If you follow me on Instagram you’ve probably noticed my stories and posts about my trips back to Sun Vally Idaho or other places in Idaho. After leaving my home state to live in San Francisco and then leaving to travel the world, it has only made me realize how special the state of Idaho is. I especially love showing it off to my girlfriends from San Francisco! Since my parents have moved to Sun Valley Idaho, I’ve fallen completely in love with it.
The best part about Sun Valley is that it is a resort town with people flying in from all over the world to visit. Yes, you might find the occasional celebrity (or 5) like I do every winter, but you won’t find crowds unless you go to the bars. Sun Valley’s got tons of outdoor activities in the summer and possibly even more in the winter. This makes Idaho the perfect place to get away from it all and have a relaxing, but fun girl’s weekend! While I was living in San Francisco I craved to be in the stillness of the mountains and Sun Valley Idaho was one of the main places calling my name.
Here’s the Ultimate Girls Weekend Guide to Sun Valley Idaho!
**This guide is focused on a summer girl’s weekend in Sun Valley Idaho and can also be used if you’re planning a Bachelorette party in Sun Valley. If you’d like winter tips, check out my post on 10 Best Winter Activities in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Where to Stay
Check out my blog for the best places to stay in Ketchum, Idaho, and the surrounding areas here!
Sun Valley Lodge
The best place to stay is hands down the Sun Valley Lodge. After all, this lodge is the reason Sun Valley is Sun Valley. The lodge is in the heart of the town and has incredible activities all within the lodge property. You can do things like go bowling in the basement, go ice skating at the covered skate rink, go horse back riding and even ride on a sleigh ride in the winter. It’s the perfect location for a girl’s weekend if budget allows!
Read reviews on TripAdvisor | Book a room
Airbnb
Another option is to rent out a cabin or condo. Airbnb is popular in the area and if you’re a big group of girls it’s always fun to rent a cabin for the weekend! I have a $40 off coupon to try Airbnb if you’ve never used it before.
Relax at The SPA in the Sun Valley Lodge
If you’re staying at the Sun Valley Lodge, you won’t even have to leave your hotel to have a magical spa day in Sun Valley. I went to the newly renovated spa and was blown away! First of all, the views as you enter the spa are of the gorgeous Bald Mountain and the facilities are spectacular. You’ll immediately find that you’ve relaxed upon entering.
Not only do they have a full-service salon to get your hair and nails done, but they have a fitness gym and yoga studio. On top of that, there are 15 treatment rooms, a steam room, sauna, swimming pool, whirlpool and Poolside Cafe. Oh, and my favorite part, the luxury 8 head shower that I LOVED! You could spend a full day here ordering drinks poolside heading up to shower, hanging out in the steam room, sauna and drinking tea in the relaxation rooms.
Where to Eat
Breakfast/Brunch
Cheap Eats/Lunch
Dinner
GNO (Girl’s Night Out)
To start your night, I recommend going to the Duchin Lounge at the lodge to get drinks before heading out on the town. While you’re downtown, try and hit up Whiskey Jacques, The Cellar Pub and late night you’ll want to go to The Casino for a truly grungy late night party crew. Remember that bars close at 2 am in Idaho so people typically start their nights a bit earlier than you’ll find on the East Coast.
Get Outdoorsy
Have Fun During the Day
Ice Skating
Located right outside of the main lobby in the Lodge you’ll find a large covered ice skating rink. It’s open all year round and even hosts many famous ice skaters and ice skating shows throughout the year. Lessons are offered or you can just go for fun!
Shopping
While Idaho probably wouldn’t be my top favorite shopping location in the world, there are a lot of cool boutique shops and 2nd hand stores that are pretty unique in the Sun Valley Village and downtown Ketchum. Ketchum is a great spot to score on outdoor gear as well because most go on discount in the summertime! Also, if you’re feeling thrifty, you can go to the coffee shop and awesome 2nd hand shop, Maude’s or hit up the Gold Mine which is a popular thrift shop where wealthy people with nice clothes and sometimes celebrities drop their stuff.
Tour de Suds Brewery Bike Hop
This is a perfect tour for a girl’s weekend adventure in Sun Valley! You get to bike around the valley and also taste wine while getting a tour of the area.
Yoga on the Mountain
If you want to recover from a long night out or just want to get some exercise with the girlfriends, try yoga on the mountain! It’s free every Saturday in the summer.
Catch a Show or Festival
There are constantly different shows and activities going on in Sun Valley. Some of the most popular events are concerts in the Sun Valley Pavilion, the Sun Valley Wine Festival, Ketch’em Alive summer concert series, and the Sun Valley Wellness Festival. Visit Sun Valley also has a list of events for each month of the year listed here!
There are so many amazing activities in Sun Valley Idaho to keep you occupied for a girls weekend! Feel free to also use these ideas to plan your bachelorette party in Sun Valley! Lastly, if you’d like to check out more fun activities, check out the Visit Sun Valley calendar. For more of my Idaho recommended activities, read here:
The 10 Best Winter Activities in Sun Valley
16 Epic Things to Do in Stanley, Idaho
9 Things to Do in Twin Falls Idaho
12 Best Places to Visit in Idaho
8 Things to Do in Moscow Idaho
Girls Weekend in McCall Idaho
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A thank you to Visit Sun Valley for hosting me for the day. As always, all opinions are my own.
Some of the above links are affiliate links and I will earn a tiny percentage of the sale if you purchase through them at no extra cost to you.
Wow. A great review of sun valley!
What great ideas! This would be a fantastic spot for a Girls Weekend. Especially the spas and Whiskey Jacques and other fun places. I’d never thought about Idaho as a destination before, but now I will!
Juliann – Browsing the Atlas recently posted…Lakefront Brewery – A Laugh a Minute
I’ll leave a longer comment later but OMG Katie I just sent out an e-mail to 10 girlfriends about organizing a trip to Sun Valley. You are seriously inspiring me. xx
Julianne recently posted…“Indy South”: Why You Need to Visit Johnson County, Indiana
Somewhere I would never have previously considered but looks lovely!
Really looks like a great place for a girlfriends getaway. And some really nice places to stay! Very inspiring 🙂
I’ve only passed through Idaho a couple times but this makes me want to stay awhile! Sun Valley looks beautiful and peaceful. Love all the outdoor activities available and a spa day doesn’t sound bad either. Would definitely do the yoga on the mountain too!
Susan Ripley recently posted…Santa Teresa Hotel: Review of Nautilus Boutique Hotel, Costa Rica
This places looks beautiful. I’ve been seeing so many great adventures in the Idaho mountains lately. Definitely need to look into a visit soon!
Sun Valley is one of skiing unicorns. I always heard how amazing it is there and I could never make it out. It will be quite a while before I can ski there, but the summer activities look amazing. I think the bike and wine tour would be right up our alley.
Jenn and Ed Coleman recently posted…What Makes Indy Cool and Why Does It Taste So Good?
So many things to do in Idaho! And the Sun Valley Lodge looks like a great place to stay too! Must be a fun filled girls getaway!
Allison Wong recently posted…Langkawi Cable Car – Review
Thanks for the tip on year-round festivals! Your pictures feature so much stunning nature that I would think initially it’s only a place to visit in the summertime, but clearly there’s so much to do in this area. Good to know 🙂
We only spent a few days in Idaho in and out of our trips to Yellowstone, but each little stay was absolutely beautiful. Idaho is a state I definitely underappreciated and I am long overdue for a girls weekend somewhere, why not Sun Valley??!!!
This is such a beautiful property with the mountains in the backdrop! With so many facilities on site, it will definitely keep you busy. I would love to go horse back riding there!
So to add on to what I said earlier… you know you’ll find me at the Cellar Pub or Whiskey Jacques. 🙂 But seriously, that combined with hiking and a day at the spa sounds divine. We’re trying to book a girls’ getaway to Sun Valley now. Love this, and thanks for the recs!!
I’ve driven across Idaho on the way to Washington state, and we went up to the Hell’s Canyon area, but I haven’t been back to Idaho in a long time. Sun Valley looks wonderful, and Sun Valley Lodge is very inviting. Summer in the mountains of Idaho is a very inviting thought — as we’re baking in the heat down in Texas right now.
Wow Sun Valley looks beautiful! Although I dont know if Id be able to leave the lodgewith that spa and brunch 😛 Sounds like you had the perfect ladies getaway!