A Fabulously Quirky Idaho Town Gets the Attention of HGTV

A lot of Idaho towns have festivals, good food, and breathtaking outdoor views, but there's one thing that sets this town apart from all the rest.  And it's gotten the attention of HGTV.

History.  Sometimes it's a building here and there or a district that gets the spotlight, but the entire town of Wallace is on the National Historic Register.

How can a former mining town of 1000 people in Northern Idaho be nicknamed "the center of the universe" anyway?!  Because.  Because it can.  It's home to a museum that used to be a brothel and it might be the only city in America with a restaurant called The Fainting Goat.  Idaho is so unique.

It might be nice if Wallace were closer.  It takes over seven hours to get there from Boise, and there is no direct shot unless you fly like a crow through trees. It's nestled in Northern Idaho near the Coeur d'Alene River and most navigation apps will take you almost to Spokane, Washington, and then back into Idaho to get to Wallace.  That will require extra cold brew and trail mix on the road trip, but it's well worth the effort.

HGTV says Wallace is one of the Top 50 Best Small Towns in America for its "historical sites, museums and outdoor adventures that include the Rails to Trails Hall of Fame Route of the Hiawatha bike trail, the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes and the Pulaski Tunnel Trail."  They don't need thousands of people to live in Wallace to have a good time, because thousands will come on their own. Wallace is hosting the ATV/UTV Jamboree on July 18th with parades and parties and more.

And about that museum.

OnlyInYourState.com said Wallace might be "the most unique town in the world," because of its one-of-a-kind shops, eclectic restaurants, and quirky Oasis Bordello Museum.  The Oasis was a brothel until 1988 when an FBI raid put an end to things.  The building re-opened in 1993 as a museum with everything still in place, exactly as everyone left it before the raid.  Only in Idaho!  Wallace stands out more than it fits in, and Idahoans seem to appreciate the eccentricty.

Maybe Wallace really is the center of the universe.  They are the Silver Valley with views of the Bitterroot Mountains, and Wallace is one more thing to love about Idaho.