Things to Do in Wallace

Wallace is a town-sized museum with a working main street. Three museums cover its mining, railroad, and bordello eras, retired miners lead tours underground, and the Center of the Universe is marked in the middle of Bank Street. Every attraction below was verified in November 2026; seasonal hours vary, so confirm opening times before you go.

Last updated: Friday, November 13, 2026

🏛️ Museums

• Wallace District Mining Museum: Founded in 1956, the Wallace District Mining Museum preserves the history of the Coeur d'Alene Mining District and the Silver Valley. Its exhibits include a walk-in mine display and a 30-seat theater showing films about the region's silver mining heritage. A places listing showed the museum as temporarily closed when checked in November 2026, which is consistent with seasonal operation, so visitors should confirm it is open before going. Location: 509 Bank St, Wallace, ID 83873. Phone: (208) 556-1592.
• Northern Pacific Depot Museum: The Northern Pacific Depot Museum occupies Wallace's chateau-style railroad depot, which was built in 1901 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The depot was moved across the river to make way for Interstate 90 construction, and the museum inside interprets the railroad history of the Silver Valley. Listings show it operating seasonally, from mid-April to mid-October. Location: 219 6th St, Wallace, ID 83873. Phone: (208) 752-0111.
• Oasis Bordello Museum: The Oasis Bordello Museum preserves one of Wallace's last operating bordellos, which ran in the Bi-Metallic Building, built in 1895 as a hotel and saloon, until the women departed abruptly in January 1988. The museum opened in 1993, and its tours show the upstairs rooms much as they were left. It appears to have no official website or Facebook page. Location: 605 Cedar St, Wallace, ID 83873. Phone: (208) 753-0801.
• Mine Heritage Exhibition: The Mine Heritage Exhibition is a free four-acre riverfront park and outdoor museum of historic mining equipment beside the Wallace Visitor Center. The grounds are open year-round and include picnic areas and restrooms, which makes the site an easy first stop in town. Location: 10 River St, Wallace, ID 83873, adjacent to the Wallace Visitor Center, just off Interstate 90 Exit 61.

⛏️ Tours, Theatre & Sights

• Sierra Silver Mine Tour: The Sierra Silver Mine Tour begins with a trolley ride through historic Wallace and continues with an underground walking tour of a real silver mine. Retired miners lead the tour and demonstrate the pneumatic equipment that was once used to work the mine. Location: 509 Cedar St, Wallace, ID 83873. Phone: (208) 752-5151.
• Silver Streak Zipline Tours: Silver Streak Zipline Tours, operating in Wallace since 2011, sends riders soaring up to 400 feet above the surrounding mountains at speeds of up to 55 miles per hour. Tours begin with a short UTV ride up a scenic mountain road to the first platform, and the course options include the 1,800-foot Big Daddy line. Location: 315 5th St, Wallace, ID 83873. Phone: (208) 512-4710.
• Sixth Street Melodrama: The Sixth Street Melodrama has staged old-fashioned melodrama in Wallace since 1983 and has performed in the historic Kelly Building since 1984. Its summer season presents melodramas in July and August followed by Kelly's Alley Revue, with additional fall, spring, and Christmas productions. Location: 212 6th St, Wallace, ID 83873. Phone: (208) 752-8871.
• Center of the Universe: A decorative manhole cover at the intersection of Bank Street and 6th Street marks the Center of the Universe, a title Mayor Ron Garitone proclaimed for Wallace on September 25, 2004, based on the philosophy of probabilism. The cover bears the initials of four Silver Valley mining companies, and the spot is a popular photo stop in the middle of downtown. Location: Intersection of Bank St and 6th St, downtown Wallace (a decorative manhole cover in the street).
• Historic Walking Tours of Wallace: Wallace's historic commercial and residential districts are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and visitors can explore them on self-guided walking tours. The Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center on River Street serves as the resource center for the tours. Location: Self-guided tours; the Wallace Visitor Center at 10 River St, Wallace, ID 83873, is the resource center for the tours. Phone: (208) 753-7151.

🎉 Things to Do Around the Silver Valley

Attractions, museums, and events in the rest of the Silver Valley, town by town. Each was verified in November 2026; seasonal attractions are noted with their seasons.

Kellogg

• Silver Rapids Indoor Waterpark: Idaho's largest indoor waterpark, kept at 84 degrees, with a FlowRider surf simulator, water slides, and a lazy river, located at Silver Mountain Resort. Location: 610 Bunker Ave, Kellogg, ID 83837.
• Crystal Gold Mine & RV Park: Guided tours of an authentic 1880s underground gold mine, with gold panning, a miner's museum, and an RV park; it is open year-round, including the winter season. Location: 51931 Silver Valley Rd, Kellogg, ID 83837. Phone: (208) 783-4653.
• Silver Mountain Gondola Scenic Rides: Scenic rides on the 3.1-mile Silver Mountain gondola, described by the resort as North America's longest single-stage gondola, from Gondola Village to the Mountain House. Location: Gondola Village, 610 Bunker Ave, Kellogg, ID 83837.
• Galena Ridge Golf Course: Silver Mountain's nine-hole mountain golf course, with more than 350 feet of elevation change across its holes. Location: 195 Galena Ridge Dr, Kellogg, ID 83837. Phone: (208) 783-1522.
• Shoshone County Mining & Smelting Museum (Staff House Museum): Mining history museum inside the 1906 Bunker Hill Staff House, covering the Silver Valley's mining and smelting story; it posts seasonal hours on its website. Location: 820 McKinley Ave W, Kellogg, ID 83837. Phone: (208) 786-4141.

Big Creek

• Sunshine Miners Memorial: A public roadside memorial to the 91 miners killed in the Sunshine Mine fire of May 2, 1972: a 13-foot metal miner statue by Ken Lonn, 91 miniature tombstones, the victims' names, and a Phil Batt poem on the base, at the mouth of Big Creek Canyon. A Miners' Day ceremony is held there every May 2. Location: Silver Valley Rd & Big Creek Rd, immediately north of I-90 Exit 54.

Pinehurst

• West Shoshone Park: Shoshone County park with covered picnic kitchens with running water and barbecues, a baseball field, and picnic areas; a Born Learning Trail for young children opened there in June 2024. The county lists the park as open mid-May through early September, so it is closed for the season in November. Location: 609 N Division St, Pinehurst, ID 83850.
• Pinehurst Days: Annual community festival presented by the PK Lions Club, with a parade, a car show, and vendors at the BMX park. The 2026 edition ran July 31 through August 2, 2026. Location: Pinehurst, ID.

Smelterville

• Smelterville City Park: Small city park near the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes route through town. Location: 117 1st Ave, Smelterville, ID 83868.

Cataldo

• Coeur d'Alene's Old Mission State Park: The park preserves the Mission of the Sacred Heart, built between 1850 and 1853 by Catholic missionaries and members of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and the oldest standing building in Idaho. The visitor center houses a gift shop and the award-winning "Sacred Encounters" exhibition, and the grounds include the mission church, a restored Parish House, and a historic cemetery. Idaho State Parks lists winter hours of 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Location: 31732 S Mission Rd, Cataldo, ID 83810. Phone: (208) 682-3814.
• Historic Skills Fair (Old Mission State Park): Annual living-history event at which the Northwest Fur Trade Historians set up an encampment on the mission grounds and demonstrate the life and survival skills of the early fur trade. Location: Old Mission State Park, 31732 S Mission Rd, Cataldo, ID 83810.
• Feast of the Assumption Pilgrimage (Old Mission): Annual pilgrimage of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe held at the Old Mission every August 15, with an outdoor Mass and celebration. Location: Old Mission State Park, 31732 S Mission Rd, Cataldo, ID 83810.

Osburn

• Shoshone VFW Post 1675: A Veterans of Foreign Wars post that hosts a monthly community breakfast that is open to the public. Location: 318 E Mullan Ave, Osburn, ID 83849.
• Silver Valley Celebration & Event Center — The Gathering Place: Public event venue renting a conference room and auditorium for weddings, birthdays, meetings, and community events, with free community movie nights. Location: 512 E Mullan Ave, Osburn, ID 83849. Phone: (208) 314-0616.

Mullan

• Captain John Mullan Museum: A museum in the former Liberty Theater telling Mullan's history, including Captain John Mullan, the Mullan Road, and the town's mining past; there is no admission charge and it operates on donations. It is seasonal: open weekdays June 1 through August 31, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with special tours arrangeable in the off-season. Location: 229 Earle St, Mullan, ID 83846. Phone: (208) 753-7783.
• Captain John Mullan Statue: One of the 12-ton Vermont marble statues of Captain John Mullan erected in the 1930s, standing in front of Mullan City Hall and the Mullan Volunteer Fire Department. It is an outdoor, publicly viewable monument. Location: Mullan, ID.
• Historic Morning Club Building: A historic building built in 1921 by the Morning Mine, now owned by the City of Mullan. It houses the Mullan Public Library on its main level, and several rooms are often available for community or special events. Location: 117 Hunter St, Mullan, ID 83846.
• Historic Downtown Mullan: Mullan's compact historic mining-town center, containing the Morning Club building, the Captain John Mullan Museum, the library, the city park, and the town's bars, all within walking distance of each other. Location: Central Mullan, ID.

Burke

• Burke Ghost Town: An abandoned silver, lead, and zinc mining town, established in 1887, squeezed into a roughly 300-foot-wide canyon. From the public road a visitor can see the massive brick and concrete Hecla Mining Company mill and office complex, the Star Mine area, headframes, and old building shells. The last mine, the Star, closed in 1991. Please view from the public road only; do not enter any structure or mine property. Location: Burke-Canyon Creek Rd (State Highway 4), about 7 miles northeast of Wallace, ID.
• Hecla / Star Mine Ruins: The dominant surviving ruins in Burke are private mining property: roughly a dozen Hecla Mine buildings and structures still stand, fenced and posted "No Trespassing." View and photograph from the public road only. Location: Along Burke-Canyon Creek Rd (State Highway 4), Burke, ID.
• Idaho Historical Markers — "Burke" and "Frisco Mill": State roadside historical markers on Idaho Highway 4: "Burke" at milepost 7.1 and "Frisco Mill" at milepost 5.1. The Burke marker explains the Tiger Hotel, which was built over Canyon Creek with the railroads, the highway, and the stream running through its lobby. Location: Idaho State Highway 4, Burke Canyon, ID.

Murray

• Sprag Pole Museum: Free museum (donations welcome) founded by Walt Almquist. Roughly 10,000 square feet hold twelve exhibits: a mining exhibit, blacksmith and barber shops, a schoolroom, a 1900 kitchen, a post office, a rock and mineral display, a 120-foot hand-carved wooden chain, and a reconstruction of Molly b'Damn's bedroom. Location: 6353 Prichard Creek Rd, Murray, ID 83874.
• Murray Courthouse: Wood-frame courthouse built in 1884-85 when Murray won the Shoshone County seat; it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1978). The original building collapsed under snow in 1997 and was replaced by a replica on the site, so today's visitors see a reconstruction of one of Idaho's last territorial-period courthouses. Location: Main St (Prichard Creek Rd / Gold Rush St), Murray, ID.
• Murray Masonic Hall: Two-story frame hall built about 1884-1886, just after the gold rush, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. It is an active lodge hall, so it is an exterior-viewing stop. Location: Murray, ID.
• Murray Cemetery (G.A.R. Cemetery): Hillside pioneer cemetery holding the graves of early miners and town characters, including Maggie Hall, "Molly b'Damn" (1853-1888), and Captain Toncray. Location: About 1 mile south of Murray, ID.
• Molly B'Damn Gold Rush Days: Murray's annual August celebration of its 1883-84 gold rush heritage, named for Maggie Hall, the Dublin-born madam remembered locally as the "Patron Saint of Murray" for nursing sick miners and aiding the destitute before her death in 1888. Location: Murray, ID.