Only in Boulder / COME TO LIFE SIDETRIPS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: TOWN OF NEDERLAND; RAYBACK COLLECTIVE; FRASCA FOOD & WINE, MEGAN SWANN; CHAUTAUQUA PARK, ETHAN WELTY; DUSHANBE TEAHOUSE, @RANDOMCS. Boulder is also close to Rocky Mountain National Park (1 hour), Eldorado Canyon State Park (15 minutes) and Golden Gate Canyon State Park (45 minutes). You can confidently claim that Nederland , just a half hour outside of Boulder, will be unlike any other town in your vacation repertoire. Case in point: Each March Frozen Dead Guy Days celebrates the remains of a man who died of a heart attack in 1989. His family keeps his body preserved in dry ice in the hopes that future science can revive him. Celebrate Ned’s nutty culture with craft brews, art and live music, and soak in the ambiance by browsing around local shops and restaurants. 6 5 AFTERNOON Head next door to the Dushanbe Teahouse (4) to admire the intricate paintings and carvings adorning this building, shipped piece by piece from Boulder’s sister city in Tajikistan. Have a bite to eat and order a pot of tea from the exhaustive menu. Then, discover the hiking trails in National Historic Landmark Chautauqua Park (7) , with options to suit every level of hiker and up-close views of the Flatirons — the slanting slabs of red sandstone that are Boulder’s most recogniz-able landmark (see tip for visiting on previous page). Stop into Chautauqua Dining Hall , which has been serving Boulderites since 1898. There’s also the new Museum of Boulder , which hosts big-name traveling exhibitions from the Smithsonian and other nationally recognized museums. The Google Garage lets visitors tinker, experiment and get hands-on with technology tools, do-it-yourself projects and ever-changing opportunities to innovate and create. The museum’s rooftop deck offers some of the best views of the Flatirons in town. 7 that have been featured on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” For more secret places to eat and explore, visit boulder coloradousa.com . After, visit a brewery to taste the local suds and take a tour — there are more than 20 now, pretty serious for a town of 100,000 people! In fact, Boulder has more breweries per capita than any other city in the U.S. Pick up a Boulder Beer Trail brochure at area visitor centers, take a walking tour from Boulder Brew Tours or catch a ride on the Colorado Brewery Bus . Another thing brewing in Boulder is kombucha. Taste this fermented tea that’s full of probiotics, beneficial yeast and enzymes at Upstart in north Boulder or Rowdy Mermaid inside Rayback Collective (5) — a food-truck park/beer garden/live-music venue that’s drawing those in the know east of downtown. STAY & PLAY OPTIONS Boulder (page 192), Eldorado Springs , Louisville (page 201), Lyons (page 201), Superior , Westminster (page 206) EVENING Boulder is one of the reasons Bravo’s “Top Chef” filmed a recent season in Colorado, so dinner at one of the city’s restaurants is a must. Wander around Pearl Street for plenty of award-winning options, including Provençal-inspired Mateo ; Pizzeria Locale ’s Ne-apolitan pies (brought to you by the chefs at another Pearl Street favorite, Frasca Food & Wine (6) ); or The Kitchen , an eco-friendly bistro that pairs food with decadent brews. Additionally, Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage and Zoe Ma Ma are two stop-worthy gems @randomcs 4 COLORADO.COM / 163
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2019: Page 163
