The Grove Plaza, Boise, Guía del visitante y qué hacer cerca

The Grove Plaza is the open public square at the heart of downtown Boise, Idaho, paved with nearly 19,000 engraved bricks and centred on a lively fountain. Built in 1986, it is the city's main gathering place for festivals, markets and concerts, and a good place to start exploring on foot.

The story behind it

The plaza was built in 1986, and part of the cost was covered by ordinary people who bought personalised bricks. Each brick carries a name, a date or a short message chosen by the buyer, so the ground itself works as a huge, scattered guest book. There is even a brick finder, so visitors can track down one particular brick among the thousands.

In the middle sits the fountain, which has several programmed routines, a mist effect and lights for evening displays. Over the years the square has become the place Boise comes together, hosting dozens of events a year and drawing very large crowds. It is managed today with that public life in mind.

What to look for

• Look down at the paving, where engraved bricks carry names, dates and short messages from the people who paid for them.
• Watch the central fountain change through its routines, and notice the mist drifting across the square on warm days.
• Come back in the evening, when the fountain lights turn the plaza into a very different space from the busy daytime scene.
• Pick out a single brick with a message that catches your eye and imagine who chose it and why.

Tips for your visit

• The plaza is an open public square, so you can walk across it without a ticket. Allow 15 to 30 minutes, longer if you want to hunt for a specific brick.
• The fountain runs in the warmer months only, so check the current schedule if you want to see it in action.
• Walk across slowly after the crowds thin out, early in the morning or later in the evening, when the bricks are easier to read.
• The square sits among downtown streets with cafes and shops, which makes it an easy stop to combine with a longer walk around the city centre.

See it on a quest

Ghost Hunt in Boise brings you to The Grove Plaza on foot as one stop on a longer route through downtown. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle based on what is in front of you, so you look at the square more closely. One ticket covers the whole group.

Boise Detective Mystery: Infiltrate a Secret Society. also passes through the plaza, with a detective theme running through the walk. You move from place to place at your own pace, hear about each stop, and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group, and you can start whenever you like.