May 2024

Boulder, Colorado

Our plans had us visiting Boulder, Colorado approximately four years earlier in the spring of 2020 but those plans never made it off the ground thanks to a global pandemic. We found a great opportunity to visit with our San Diego friends to finally make this trip happen. I dusted off the rough draft itinerary I made for this trip and luckily found it was still very applicable four years later. 

Boulder Colorado is located 45 minutes from the Denver airport and sits at 5,318 feet high above sea level with a dry climate that boasts over 300 days of sunshine a year! This college town is one of the happiest cities in the country which thrives by having a large downtown promenade along with mountain views of the famous Flatiron Mountains. A trip to Boulder can easily be paired with a few days in Denver, spent hiking the Rocky Mountains, or skiing one of the premier ski slopes in the area. Our trip to Boulder was short at three days so we spent our time focused on Boulder itself and there is lots to do. 

Our arrival was very last Wednesday evening into the Denver airport and we went directly to the Airbnb to bed. The drive was so dark so while I knew there had to be mountains, it would have to wait until the morning to find out. Our Airbnb was perfectly located between the college campus and Pearl Street where most of the action in Boulder is found. The neighborhood was super private and quiet with walking distance to all the downtown areas so I would definitely recommend this area when looking for accommodations in Boulder.

Day 1

And when we awoke Thursday morning, the Airbnb had a great view of the Flatiron Mountains in the distance. We were excited to explore and today was focused on simply roam Pearl Street to see everything downtown Boulder has to offer. It was a short ten minute walk to Pearl Street where we made our first important stop of the day – coffee. Boxcar Coffee Roasters has the ultimate business model – coffee and pastries on one side, and cheese, meats, wine and more on the other side. It is the perfect combination! I wish we had more time to picnic in Boulder as I would have returned here in a heartbeat to gather provisions and a bottle of wine to enjoy. For this trip, we were limited to coffee and pastries which were fantastic so this is a high rating for a stop on your trip. 

We continued to walk down Pearl Street and since most of the stores were still closed for the morning, we took note of the businesses we wanted to check out later in the day. There is a great mix of chain stores and local businesses that make up the several blocks of pedestrian only traffic. Somehow we also timed our trip for the most beautiful display of tulips that were in perfect bloom throughout the entire walkway. 

Needing a proper breakfast, we made our way to Lucile’s Creole Cafe which came highly recommended. The restaurant is located just north of Pearl Street in a house which reminded us of some of the restaurants in New Orleans. Opened in 1980, this family owned restaurant brought the first tastes of creole to this area and has made itself a brunch staple. 

Read the Dining Review for Lucile’s Creole Cafe here!

Properly stuffed, the stores of Pearl Street were now opened so we ventured in and out of shops. Some of our favorites were Into the Wind toy story and Boulder Bookshop. The toy store has such a fun aesthetic and somehow had organization to the chaos of the sheer amount of toys for sale. They stocked many items were reminiscent of our childhood as well as trending items for today. And this bookstore is a must visit – it is enormous inside while it is deceiving from the outside store front, it has three stores and over 100,000 books. It is easy to spend hours here wandering the aisles and sections. 

Ready for a midday snack, Mountain Sun Brewery right on Pearl Street fit in nicely for a beverage. The menu here is fun learning Mexican style and the beer selection is done locally. For our group, the beer was solid but not exceptional as some of the other breweries in the area. If you do not have a car and want to experience some of the local brews, this is a good option. Also note, this is a cash only establishment.

The second coffee stop of the day took us to Ozo Coffee which everyone enjoyed. Boulder definitely takes its beer brews and coffee brews seriously so it is hard to go wrong. We swung by a local playground for the kids to let off some energy before we took a long walk to dinner. 

Our dinner spot was about fifteen minutes walk north of Pearl Street that came as a recommendation – Santo. This restaurant brings Northern New Mexican fare to Colorado. We all ordered beverages and favorites like tacos, enchiladas, and mole. It is a fun spot with fresh cuisine that we all enjoyed.

Next door was by far my favorite ice cream of the trip – Sweet Cow. They have several locations but this is the closest one to downtown Pearl Street. The flavors are extensive, the portions are generous, and most importantly – the ice cream is delicious. I wish we were able to visit here again on this trip. 

We walked back to the Airbnb which took about a half hour but it validated just how walkable Boulder is. We saw many locals and students on bikes and even scooters with a few Vespa sightings! I am not sure what everyone does in the winter time but with spring thriving, people really lean into the outdoor elements. If you plan on spending most of your trip in downtown Boulder, you can probably get away without needing a car as there is a bus system to take advantage of as well. 

Beat from a full day, we had no problem falling asleep as we definitely exceeded the step count goal for the day. 

Day 2

This morning’s coffee run was nearby Verb for caffeine fix and pastries. The coffee was great but I will give Boxcar an edge for the best pastries so far of the trip. 

I was very excited for today’s activity of getting out to Chautauqua Park! A visit to Chautauqua Park is a must do when you are visiting Boulder. Even if you are not a hiker or rock climber, there are easy trails you can walk along or simply enjoy the view of the Flatirons from the fields and the park. 

Read about our day exploring Chautauqua Park and hiking the Flatirons here!

After some time at the playground, we made our way back to Pearl Street for lunch at Avanti Food and Beverage. This stop is fantastic with multiple food vendors – Arepas, Tawianiese, oven pizzas, paninis, Mediterranean, and more-, bars, and a rooftop indoor and outdoor seating area. Our group immediately took to this spot as everyone was able to get what they wanted and the beverage offerings were extensive. We found that it was also not overpriced even though the location and the view from the top certainly has pull to charge more.

There are food and bars on both the ground floor and the top floor. Do not have a car or time to do a brew tour of the famous breweries in the area? The bars have many of them on tap including Avery and Upslope so you can have your own beer Christmas right here. The bar is also full service with cocktails and wine offerings as well. Kevin and I ended up getting an eggplant sandwich from Mangia Panino and bao buns from Pig and Tiger which were both exceptional. Our group practically got something from every vendor and everyone was very pleased with what they ordered. While we did not have time to stay longer, we knew we had to come back here. Avanti also holds events so take a look at their calendar for your trip.

We made our way back to the Airbnb to relax, rinse off the hike, and get ready for dinner at Gemini. Gemini is well rated on Google for their tapas style menu and is conveniently located right on Pearl Street. 

Read the Dining Review for Gemini here!

On our way out of Gemini, we passed the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. and while we were super full, a small chocolate piece would not send us over. Everyone bought something and it is always a fun experience seeing what everyone picks since the chocolates come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. I can’t remember the last time we indulged in a small piece of chocolate so it was definitely a treat. While we wanted to do more browsing, there were so suspicious looking clouds that we did not want to test for too long so we made our way back to the Airbnb for the evening. 

Day 3

Boulder hosts a large farmer’s market on Saturdays and Wednesdays from 8AM to 2PM and you know we love a good farmer’s market. It is a great way to explore and support local businesses which range from produce to cheeses, to bakeries and succulents, to gluten free and organic, to tamales and Vietnamese, and so much more. It would have been easy to enjoy an entire meal here but we had brunch plans nearby. Kevin and crew did enjoy a Vietnamese coffee which hit the spot and I was certainly eyeing up the food options at that stand as well – I just love Vietnamese food! 

Where the farmer’s market pops up is a tea house smack in the middle and the menu here is so eclectic that we had to give it a try. The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse offers a menu with a trip around the world.

Read the Dining Review for Dushanbe Teahouse here!

After a satisfying brunch meal, we walked around the park by the farmers market and it was so awesome to see it full of people enjoying the weather and the farmer’s market. We continued on a walkway that took us to the Boulder Public Library which also had a pretty intense playground. This was one of the nicest libraries we have been in – and not that our library exploring is at an expert level – but it was large, bright, clean, and had someone for everyone. For the kids, half a floor is dedicated to children’s books and an activity play area which they loved. I would say this is a great option for an indoor activity downtown if you are looking to escape the cold or bad weather, or need a place of calm. 

Then we returned to Pearl Street to do some shopping. We visited outdoor merchandise shops like Marine Layer, Cotopaxi, Fjällräven, and some of the local shops as well. We grabbed a grilled cheese at Ruthie’s for the kids before returning to the rooftop of Avanti for beverages – we sampled cocktails and beers which were all great – and I would say one of the best froses I have had. Funny enough our visit was timed perfectly with the Kentucky Derby which we got to witness a photo finish race! 

Dinner was around the corner at Bohemian Biergarten. If there is an opportunity for good schnitzel, we like to indulge. We learned from the menu that this was featured on Guy Ferri’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and with the good ratings that led us here, we were looking forward to a German feast. 

Read the Dining Review for Bohemian Biergarten here!

On our way home, we passed by one of the popular ice cream spots downtown – Gelato Boy. And I regret to say, it was very disappointing. While the gelato texture was well done, I found the flavors to be limited and not expressive, and the portions were extremely small for the price. The flavor I ordered ended up not being the flavor that was scooped as well and it was not that busy where a mix up could have been to blame. With the good ratings here, I was expecting far better. Everyone enjoyed what they got from our group. 

With that, we returned to the Airbnb and began to pack up for our things for an early morning departure. This was by far not an inclusive trip of Boulder and there are things we missed that may work for your trip or a future trip for us. The food scene in Boulder is excellent and with so much more to explore, we are looking forward to a return visit in the future.

Read all blog posts for Boulder here!

Planning your own trip? Read the Perfect Itinerary for Boulder here!