Explore the Front Range
Colorado's Front Range has a lot to offer. Check out the Boulder County Visitor's site for inspiration or drop by some of the other spots that we absolutely adore:
Dining
900 Baseline Road, Boulder. The Chautauqua Dining Hall offers stunning mountain views from its wraparound porch. With a fine bistro menu, the Chautauqua is a great place to eat after a hike, before a concert, or as a destination in its own right. Expensivo
8735 Foothills Highway, Boulder (right off of 36 heading out of Boulder towards Lyons). Classic French cuisine in a lovely setting. A Boulder landmark. Also known for Champagne brunch on Sundays. Expensivo
2939 17th Ave. Longmont. One of the best Thai places around. This is a slow food place, because absolutely everything is made to order. If you are staying in Longmont, you should definitely check it out. Closed Sunday.
2720 Canyon Blvd., Boulder. Another great thai place - this one in Boulder. Also, nice modern decor and our friend Beth's favorite painting is in this place.
1770 13th street, Boulder (off Arapahoe) The building is the gift of Boulder's sister city, Dushanbe, Tajikistan and was constructed there entirely by hand. The place is on Boulder creek and boasts a sizable list of teas and some decent food as well. A place to see.
The Kitchen
Brewpubs
1535 Pearl Street, Boulder (at 16th steet). Probably our favorite brewpub in the area. Excellent menu of burgers, sandwiches, and chile. Vast selection of beers - many of them delicious. Free music on Sundays. Cash only
Southern Sun and Under the Sun
627 South Broadway, Boulder (near Table Mesa) Same owner as the Mountain Sun, but in the Table Mesa shopping center. Free live music on Saturday and Monday. Cash only
2880 Wilderness Place, Boulder (off Valmont) - Maker of some of our favorite beers, including Killer Penguin, Sweaty Betty, Hazed and Infused, and Shake Chocolate Porter. Good pub food (including elk burgers). Free tours with tastings everyday at 2 PM (2 and 4 on Saturdays). Arrive at least 15 minutes early for tours. Closed Sunday.
4910 Nautilus Ct Boulder, CO 80301 (off 63rd). More of Boulder's best beers, including White Rascal and Ellie's Brown. Free tours of the tap room at 4 PM Monday - Friday and 2 PM Saturday and Sunday.
3201 Walnut Street, Boulder. Not as familiar with this one, but they also have fun beers. They have special events for sports games.
105 West Emma Street, Lafayette. This isn't the best brewpub around, but it is the closest to our house. Best loved for the fried chicken (which is gluten free).
297 US 287, Lafayette. One of the newest breweries in Lafayette. No food, but you can bring your own food or order from menus they have on hand. Very cool atmosphere.
301 Simpson Street, Lafayette. Lots of IPA's for those of you who are into that kind of thing. You can get food from various food trucks. Never tried it myself...
1555 South Hover Street, Longmont. one of our favorite breweries. Makers of Old Chub and Dale's Pale Ale. They have cajun food in their brewpub. Their original location is in Lyons.
Hiking
Gregory Canyon Trailhead/Green Mountain
Right off of 9th street and Baseline in Boulder, Chautauqua is the site of a number of lovely hikes of varying lengths and levels of difficulty. Gregory Canyon/Green Mountain is a more challenging 6-mile hike.
Just down the street from Boulder, Eldorado Canyon has a variety of hiking trails suitable for hikers of all levels in addition to being a great site for rock climbing.
Off Mapleton and Broadway in Boulder. Moderate 3-mile hike. A very popular trail on weekends, so better to check it out during the week.
Off of the NCAR trailhead. Drive down Table Mesa until it deadends into NCAR. This is a 2.1 mile hike that you can do in about 2-3 hours.
Also off the NCAR trailhead. 7.6 miles.
Beautiful wilderness areas with hiking trails, fishing (permit required), biking, horse riding, hunting, and other activities. Many of these trails will be day trips from Boulder (whereas the ones listed above are in Boulder County and vary in length and difficulty). You could try Hessie, 4th of July, or Diamond Lake trails. Please note if you plan to camp after June 1st, you will need to get a permit.
Stunning state park. Lots of hiking, horse riding, etc.
Check out this handy dandy hiking site for more information!
Gambling
These two adjacent towns situated along the canyon on Highway 119 are sites of gold mines from the gold rush in Colorado. Both offer a variety of option for those who enjoy gambling. We drove through recently and were astounded by many casinos there are. Central City retains some of the mining town charm while Black Hawk is more built up. It is a beautiful drive on canyon roads to get there (around an hour from Boulder).
Other Stuff
13th Street between Canyon and Arapahoe (near Dushanbe Tea House)
Saturdays from 8 AM - 2 PM
Wednesdays from 4 PM - 8 PM
Fun to wander around and buy some food and eat by the Boulder Creek. There's live music in the foodcourt, too.
A fun way to get around Boulder! This is a cycling town and these bikes are all over the place. Check it out, if you are interested in seeing Boulder from a cycling perspective.
Your cup runneth over if you are looking to check out some dispensaries in Boulder! I can't claim to be an expert, but have heard things from friends of friends, if you are interested we might drop by on Friday morning for a field trip.
Shooting Range
Boulder Rifle Club's public range days are the first weekend of the month, so this won't be available during our wedding weekend. If you would like to explore this option, ask Alexis for some ideas (in Denver or Loveland).
Nearby Towns