Boise Feed's Dive Bar Crawl: Turner's
Welcome to the first edition of Boise Feed's Dive Bar Crawl, an ongoing series where we'll take you inside some of the Treasure Valley's most legit hole-in-the-walls.
We'll start things off with Turner's, which holds a very special place in my heart. This State Street haunt—famous for offering fishing lures in the front and fishing lies in the back—is a quintessential Boise dive.
Turner's Sportsfair, which faces State Street, sells fishing licenses and other fishing gear with great names like wedding rings, trolls and snubbers. Though the store sells cold beer by the case, the real bar is located around the side of the building.
Pull open the door to the Turner's bar during daytime hours and it'll take your eyes a good 30 seconds to adjust to the almost complete darkness. The only sources of light come from buzzing neon beer signs and a couple of glowing Bud Light fixtures suspended over the $0.25 pool tables.
The taps are minimal, though there are usually a few micros on draft including a local handle or two. My favorite drink at Turner's a Jim Beam on the rocks. And I always bring a couple of bucks to feed into the jukebox, which features an assortment of gems like Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson and ZZ Top. Turner's used to be cash-only, but now the spot accepts cards, as well.
Turners also has an overgrown back patio area where the chain-smokers tend to cluster. There are a few plastic tables, a couple of horseshoe pits that I've never seen in use and an awesome aging barn that serves no functional purpose, as far as I can tell.
Overall, Turner's is one of my favorite no-fuss bars in Boise. The drinks are cheap, the vibe is chill, the bartenders are friendly and jukebox is almost always waiting patiently to be played.
