Boulder's historic downtown centers around Pearl Street, which is lined with shops and eateries. There are climbable sculptures, rock gardens to play in, street performers, a splash pad for summer, candy shops, coffee shops for hot chocolate in winter, and much more to explore.
The City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) offers an ongoing series of educational nature programs on topics including ecology, wildlife, local history, night hikes and children’s programs. All are free and open to the public. Just check the schedule in advance.
The CU Museum of Natural History is a treasure trove of more than 4 million objects, from dino bones to Colorado's largest collection of bee specimens. Grandparents may enjoy the museum’s anthropology section, with its collections of Southwestern pottery and textiles and Navajo and Pueblo silverwork, while kids should head to the basement to play with a small collection of hands-on exhibits, puppets and learning kits. Your party can opt to split up, too, with older members heading to the worthwhile CU Art Museum, not too far across campus.
Photo: Patrick Campbell/University of Colorado
Also on the CU campus is Fiske Planetarium, whose 65-foot diameter dome is the largest between Chicago and Los Angeles. Check the schedule for family-friendly films like, “We Are Stars,” a visual exploration of cosmic chemistry and our explosive origins on Earth.
Every evening holds a different performance at the Dairy Arts Center — or just "The Dairy" to locals. Catch a theater or dance performance, see an art house flick at the Dairy’s Boedecker Cinema, or simply stop by to admire the exquisite local artwork on display in the galleries.
Boulder has a high number of bookstores per capita, and many of them are excellent for browsing and buying. Try the Boulder Book Store, Trident Booksellers or the more eccentric Beat Book Shop. You can also delve into Boulder’s literary scene.
The iconic, art deco-styled Boulder Theater is an acclaimed venue for live music performances by the likes of Shawn Colvin, the Pixies, Seether and Steve Earle.
