Julia Davis Park

The road in the park is currently blocked off at the art museum so the contractor can establish the correct grade along River Road and will remain blocked off during the day Thursday so they can finish grading. Aspahlt is scheduled to begin around 9am on Friday. The road will be reopened Friday afternoon.  Sorry for the inconvenience!

Julia Davis Park is an 89.4-acre regional park located near downtown Boise.

The home of Zoo Boise, the Boise Art Museum, Idaho State Historical Museum and Idaho Black History Museum, Julia Davis Park is the cultural and historic heart of the city. The park also features a formal Rose Garden, two reservable picnic shelters, a six-court tennis complex, playground, duck pond, restrooms and a section of the Boise River Greenbelt.

This beautiful park was created thanks to a donation of 43 acres of land in 1907 by Thomas Davis as a memorial to his beloved wife, Julia.

Park use guidelines provide visitors with the rules & regulations. For a park map, click here.

• Cancer Survivors Plaza
• Cultural Sites
• Daylighting Project
• Horsechestnut Trees
• Horseshoes
• Julia Davis
• Julia Davis Park: Second Century Coalition
• Open Play Areas
• Playground
• Public Art
• Reservations
• Restrooms
• Rose Garden
• Tennis

Cancer survivors and their families will have a new gathering place in Boise thanks to a $1 million grant awarded to City of Boise by the R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation. The grant will help pay for the construction of a cancer survivors plaza, shelter, restroom and parking lot in the east end of Julia Davis Park.

Boise Mayor David Bieter made the announcement Feb. 18, 2009, at a meeting of the "Julia Davis Park: Second Century Coalition," a group of park supporters.

The plaza will feature:

• Eight life-sized sculptures of figures passing through a maze of cancer treatments and success
• Positive Mental Attitude Walk with 14 inspirational plaques
• Road to Recovery with seven plaques with recommended strategies for recovery

The Bloch Cancer Foundation (http://www.blochcancer.org/) seeks to build a plaza in every state.

The new amenities are consistent with a master plan developed several years ago for the park. Construction is expected to begin in late 2009 or early 2010.

A new stream channel built to provide habitat for fish along the Boise River was officially dedicated on May 25, 2007, in Julia Davis Park. The Julia Creek "daylighting project" is located between the Greenbelt and the river south of Zoo Boise.

The project is a partnership between Boise Parks & Recreation and the Ted Trueblood Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Students at Meridian Academy built interpretive signs for the site.

Funding was provided by the Ada County Highway District as part of wetlands mitigation for the Five Mile road expansion.

The project involved removal of a culvert, construction of the stream channel and planting of willows in the riparian area. Julia Creek drains water from the Zoo Boise lagoon into the river.

Trout Unlimited has been leading a nationwide effort to "daylight" streams and provide needed fish habitat in urban areas.

Anne Frank Tree Saplings

The Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial in Boise has been named one of only 11 United States sites to receive a sapling from the actual Anne Frank Chestnut Tree in Amsterdam. To learn more, click here.

There are several mature trees in Julia Davis Park. For more information about Horsechestnut trees, click here. To locate the trees in the park, click here.  

There are 16 horseshoe pits for drop-in use.

The City of Boise, Idaho, has many things to boast about, but few can compare with the quiet charm of Julia Davis Park.

The story behind Julia Davis Park begins in 1862 when two orphaned brothers, Tom and Frank Davis, joined with a group of 75 men in Cincinnati, Ohio, and headed west hoping to strike gold. As an early Boise pioneer, Tom Davis helped lay out the blueprint of the city and owned and developed thousands of acres of agricultural property.

Julia McCrumb came to the Boise Valley from Ontario, Canada, to visit relatives in the Summer of 1869. Two years later she and Tom Davis were married and the couple eventually had six children.

Julia, known for her kindness and gracious hospitality, would welcome and assist emigrants traveling on the Oregon Trail as they stopped their wagons along the river to rest from their journey across the high desert. She died in the Autumn of 1907 at the age of 60 after assisting a traveler who may have had typhoid fever.

Upon deeding the property in memory of his wife, Tom Davis required that the land would forever be used for public park purposes. Since then, Julia Davis Regional Park has grown to 87 acres, and has developed into a cultural, historic and artistic gateway into the heart of the city. Nestled within the park is the Rose Garden, Zoo Boise, Boise Art Museum, Idaho State Historical Museum, the Black History Museum and the Discovery Center. The band shell, playground, lagoon and river walks also are favorites of residents and visitors alike.

The Julia Davis Park: Second Century Coalition is a volunteer organization led by Diane Myklegard, a descendant of Tom and Julia Davis. The coalition is raising funds for a "renaissance" of the park with new features and enhancements, including:

• A Grand Plaza and History Walk
• A Pavilion (one of 5 pavilions planned)
• A River Node (one of 4 river nodes planned)
• The Quest for the Golden Apples, an interactive history tour

Information about the Second Century Coalition campaign, is available at www.juliadavispark.org. For information, contact Beth Markley at beth@markley.com or (208) 484-4424.

Swingsets: no
Age group: 2-5

Julia Davis Memorial, 2002 Jerry Snodgrass Southeast end of the Rose Garden
The generosity of Julia Davis to passing pioneers is memorialized and honored in this bronze statue of her offering an apple to a pioneer girl.

Boise Art Museum Sculpture Garden Behind the Boise Art Museum
See different large-scale works by Northwest and national artists in the outdoor sculpture garden.  Works change annually.

Point of Origin, 1978 by John Mason Grounds of the Boise Art Museum
This geometric sculpture was the first public art commissioned for Boise.  Look through each frame as you move about the piece and see various perspectives. 

Sacajawea and Pomp, 2003 by A. Vincen "Rusty" & Steve Talbot Idaho Historical Museum  This bronze statue of Sacajawea and her baby was created in honor of the Lewis & Clark bicentennial.

Capitol Bridge Tiles, Circa 1930's Artist Unknown On the 4 pillars of Capitol Bridge Oregon Trail pioneers crossed through Boise and are commemorated in this WPA project bridge built circa 1930.

Julia Davis Park may be reserved for events, picnics and ceremonies.

Park restrooms and drinking fountains are now operational for the summer season. For a list of restrooms that are open year round, click here.

In 1935, the Rose Garden idea originated with H. C. Schuppel who was a chairman of a Mens Garden Club called the "Cut Worms." It was restricted to 20 members and only had 2 rules: no women and no publicity. Each member brought their skills to the planning of the Garden. Tom McLeod, a member and Park Superintendent, was the one who planned the layout of the Garden. During the first phase in 1939, 300 roses were received from Jackson Perkins and 1500 more came from Villa Nurseries in Portland. During 1939, another 1000 roses were planted and the Rose Garden was officially dedicated. In 1979, the Memorial Rose Fund was created to help fund memorials for family or friends- dead or alive. The Rose Garden received its' Public Rose Garden accreditation in 1992 and now receives 10 bushes of All American winners yearly. Now the Julia Davis Rose Garden is a popular spot for wedding ceremonies and rose lovers of all ages.

Tennis courts may be reserved by contacting:
Boise Parks and Recreation
208-384-4486

One court must be open for public use at all times.

Number of Tennis courts:6