I’m sending friends from London to Boulder to stay at the Chatauqua compound there and realized I haven’t offered many suggestions here on what to do. So here’s some suggestions I sent to other friends back in 2011 when they went there (and had a great time!)
INFO: BOULDER
Activities
– Hike Chautauqua grounds (6.9 mile mesa trail, flatirons)
– Bike on Boulder Creek Path (details below) Good bike rental in town. We biked to the veggie burger place mentioned below.
– day trip to Rocky Mountain national Park and lodge for lunch/dinner at Grand Lake nearby!
– Pearl Street (Friday sidewalk sale)
– Concerts (Shakespeare Tuesday or Friday; music festival m,w, thur; free at couthouse lawn)
– Celestial seasonings Tea tour. (izee, white wave tofu, moosehead brew)
– U of Colorado
– Swim at Scott carpenter pool
– Tubing at creek downtown (but dangerous, beware)
Shops:
– Common threads, 2707 spruce, consignment
– Pear street: Six persimmisons, face stuff;Two hands papery, Parsec time and distance – runner.
– Also on pearl: Outdoor divas,Boulder arts and crafts cooperative, tonic
– Good farmers market downtown
To eat: we went to highlighted ones.
– Dushanbe Teahouse, 1770 13th st., – curries, tea, sat. brunch,
– Sherpa’s Adventures Rest. And bar, 825 walnut; veggie, inidan/tebeta, nepl. (lunch 11-3)
– VG burger, organic burgers (veggie)
– Burnt toast (1236 penn. Ave) – breakfast (cold coffee/surley servie)
– Amante coffee, 4580 broadway
– Mountain Sub Pub/brewery – pearl st., Sunday night rock, Colorado kind ale.
– West end, pearl street – breakfast etc.
– Rhumba, pearl street, live reggae/acoustic sun night.
– Walnut café, 3037 walnut, breakfast, great view
DENVER: redrock, art museum
Day trips: (from my friend Thea)
http://www.getboulder.com/things_todo/todo_child.html Scott Carpenter Pool
Rocky Mountain National Park is about 45 minutes away by car from Boulder. It really is stunning and you can drive around a lot of it – Estes Park, the town just outside the park has a lot of great shops – some very touristy – but some good http://www.estes-park.com/
http://www.rockymountainnp.com/
There is the Central City Opera – an old opera house in what used to be a mining town – and is now a big gambling town – but still fun – I’ve never been there – but it’s supposed to be good http://www.centralcityopera.org/index.cgi?CONTENT_ID=3
Dairy Center is the local arts center http://www.thedairy.org/
Bounder County Fair http://www.bouldercountyfair.org
Butterly Pavilion http://www.butterflies.org/
http://www.coloradoshakes.org/ (shakespeare festival )
http://www.schmap.com/boulder/activities_daytrips/
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Boulder Creek Path Parallels Arapahoe Avenue Boulder, CO 80302 Tel: +1 303 441 3200 Morganka@ci.boulder.co.us
This paved path, free of motorized vehicles, brings walkers, bikers and inline skaters from the eastern edge of Boulder proper to the mountains. Winding along Boulder Creek, the trail accesses shady, grassy picnic areas and trout ponds. Eventually the pathway meanders through a large park and playground, perfect for kids and dogs. On the trail’s western fringe, just before it wanders into the foothills, kayakers and inner-tubers can negotiate a series of small waterfalls. A section of the path is just a few blocks west of the Pearl Street Mall, and makes for an easy diversion from shopping and a refreshing side trip into nature.
Boulder Falls
Canyon Blvd
Boulder, CO 80302
Fed by mountain snow melt from North Boulder Creek this cascading chute of white water is a true spectacle. Located in a shaded canyon, just minutes west of Boulder, it provides a nice haven from the heat during the height of summer. However, be forewarned that the spot can get crowded. From the intersection of Canyon Boulevard and Ninth Street follow Canyon west for 7.2 miles. The falls are on the right. The site is heavily marked, and there is plenty of parking.
Flagstaff Mountain
Flagstaff Mountain Road
Boulder, CO 80302
Tel: +1 303 441 3408
This meandering mountain road frequented by drivers, bicyclists and ambitious inline skaters offers stunning daytime and nighttime views of Boulder, Denver and the mountains. Attractions include picnic areas, mountain bike trails and the Summit Nature Center, which is open weekends from May to August. The Flagstaff House, one of Boulder’s more romantic dining destinations, is also situated along this scenic road. To get here, follow Baseline Road west; it winds and hairpins more than 1,600 feet to the summit.
University of Colorado
University Avenue and Broadway
Boulder, CO 80309
Tel: +1 303 492 1411
A visit to Boulder is not complete without a stroll or bike ride through the historic main campus of the University of Colorado. Established in 1876, the year Colorado became a state and Denver became a capital, the university reflects visions of the past while keeping with the growing technological age. The Red Rural Italian Renaissance architecture, implemented on buildings erected after 1912, lush landscaping and gorgeous views of the Flatirons (The) make this one of the most attractive campuses in the nation. Guided tours are available.
Flatirons
3198 Broadway (Parks Department)
Boulder, CO 80302
These giant, Pennsylvanian red sandstone slabs rise as a dramatic backdrop to south Boulder and are the town’s best-known geological landmarks. The alluvial deposits thrust upward into jagged peaks almost 70 million years ago, during the birth of the Rocky Mountains. Today, residents and visitors alike enjoy hiking around the base and climbing the front face of The Flatirons. Towering 1400 feet above Boulder, the Third Flatiron is one of the most popular climbing routes in North America.
DAY TRIPS:
– Peak to peak highway – links estes park with central city – through mountain towns like Meeker Park, allenspark, Raymond and ward (old silver gold camps) and ghost towns like caribou, hiking in Indian peaks area.
– From Estes Park, the highway climbs into the mountains of southwest Larimer County and skirts the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park, providing the closest vehicle approach to the popular trailhead to the summit of Longs Peak. At the community of Raymond, it turns to the east and follows the St. Vrain River downstream onto the piedmont at Lyons, where it intersects U.S. Highway 36 (the Peak-to-Peak Scenic Byway continues south from Raymond as Colorado State Highway 72). South of Lyons it is concurrent with U.S. 36 along the base of the foothills to Boulder (this section is signed only as U.S. 36).Boulder Falls NEDERLAND!
– Situated on Colorado’s oldest and one of its most scenic byways, Ward is the ideal Front Range escape. The village is just one highlight along the 55-mile Peak to Peak Byway, just an hour from Denver. Other attractions along the popular circuit include Rocky Mountain National Park, Golden Gate Canyon State Park, Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, ghost towns, the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, and Eldora Ski Resort. The historic town of Ward, like many villages in Colorado, was founded on silver. It was once the richest town in the state. When the railroad reached town and the byway grew as a popular tourist route, Ward became a small center of commerce. Ravaged twice by fires, many of the town’s structures were damaged or destroyed. However numerous historic buildings still remain and will make for an interesting self-guided tour.
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