Sip and stroll on Garden City’s River Walk

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This story originally published in the 2024-2025 Treasure Valley Living, a publication of Idaho Business Review.)

If blue skies and river greenery are not enough to put you in a mellow mood when strolling on the Boise River Greenbelt, step off the trail to sip on something red, white or amber.

Running along the Boise River and surrounded by the cities of Boise and Eagle, Garden City is its own municipality, so it maintains about a four-mile stretch of the Boise River Greenbelt that runs through it. West of downtown Boise, Garden City is coming into its own as a trendy urban hot spot.

Between the Riverside Hotel and Greenbelt Market lies a short river walk part of the Garden City Craft Beverage Corridor, a collection of family wineries and custom breweries, many with tasting rooms or patio service. True to the Garden City motto of “an oasis from ordinary,” this sip and stroll destination is a stress-free paradise in the heart of the Treasure Valley.

From the Telaya Wine Co. and Bavarian Brewing located off the Greenbelt, to Split Rail Winery and Coiled Wines on Chinden Boulevard, several options are within easy walking distance of the Riverside’s outdoor patio with live music. Strolling (or rolling on rented e-bikes or e-scooters) between the Sandbar Patio & Grill and a footbridge near the Greenbelt Market and Caffé Luciano’s will take you past the Greenbelt side of Quinn’s Pond and the Boise Whitewater Park, popular with surfers.

A short drive west on Chinden (named for the Chinese Gardens that used to supply food for miners in the Boise Basin during the gold rush days) will take you to the Western Collective Brewery, also to Par Terre Winery, Cinder Wines and the award-winning Veer Wine Project. Further downriver is Potter Wines, the Rolling Hills Vineyard tasting room and Merriwether Cider. Still on Chinden but past Glenwood Street is the Powderhaus Brewing taproom. Plenty of options for good spirits.

Just off the beaten beer and wine trail is a new “happy place crafted for dogs and their humans” called Clubhound. Equal parts brewpub and dog park, it’s a place to raise a glass and wag a tail, according to the locals. Another relatively new establishment to the Garden City Craft Beverage Corridor is the dog-friendly Proletariat Wine Co., a vintner based in Walla Walla, Washington.

Garden City has come a long way from the days when it was best known as the site of the Western Idaho Fairgrounds and Le Bois Park racetrack. Now home to the hip Live, Work, Create District named for artist Surel Mitchell, Garden City art studios and galleries host First Friday Art and Studio Strolls in the neighborhood. Some locations on the route sponsor exhibits, readings and performances. These walking tours combine nature by the river with culture in the city.

Coffee shops like Push & Pour cater to the walkable and bikeable community, while across the street The Lit Room bookstore hosts local authors. The nearby Wepa Café specializes in Puerto Rican cuisine with a social conscience. And on Osage Street, the Visual Arts Collective offers plays, concerts and art shows, while the Audio Lab Recording Studio brings live music programs to the area.

Along with craft beverages, Garden City refreshes your spirits with a walk on the cool side.

If You Go

The Idaho Wine Commission’s “Here We Grow, the 2024-2025 Idaho Wine and Cider Guide,” points to Idaho’s warm days, cool nights and rich soil as the reason for the state’s 70-plus wineries and cideries. Idaho also boasts one of the fastest growing craft beer industries in the U.S., with 17 breweries in Boise alone. Idaho Brewers United publishes an “Idaho Brewery Trail Map,” and soon a digital app, to help find about 100 breweries and brewpubs in the state. Not surprisingly, Idaho is also one of the top producers of hops and barley in the nation.

Sampling of Garden City wineries and breweries

Look for new openings and possible closings as the Craft Beverage Corridor evolves. Case in point, Parcero Wine Bar opened in early 2024 across the street from Roots Zero Waste Market, while Twisted District Brew Co, named for the former Twisted Ewe yarn shop, closed a few months later.

Telaya Wine Co. Winery and tasting room with old-world inspired, Idaho-crafted wines.
240 E. 32nd Street, Garden City

Mon. to Wed., noon-7:30 p.m.; Thurs. to Sat. noon-8:30 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

Bavarian Brewing specializes in traditional barrel-aged and sour beers.
114 E. 32nd Street, Garden City

Mon., 3-9 p.m.; Tues. to Thurs., 3-10 p.m.; Fri. to Sat., noon-10 p.m.; Sun., noon-8 p.m.

Coiled Wines specializes in award-winning, French-style approach wine.
3408 W. Chinden Boulevard, Garden City
Wed. to Sun., 1-7 p.m.

Split Rail Winery offers wine tastings, local beer and cool music.
3200 W. Chinden Boulevard, Garden City
Mon to Thurs., 1-7 p.m.; Fri. to Sun., noon-8 p.m.

Western Collective is home to the best beer, seltzer and slushes.
111 W. 33rd Street, Garden City
Sun. to Thurs., 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri. to Sat., 11:30 a.m.-midnight

Par Terre Winery is a small production winery and tasting room.
4338 W. Chinden Boulevard, Garden City
Temporarily closed until December 2024

Veer Wine Project is the 2024 Idaho Winery of the Year.
4338 W. Chinden Boulevard, Garden City
Wed. to Sat., 1-7 p.m.; Sun., 1-6 p.m.

Cinder Wines is a boutique winery with a tasting room, offering private tours.
107 E. 44th Street, Garden City
Wed. to Sun., 1-7 p.m.

Potter Wines is a family-owned and operated winery and tasting room.
5286 W. Chinden Boulevard, Garden City
Thurs. to Fri., 2-7 p.m.; Sat., noon-7 p.m.; Sun., 2-5 p.m.

Merriwether Cider is a Boise hard cider company with a taproom in Garden City.
5242 W. Chinden Boulevard, Garden City
Tue. to Sat., 3-9 p.m.; Sun., noon-6 p.m.

Rolling Hills Vineyard in Eagle, Idaho has a tasting room in Garden City.
152 E. 52nd Street Garden City
Wed. to Thurs., noon-6 p.m.; Fri. to Sat., noon-7 p.m.; Sun., noon-6 p.m.

Proletariat Winery and Tasting Room features a pet-friendly patio and terrace.
106 E. 36th Street, Garden City
Tue. to Thurs., 1-7 p.m.; Fri. to Sat., noon-8 p.m.; Sun. noon-6 p.m.

Powderhaus Brewing is a craft brewery created with the outdoor enthusiast in mind.
9719 W. Chinden Boulevard, Garden City
Mon. to Thurs., 3-10 p.m.; Fri. to Sat., 2-10 p.m.; Sun., noon-7 p.m.