Interesting Things to Do Near Wallace, Idaho

It’s fun to spend a weekend exploring somewhere new. Family trips don’t have to take you far away from home. We found lots to do on our short family camping trip in Wallace, Idaho. Just 45 minutes from home, we enjoyed exploring the historic town, hiking, sightseeing and adventuring.

Find a Pretty Camping Spot

We really enjoyed our stay at the Wallace RV Park just outside of town. We camped right next to a small stream and enjoyed the cooler summer weather in the shade of tall pine trees. The kids had plenty of space to ride their balance bikes and we went on a short family walk before enjoying a yummy dinner at the City Limits Pub & Grill.

Walk Downtown

Wallace, Idaho is a small town and easy to explore by walking. We visited the local antiques emporium, browsed several gems and minerals shops, bought a mocha at the coffee shop and took a tour of the historic railroad depot. A few hundred people live in the nearby neighborhoods and the close community was very friendly.

The main antique store, Tabor’s Emporium, has lots of old and newer things to look at. We found some cute wall art and several gifts. We spent a good amount of time browsing the displays of jars and vases, old jewelry, whimsical farmhouse style decor and antique furniture.

At another store my girls enjoyed picking out a few new crystals for their rock collections.

Go on the Sierra Silver Mine Tour

We also visited the local Wallace, Idaho mine and learned about how miners lived. They worked by candlelight within a network of tunnels and stayed alive by keeping an eye on the birds they kept in cages. The Sierra Silver Mine Tour is an easy walkthrough and glimpse into the history of mining. We learned about some of the mining tools that were used to remove ore from solid rock and about some of the victories that were accomplished through backbreaking work. The mine tour is a great family-friendly activity to do in Wallace, Idaho.

Ride the Silver Mountain Resort Gondola

Another day of our camping trip we went on the Silver Mountain Resort gondola ride to the top of the mountain. The gondolas are another great family activity; fully enclosed with seats and big windows to see the views. At the top we went on a short hike, found some huckleberries, ate lunch at the restaurant and the kids played on the playground and jumped in the bounce house.

Riding in the gondola at Silver Mountain Resort is a memorable family activity!

Silver Mountain Resort offers family activities to do in summer and winter. You can make family memories at Silver Rapids, Idaho’s largest indoor water park or play a game of golf at the Galena Ridge Golf Course. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can ride mountain bikes up the mountain or explore the picturesque forest hiking trails on foot.

In winter, you can take the whole family snow tubing, skiing or snowboarding on some of the 73 trails and 1,600 acres of terrain. I grew up snowboarding and I’m excited to introduce our kids to snow sports as soon as they get a bit older.

We enjoyed the scenic gondola ride and the tickets were fairly affordable. Two of our kids (under age 4) were free. The ride was about 20 minutes long and getting on and off was a simple process, even with kids. We’d definitely ride the Silver Mountain Resort gondola again!

Camping trips with a few added activities are perfect for our family because our kids love getting out and doing things every day. In our stage of young family life, camping is less about relaxing in a camp chair near the fire and more about finding adventurous family-friendly things to do. We had a lot of fun on this short camping trip and we really enjoyed exploring Wallace, Idaho!

Katie

Katie enjoys all things creative; DIY projects, photography, decorating and family adventures. She feels blessed to be a stay-at-home mom with 3 kids and many artistic outlets.