• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About Us
  • Work With Us
  • Shop
  • Blog Coaching
  • Disclosures
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Amazon
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
As someone who is so Type A and always planning ev As someone who is so Type A and always planning every detail of our trip, it was so nice to let the stress of planning go and let @JetBlueVacations handle everything! 

We bundled our flight, hotel and airport transfer and our local insider booked our excursion. I was finally able to relax before and during my vacation knowing everything was taken care of for us. My fellow planners, take a break and let JetBlue Vacations handle everything for you! 

Use code: HAMBRICK for $200 off flights + hotel!
Book by 12/10/23 for travel 12/15/23-11/1/24 Min. $3,500 spend & terms apply
Plus there were options to Johannesburg, Mumbai, S Plus there were options to Johannesburg, Mumbai, Seychelles, Hong Kong, & Manilla for like $250RT from not only JFK but Chicago, Dallas, DC, San Fran & LAX. 

Definitely the best flight deal I’ve ever booked but since then I have gotten some other amazing ones. $540RT to Sydney, $400RT to Marrakech, $60RT to Denver, $150RT to Guatemala. Love a points deal too, 70k Skymiles RT to Tokyo, 60k miles RT to Egypt & more!

So where can you find these deals?

Going: A subscription based site that emails you immediately anytime a deal pops up. It has 3 levels: Limited deals (free), Premium ($49/yr), & Elite ($199/yr). Comment LINK & I’ll send you a link for $25 off Premium or Elite!

Secretflying.com: For my international community this is the best site for you. They provide deals daily from every country in the world but you have to search for them.

Google Flights: You have to search yourself here by typing in the airport you want to fly from but you can put an entire region (Europe, Caribbean, Africa) and the dates you can travel and the map will populate with the prices in all those places so you can see the cheapest places to go.

Skyscanner: This site allows you to put your home airport, select anywhere as your destination to find the cheapest flights during the dates you can travel or you can put your home airport & destination you want to travel & find the cheapest dates to fly there. This is my favorite site to use for school/work holidays.

Theflightdeal.com: Just like secretflying but only for flights from the US.

What’s the best flight deal you’ve booked? Any other places you use to find deals? Comment LINK & I’ll send you a link for $25 off Going on their Premium or Elite levels!

#flightdeals #pointsandmiles
The thoughts that go through my head on flights ar The thoughts that go through my head on flights are irrational! Don’t even get me started on what happens if there is any bit of turbulence 😭😭.

If you sit next to me on a plane just know the likely hood of me grabbing your hand at some point is extremely high whether I know you or not 😅. 

I can’t be the only one, can I? And listen I will take all the tips because I have tried everything but seeking professional help, but maybe I need to!

Flight anxiety, fear of flying
Please do not tell me “but we’re only sleeping Please do not tell me “but we’re only sleeping there, we’ll be out all day”. When I get in after a long day I need to be comfortable and not afraid to touch things! In my 20s it did not matter but I’m too old now, I like what I like! 

Have you ever checked into a hotel and then got to your room and immediately checked out 👀?

1. Team book anything, I’m just sleeping there!
2. Team the hotel matters no matter how long the stay 
3. Team I’m somewhere in between

#hotelmatters #travelhumor
It’s the most wonderful time of the year!! Match It’s the most wonderful time of the year!! Matching holiday pajama time that is and @littlesleepies has picture perfect options for you to wear for your holiday card photo shoots! I love how soft they are and that they come in a wide range of prints and sizes from preemie to 3X. And yes they even have matching prints for your pets! Every purchase gives back to Alex’s Lemonade Stand, a foundation for childhood cancer. Y’all know matching PJs sell out QUICK for the holidays so hurry up and order now! 

Use code TravelingChild15 for 15% off regular priced items. So when are you bringing out the holiday decorations 👀?

#LittleSleepiesPartner #matchingpjs #matchingpajamas
Everything you need to know about Rainbow Mountain Everything you need to know about Rainbow Mountain (save + share this post):

1. Rainbow Mountain is a 3 hour drive from Cusco. 

2. The majority of tours leave at 3am but I like sleep & booked with a company that has 7:30am tours. This was much better as when we arrived most groups were walking down from the mountain so when we reached the top the crowds were minimal.

3. Rainbow Mountain’s elevation is 17,000 feet. It’s imperative you stay in Cusco (11,151ft in elevation) a few days prior so your body gets used to the altitude. 

4. The hike is roughly 4.5 miles RT, most of it is flat but the last stretch is steep and you will get short of breath, needing breaks. I def thought I wasn’t going to make it!

5. Wear lots of layers. It was warm at the base of the mountain but towards the top & especially when the wind came through it’s cold! 

6. The best time to hike Rainbow Mountain is the dry season April-Oct.

7. You can rent a horse for the majority of the hike, but the steep part you have to hike yourself as horses aren’t allowed there. The cost is about 70 soles (roughly $17 at the time of this post).

8. Vendors at the base of the mountain will stamp your passport for 2 soles. They actually do this at Machu Picchu too but I forgot to get mine stamped there.

9. If you traveled to Peru 10 years ago you would not have been able to do this hike because Rainbow Mountain was just uncovered around 2015. Prior to it was always covered by snow but global warming has caused the temperatures to rise & the snow to melt.

10. Most popularly called Rainbow Mountain the original name is Vinicunca, which comes from the native Quechua word meaning mountain of colors. The 7 colors of this mountain come from mineral compositions and depending on if it rained recently or not the colors vary in their brightness.

Have you heard of Rainbow Mountain? Would you do this hike?

#rainbowmountain #solotravels #bucketlistadventures
There are so many beautiful places on this earth t There are so many beautiful places on this earth to see. #VSP_Partner. Often, our eye health is overlooked, but it is important to keep your eyes top of mind so you can see the world through healthy eyes and clear vision. To help you see a new part of the world, I’ve partnered with @vspvisioncare to give away travel items to put towards your next trip:

✈️ $2,000 in gift cards to Hotels.com, Southwest, and VISA

✈️Two (2) pairs of sunglasses to wear on vacation

This giveaway runs from November 3–10, 2023 and the winner will ONLY be announced via DMs from the @vspvisioncare account on November 10, 2023. Be on the lookout for scammers!

How to Enter:

🏆 Like this post

🏆 Follow these accounts @vspvisioncare and @thetravelingchild

🏆 Tag two (2) friends that you want to take on this trip! (More tags = more entries.)

🏆 Fill out the entry form at the link in my bio. (Entry form will be hosted on Rafflecopter.)

*Eligibility: Must be located within the 50 United States and District of Columbia and be 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. See full terms and conditions at the link in my bio.

#Sweepstakes

The Traveling Child

If kids live there, kids can visit!

  • Affording Travel
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Kenya
      • Morocco
    • Asia
      • Singapore
      • Thailand
    • Australia
    • Caribbean
      • Aruba
      • The Bahamas
      • Barbados
      • Cuba
      • Grand Cayman
      • Jamaica
      • Puerto Rico
      • Trinidad
    • Central America
      • Costa Rica
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Denmark
      • France
      • Italy
      • Spain
      • The Netherlands
    • North America
      • Alaska
      • Arizona
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Florida
      • Georgia
      • Hawaii
      • Idaho
      • Illinois
      • Kansas
      • Louisiana
      • Mexico
      • Nevada
      • New York
      • South Carolina
      • South Dakota
      • Tennessee
      • Texas
      • Utah
      • West Virginia
      • Wisconsin
    • South America
      • Brazil
      • Colombia
  • Travel Tips
    • Tips on Traveling with Kids
    • Trip Planning Tips
  • Reviews
    • Airline Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Product Reviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Buy Our Book
  • Blog Coaching

Things to Do in Southern Idaho

September 15, 2022      Destinations, Idaho

One day I came across Visit Southern Idaho’s Instagram account and immediately added it to my bucket list of places to visit. My family loves the outdoors and it has so many activities we enjoy doing. We got the opportunity to spend five nights when Visit Southern Idaho invited us to explore and these were some of our favorite things to do in Southern Idaho.

Where to Stay When Exploring Southern Idaho

When visiting Southern Idaho we found it best to base ourselves in Twin Falls. The city has grown a ton and here you will have some of the best options for hotels and Airbnbs. There are also tons of restaurants, bars and even shopping so it’s a good place to be if you forgot an important item at home and need to grab something at Target.

How to Get to Twin Falls, Idaho

There is a regional airport 5 miles south of Twin Falls, Magic Valley Regional Airport but it was actually more convenient for us to fly into Salt Lake City airport in Utah and make the 3 hour drive from there to Twin Falls. The reason is because from Miami we could get a direct flight whereas to fly into Twin Falls we’d not only have 2 connections making the journey 3-6 hours longer than a flight to Twin Falls but the flights would also cost us about $300 more per person. As an alternative you can also fly into Boise, Idaho (if you won’t have to make a connection to get here) and make the two hour drive to Twin Falls.

Things to Do in Southern Idaho

Boat Ride and Kayak to Shoshone Falls

You cannot visit Southern Idaho and not see Shoshone Falls. While there are quite a few viewpoints where you can look down into the falls, the best way to capture all of its beauty is from the water. You can paddle board here but we preferred kayaking so we booked a tour with AWOL Adventure Sports. We chose the boat ride and kayak so we’d avoid the full 8 miles of kayaking and just kayak 4 miles round trip from Pillar Falls. AWOL Adventure Sports is located right in Twin Falls and tours with them should be on every list of things to do in Southern Idaho.

White Water Rafting in Hagerman

Southern Idaho has some amazing opportunities for white water rafting, 35 minutes from Twin Falls in Hagerman. It was our first time and we are so happy we went with Idaho Guide Service. Daniel, the owner and our guide was absolutely amazing. We did this in late July and the path we took was considered Class 3. Our kids were 6 and 8 at the time of our visit and Daniel let us know they have taken kids as young as 3.

The entire trip is about 3 hours which includes a stop for lunch. They provided sandwiches, fruits, chips, cookies, water and soda but you can also bring your own food if you have dietary restrictions. What we loved most was it wasn’t just a rafting trip. When we weren’t going through the white water you could hop into the river to swim or play rodeo. Rodeo is where you stand on the front of the raft and your guide spins the raft around and you see how long you can hold on before falling into the water.

Walk Behind Perrine Coulee Falls

We’ve personally never had the opportunity to walk behind a waterfall so this was pretty cool to us. On the way to the parking lot of Centennial Waterfront Park on the side of the road is Perrine Coulee. It’s a very easy walk and we saw people of all ages and fitness levels doing it. Be sure to wear a waterproof jacket for when you’re behind the falls as of course you’ll get a little wet. Since it’s in the same location as AWOL Adventure Sports it makes sense to do this before or after you kayak to Shoshone Falls.

Watch Basejumps Jump Off the Perrine Memorial Bridge

Southern Idaho is one of the top BASE jumping destinations on the planet so it has to be on your list of things to do in Southern Idaho. We chose to just watch the base jumpers jump off the bridge but if heights don’t scare you, you can also tandem jump with some of the best base jumpers in the world here. The activity will cost you though as the most well known tandem jumper charges $400 for you to join him. It’s located right in Twin Falls.

Tour the Shoshone Ice Cave

Roughly 45 minutes North of Twin Falls are the Shoshone Ice Caves. They are one of the largest known lava ice caves in Idaho. They offer walking tours through the cave daily from May 1-September 30th (they’re closed the rest of the year). Even though it will most likely be in the high 90s if you visit in July like we did, you’ll need a jacket for the caves as the temperature averages 27 degrees! There are also about 80 stairs you need to climb to get into the cave so it’s not accessible for strollers or wheelchairs.

Before or after your tour you can purchase geos from the gift shop and then crack them with hammers at the station outside. There is also a gem mining station.

Explore Lake Cleveland

Lake Cleveland was the furthest thing we did from Twin Falls, 90 minutes away but still in Southern Idaho. Since we visited in July we caught the wildflower bloom and enjoyed the gorgeous Purple Lupine and Christ’s Indian Paintbrush flowers.

Whether you come during wildflower season or not you can also rent kayaks or canoes to take on the lake. Some people also swim in the lake as well, our girls put their feet in and it was a great way to cool off!

Further up the mountains by Lake Cleveland is Mt. Harrison, the tallest peak in the area. You can stop by and enjoy the scenic view from the lookout point.

Go Ziplining through Centennial Waterfront Park

If you want some thrills while in Southern Idaho but base jumping is just a little too much for you, go zip-lining. At Centennial Waterfront Park through the same company we used for our Shoshone Falls tour, AWOL Adventure Sports, you can book a zip-line tour. The two hour tour takes you through 4 different lines of varying heights and lengths. If you’re doing it in the summer I recommend the earliest or latest tour to beat the hot sun.

Explore City of Rocks National Reserve

An hour and a half outside of Twin Falls but still in Southern Idaho is City of Rocks National Reserve. It’s beautiful as a great place for hiking and rock climbing. You can camp here, both tent camping and RV Camping but we just did a day trip and still had a lot of fun.

The Creekside Towers trail gives extensive views of the park. Be sure to also check out Window Arches Trail. It’s a very short hike so perfect for kids but it also has this beautiful arch.

What to Eat in Southern Idaho

We definitely didn’t go to Southern Idaho expecting the best food but we had some good meals. Here are some of the best places we ate in Twin Falls and the surrounding areas.

Breakfast

Twin Beans Coffee Co.

Black Bear Diner

Milners Gate

Nostalgia Coffee & Cafe

Lunch/Dinner

KB’s Burritos

Elevation 486

Koto Brewing

Jasmine Thai

2nd South Market (Food Hall)

The Best Time to Visit Southern Idaho

The best time to visit Southern Idaho is May to September. These are the warmest months and it will allow you to truly enjoy the beauty Southern Idaho has to offer. We visited at the end of July and while it was hot, being from Miami it was still cooler than home and no humidity so a win for us!

We had an amazing time in Idaho. The state is gorgeous and there are so many things to do in Southern Idaho, we hope to return to enjoy more of the area. Did you find this article helpful? If so please share it!

Share
Tweet
Pin
Email
Share

Newsletter Subscribtion

 
Join Our Mailing List
You'll get tips on affordable travel, flight deals and detailed itineraries for every trip we've been on (family, girlfriends getaway, baecations and solo) to make your planning process easier.
Thank you for subscribing!

Primary Sidebar

  • Amazon
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • YouTube

Hi! We’re The Hambricks

Hi! We’re The Hambricks

If kids live there, kids can visit! That's our motto and you'll often find us exploring destinations most don't find "kid friendly". We've traveled to 35 countries on 6 continents with our children since they were 10 weeks old and share tips to make it easier and affordable. But mom and dad are people too so we also write about solo travel, baecations and girlfriend getaways.

Newsletter

Subscribe to Our Newsletter
You'll get tips on affordable travel, flight deals and detailed itineraries for every trip we've been on (family, girlfriends getaway, baecations and solo) to make your planning process easier.
Thank you for subscribing!

Recent Posts

  • Warm Places to Visit in December (January and February)
  • How to Travel Hack Long Layover Flights
  • Best Snowy Places to Visit for Winter Vacation
  • Best Tips for Planning a Group Trip
  • Things to do in Long Beach with Kids

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK

Facebook

FOLLOW US ON PINTEREST

Copyright © 2023 The Traveling Child, LLC.