An Only-in-Boulder Itinerary

Where’s the fun in ordinary? Here’s a two-day itinerary to explore Boulder’s weird and wacky side (which, to be honest, is our favorite side).

Day One

Morning

Eat in the Buff. Woah, keep your clothes on, cowboy. We mean The Buff, a favorite breakfast spot named after the University of Colorado Buffaloes. You’ll dine on larger-than-life dishes beside a wall of clocks all set to 4:20.

Go forest bathing. It’s where you simply walk in the woods and soak up all the sounds, sights and smells of the forest in the Japanese art of shinrin-yoku. The Colorado Chautauqua often offers guided forest bathing sessions. Or Bald Mountain Trail or Ranger Trail will put you among trees within steps.

Afternoon

Cleanse your aura. Sit and relax in the Shungite Ark, a room lined with two tons of shungite, purported to have physical and metaphysical benefits. Carrie-Anne Moss of “The Matrix” visited and loved it.

Evening

Oodles of O2. Need a little boost? Head to Tonic Alchemy Lounge and enjoy an aromatic infusion in the oxygen bar, with scents like “clarity,” a minty-herb blend or “inspiration,” with cedarwood and spruce.

Draw while you dine. Add your scribbles to the ceiling at The Sink, a legendary pizza and burger joint that’s been open for 100 years on The Hill, next to CU. After you’re done, hit the Fox Theatre a few doors down for a live rock show.

Day 2

Morning

Sip tea in a Persian teahouse. The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse is a hand-carved and-painted jewelbox creation gifted to us by our sister city in Tajikistan.

Hike without sight. Boulder’s Sensory Trail, atop Flagstaff Mountain, has rope rails and Braille signage to guide those with vision impairment. But it’s also available to sighted people as an enlightening experience. Bring a companion and try it blindfolded.

Afternoon

Dig for treasure. While you shop Pearl Street, stop in Classic Facets and ask if you can peruse the vintage jewelry in the back of the store, in wooden drawers labeled “Blue Earrings” and “Green Bracelets.”

Get crunchy. Embrace your inner hippy at Thrive, Boulder’s raw food restaurant where they transform veggies into insanely delicious, nutrition-packed bites.

Evening

Discover a sleeper hit. At the Boedecker Cinema, catch a mind-bending arthouse film with especially provocative titles each week for “Friday Night Weird.”

Play drag bingo over burgers. At Jungle, Boulder’s neighborhood tiki lounge, you can play drag bingo (check the calendar) while you bite into a burger and sip on a Banana Hammock cocktail.

Get nostalgic at a local wine bar. Perch on Postino's big corner patio or cozy up in a booth in view of their art wall that features hundreds of pairs of reclaimed roller skates – a nod to a scene in the “Mork & Mindy” sitcom when Robin Williams’ character roller skates down Pearl Street.