This Tour of Boise Will Both Haunt and Fascinate You

The true crime genre is more popular than ever. Dateline and 20/20 really had a handle on it in the 90's, but cable television, streaming services, and podcasts have taken it to a whole new level. And I can't say I'm not of the huge group of people who eat it all up. There's something just wildly fascinating learning about all of the awful things humans are capable of when you yourself could never... You could never, right?

Currently I'm obsessed with Bailey Sarian who has a YouTube channel where she tells true crime tales while doing her makeup. It is equal parts soothing and horrifying. The horror of course not coming from the makeup technique. But did you know there's a guided tour that will walk you (literally) through town to places that set the scene for murderous incidents in Boise?

The current tour Idahistory Tours is running is A Macabre History of Boise. Tell me this description doesn't immediately draw you in:

"In the past, Boise has been painted as a cozy and orderly town where ambitious pioneers prospered despite the isolation of their settlement. This, in some ways, is true. Yet there are gritty, sordid, and tragic elements to Boise’s past, often subtracted from the historical narrative. Today, I will lead you on a tour focusing on the darker side of Boise’s formative years…I will present to you, fans of history, the habitually left out, the cast aside, and the macabre aspects of Boise’s formative years. Take note! What is true of Boise’s past is equally true of America’s."

Tour guides Mark and Jeff, who run the whole operation, are scholars well versed in Idaho's history and will regale you with all the facts regarding Boise's seedy underbelly. Man, it feels cool to say something has a seedy underbelly. You can book a tour online. Honestly, this seems like a cool Father's Day gift idea (the tour, not committing dark deeds in the spirit of the macabre).