Boulder, CO - what to do?

[winnied]

We're going to Boulder for a wedding next weekend. What's cool and fun?

[Deleted]

Pearl Street! (Salt restaurant.) saltthebistro.com/

Hike around the flatirons.
www.protrails.com/trail/138/boulder-denver-golden-fort-collins-lyons-flatiron-1

Jealous, love Boulder....need to get my act together & move out there someday!

[Poppy]

Agree with @shoegal's Salt rec, although there are tons of other good choices, too. Foolish Craigs is very Boulder (crepes), Fate or Twisted Pine (microbrewery + food), Rincon Argentino (empanadas), Zoe Ma Ma (noodles/Chinese).


Lots of great microbreweries in the area if you like beer. Dushanbe Tea House is neat for earlier in the day. There's a great gelato place on Pearl (Fior di Latte) and a bunch of fun little shops around there.

Fave coffee shops are Caffé Sole, Que's, and Amante. Great breakfast burritos at Santiago's.

The CU campus is pretty. Nightlife on Pearl is hopping, although you might be a little off season since school's out I think.

[aurora]

What kinds of things are you looking for? Food, culture, adventure? It's an extremely outdoorsy community so many rec's will lean that way.

[Shreddingbetty]

Just make sure you come armed with an umbrella....

[evergreen]

Second the umbrella. And maybe a boat, if it doesn't stop raining soon. Blech.

[Poppy]

Haha, yeah unfortunately, a hike sounds less than awesome right now unless you REALLY like mud.

I thought of some more stuff:
The bus system is really good in Boulder, and there are also street bike rentals BCycle where you can pick up/drop off in different locations so if you do catch a break in the weather, that would be fun. If you do get a rental car, make sure they give you a prius, Subaru, or luxury SUV so that you fit in (kidding). But seriously, be cautious while driving because there are a lot of bikes and pedestrians, and there are a bunch of crosswalks not at intersections so you do have to pay attention.

If you have a car, a tour of the Celestial Seasonings factory could be cool. It might be nice to drive up toward Estes Park/Rocky Mountain National Park. Some other good beer tasting places on the Boulder periphery are the Tasty Weasel (Oscar Blues), Left Hand, Asher, Avery... it's a long list. There are also a bunch of nice little town main streets in the area - Niwot, Lafayette, Louisville, Golden (and if you make it to Golden, try heading to Red Rocks too).

[evergreen]

I have been doing a fair amount of hiking even in the rain and it hasn't been terrible (dogs do not care if it's raining - they still want their walkies). A lot of the foothills/mountains have pretty sandy soil so you rarely get too bogged in mud. Be prepared with a good raincoat and water proof shoes and you will be fine. There are lots of fun places to eat in Boulder and it is a beautiful city. I recently had tapas at the Mediterranean (on the mall) and it was very good. I second driving to Estes if you like nature - Rocky Mountain National Park is my favorite and the town is cute. Red Rocks is also very iconic Colorado.

[maddiepaddy]

If the weather cooperates and hiking is an option, Chautauqua park is the base for some good trails and has a fun restaurant (try to get a seat on the deck). Walking around Pearl St. is fun - there are lots of neat shops, many of which are locally owned. Saturday morning is a great farmers market downtown off of Canyon. Lots of vendors to get breakfast/lunch, product, etc...

If by next weekend, you mean Memorial Day weekend, the Creek Fest will be running along the Boulder Creek. It gets crowded, but it's fun to check out.

[ijack]

My faves - HH at the med, fruition, pizzeria locale, breakfast at Lucille's.
We had brunch at Spruce this weekend (in hotel boulderado) and it was really good and very reasonable. We also did some silent disco hula hooping on pearl street that was pretty fun

[ijack]

Also if you are going this weekend I would get the hell out of dodge on Monday because it's the BoulderBoulder and it's a madhouse.

[winnied]

Thanks, everyone! This is helpful. We're not going this weekend; we're going the next weekend.