amazing deal!

Access to IF’s best bartenders

Martini Mayhem is a competition between participating bars to see who has the best martini in several categories. I’m convinced I need to get myself on this judge’s panel! After the judging is over the public is invited in to try the martinis. It is so much fun to see what all the different bartenders had in mind, and to try martinis that you won’t find for sale in Idaho Falls bars.

Over-all amazing event

The event is always beautiful, and well put together. I’ve never had a bad time. Afterwards, you can get dinner at The Bee’s Knees which is delicious! Then if you still have some kick in ya shimmy over to The Shilo to dance like you had at least $40 worth of martinis.

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Get your tickets at The Bee’s Knees (cash only). Hope to see you there!

The Bee’s Knees Facebook

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