Although Boise’s history is much newer than many eastern states, there are still hundreds of years of buildings, people, and culture in the city. Because of this, there are plenty of haunted places in Boise, many of them you can visit today.

Click the links below to skip to any of the following sections:

Idaho Penitentiary
Egyptian Theatre
Idanha Hotel
The Hoff Building
Boise State University
The Owyhee
Basque House

Idaho Penitentiary

If you ask most Boiseans about the most haunted place in town, they will likely respond with the Old Idaho Penitentiary. The penitentiary was open for more than100 years and had dozens of deaths in that time — including some inmates who were executed.

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You can visit the Idaho Penitentiary year-round, even though much of it is outside, and walk through the cells of former inmates. Since it was turned into a museum, numerous people have felt or seen presences at the penitentiary. But judge for yourself — the last time I visited I felt weird in certain areas, specifically the cell blocks.

There are numerous ghost tours throughout the year as well, and some of them include overnight stays!

Egyptian Theatre

The Egyptian Theatre was opened in downtown Boise in 1927, and was restored in 1999. It has since been named as a historical landmark, which means it likely won’t be torn down any time soon. Whether or not you are ghost hunting, the Egyptian Theatre is an amazing building to visit because of the art and architectural detail both inside and outside.

Over the years, numerous employees have reported feeling or seeing something out of the ordinary, including a male who hangs out around the projection room. It has also been the subject of numerous paranormal investigations.

The Egyptian Theatre is still open today, both as a movie theatre and event venue.

Idanha Hotel

The Idanha Hotel was built in 1901 as a hotel, and was used as many different things over the years. When it was completed, the total cost for the build was $125,000. The Idanha is currently used as apartments, and there have been numerous tenants and workers who have reported a number of weird things happening.

According to Idaho Haunted Houses, there was a bellman who was killed at the hotel, which is why the elevator moves on its own. Residents have reported seeing this bellman. There is also the spirit of a murdered woman who hangs around the building, and a number of other spirits there as well.

The Idanha was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

As a Boise native, I have had a number of friends who have lived there, and every single one of them has reported multiple instances of weird events happening in and around their apartments.

The Hoff Building

The Hoff Building was built in 1930 in downtown Boise, and used as a hotel for decades. The Hoff Building was previously Hotel Boise, and was considered the first skyscraper in Boise. The building has 11 floors and a penthouse, as well as the Crystal Ballroom, an event space used for proms, meetings, and weddings.

Paranormal activity has been reported for years at The Hoff Building, especially in the Crystal Ballroom, the 11th floor, and the 5th floor. Walking through the opulent doors and wandering around its hallways, it’s hard not to feel something around you. There is something about the building that takes you back to when it was built.

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The elevator has also been reported as an epicenter for hauntings — but whether you believe that or not, it is pretty creepy if you have to ride up all the way to the top.

Boise State University

Boise State University moved to its current location since 1940, and has been home to plenty of sightings of paranormal figures. Very specifically, the Communication building is always highlighted as the home to these stories.

I actually went to school for two years in the Boise State Communication building, followed by three years of teaching there, and I saw numerous things in this time. I felt or saw things, at the end of hallways, in the bathroom, and in the stairwells. It was never enough to not blame on something else, but combined, there definitely felt like something was there. There were numerous coworkers of mine that felt the same, and it just became a normal part of life.

The rumor is that a student killed herself in the building in the mid-1900s, but there is no proof that is true.

The Owyhee

The Owyhee was built in 1910 and has been used as a boarding house, hotel, and apartments in that time. Over the years, there have been a number of sightings, sounds, and voices heard by guests and employees.

There have been reports of elevators moving up and down on their own, TVs turning off and on, and even sightings of a man walking around the building.

The Basque House

The Basque House is located in the Basque Block of downtown Boise, and is a historic boarding house that was home to many Basque migrants moving to Boise in the early 1900s. The Basque House, known as the Cyrus Jacobs/Uberuaga House, was built in 1910 and used as a boarding house well into the 1960s.

According to Greenbelt Magazine, a former employee of the Basque House said she would see a person walking around the house and talking on a regular basis. Other employees and volunteers have seen or heard similar things.

You can visit the Boarding House today, and see if you feel, hear, or see anything.

Any time of year is a great time to check out these haunted places (after all, they do not only come out at Halloween). Many of them are open for visitors year-round. Tell us if you have had any experiences in Boise, or if there is anything we should add to this list.

Izzabella Carlson on June 26, 2022 at 7:47 am

I used to be an employee at Family Dollar at 2901 W state street in boise idaho and in the time I worked there I saw a lot of stuff. I used to be the one closing the store at night, and I would sometimes work late so that I could get some extra stuff done, and this happened many times but one night in particular I was scared to death. It was about 10:30 at night, and I was just finishing up my deposit, when from the back of the store I heard voices. My first immediate thought was that maybe I had locked someone in the store and they just hadn’t come to the counter or something. I was quickly proven wrong however, because I called out and no one answered but the voices didn’t stop. I followed them into the stock room at the back of the store and checked thoroughly but came up empty handed. I then checked the rest of the store, and upon finding nothing, resumed my duties and wrote it off. However that was just the start because after I had finished with my deposit, I grabbed a u-boat full of product from the back and began stocking shelves and I heard one of the doors on the cooler shut loudly and it scared the daylights out of me. It sounded like it slammed shut and when I looked over there one of the cooler doors had condensation on the inside of the door like someone had left it open for a very long time and in the center of the glass in the condensation there was a very obvious hand print on the glass. I immediately turned and walked quickly to the front of the store to grab my belongings, and as I was walking to the front counter I saw out of the corner of my eye a tall dark figure dart in between aisles in the back of the store and I freaked out. I quickly grabbed my stuff, set the alarm, and headed toward the door. I forgot my phone on the counter and went back for it and on my way back to the door I heard several more cooler doors slam shut and as I locked the door I saw the dark figure again at the back of the door standing by the stock room doors and in plain sight of the front doors of the store. I was terrified to go back in once I realised I’d left my coat so I decided against it and went home. That night I got no sleep and informed my boss the next day I would no longer close the store. I never provided her an exanation as to why but a week later she told me she had a similar experience. Tonight my husband came home from work at that same family Dollar on state street and informed me something strange had happened at about 10:30. When I asked what he told me he heard cooler doors slamming, heard voices in the stock room, found an entire rack of socks on the floor, and saw a tall dark figure roaming the store twice before he left and again standing by the stock room door as he was locking the door. Several other employees have had similar experiences and none of us like to close the store alone.

2 Comments

Izzabella Carlson on June 26, 2022 at 7:47 am

I used to be an employee at Family Dollar at 2901 W state street in boise idaho and in the time I worked there I saw a lot of stuff. I used to be the one closing the store at night, and I would sometimes work late so that I could get some extra stuff done, and this happened many times but one night in particular I was scared to death. It was about 10:30 at night, and I was just finishing up my deposit, when from the back of the store I heard voices. My first immediate thought was that maybe I had locked someone in the store and they just hadn’t come to the counter or something. I was quickly proven wrong however, because I called out and no one answered but the voices didn’t stop. I followed them into the stock room at the back of the store and checked thoroughly but came up empty handed. I then checked the rest of the store, and upon finding nothing, resumed my duties and wrote it off. However that was just the start because after I had finished with my deposit, I grabbed a u-boat full of product from the back and began stocking shelves and I heard one of the doors on the cooler shut loudly and it scared the daylights out of me. It sounded like it slammed shut and when I looked over there one of the cooler doors had condensation on the inside of the door like someone had left it open for a very long time and in the center of the glass in the condensation there was a very obvious hand print on the glass. I immediately turned and walked quickly to the front of the store to grab my belongings, and as I was walking to the front counter I saw out of the corner of my eye a tall dark figure dart in between aisles in the back of the store and I freaked out. I quickly grabbed my stuff, set the alarm, and headed toward the door. I forgot my phone on the counter and went back for it and on my way back to the door I heard several more cooler doors slam shut and as I locked the door I saw the dark figure again at the back of the door standing by the stock room doors and in plain sight of the front doors of the store. I was terrified to go back in once I realised I’d left my coat so I decided against it and went home. That night I got no sleep and informed my boss the next day I would no longer close the store. I never provided her an exanation as to why but a week later she told me she had a similar experience. Tonight my husband came home from work at that same family Dollar on state street and informed me something strange had happened at about 10:30. When I asked what he told me he heard cooler doors slamming, heard voices in the stock room, found an entire rack of socks on the floor, and saw a tall dark figure roaming the store twice before he left and again standing by the stock room door as he was locking the door. Several other employees have had similar experiences and none of us like to close the store alone.
- DearBoiseAdmin on August 8, 2022 at 5:30 pm
  
  Wow that is SO interesting!! And super creepy. I have never heard about this place being called haunted, but now I want to check it out!

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