Boulder, located in the foothills of the Rockies, is one of the most beautiful cities in the United States. It always ranks as one of the best places to live or even to visit. Living here in Colorado, it’s one of my favorite spots to explore, grab coffee, or more. Here we look at some of the best things to do in Boulder Colorado.

Pearl Street Mall
Address: 1303 Pearl St, Boulder, CO 80302
The center of Boulder, Pearl Street Mall is an outdoor pedestrian set of streets with lots of shopping, retails, hotels, and bookstores. The area centers around the Boulder Courthouse and stretches about 2 blocks in each direction along the street.
Parking is available both on the street as well in some of the garages. The garages are surprisingly cheap and even free on weekends and holidays.

Chautauqua Park
Address: Baseline Rd & 9th St, Boulder, CO 80302
Located in south Boulder, Chautauqua Park is the start of some of the best hiking in the area. The park is located at the base of the famous Flatirons (which are accessible via the park as well). However, beyond just the distant flatirons, the park offers some great hiking for all skill levels.
There is parking at the park, although it is paid. Just be sure to pay attention to how much time you paid for if its enough for your hike. There’s also a map at the trailhead to help you decide what’s the right difficult for you.

Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art
Address: 1750 13th St, Boulder, CO 80302
Tickets: Contemporary Art Museum
Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art has a rotating set of regional and international artists. The museum has some really cool artwork from the various artists and I love that things change on a regular basis.
Founded in 1972, the museum is a hub for art and also hosts regular programs for the community as well.
Overall the museum is a great deal, with low entrance prices (and free on Saturdays!). It’s also open late (on Wednesdays) when the farmers market is open as well.

Boulder Farmer’s Market
Address: 13th St, Boulder, CO 80302
Established in 1986, the Farmer’s Market is one of the most popular activities in the Boulder Area. Held annually from April to November, the farmer’s market hosts locally sourced fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, as well as locally produced food stuffs.
Some of the best selection of local Colorado food stuffs. The market is open May – October on Wednesday evenings (4 – 8 pm) and on Saturdays (8 am – 2 pm) April to November.
Fiske Planetarium
Address: 2414 Regent Dr, Boulder, CO 80309
Tickets: Fiske Planetarium
Owned and Operated by the University of Colorado, Boulder. The Fiske Planetarium offers regular planetarium shows each week. Check the ticket website above for current upcoming shows and times and to get tickets.
Established in 1965, the dome is one of the largest in operation in the US and they often have special events and presentations from university and world renowned presenters.
Museum of Natural History
Address: 1030 Broadway Street UCB 218, Boulder, CO 80309
Website: Visit Information Museum of Natural History
Established in 1902, and Owned/Operated by the University of Colorado, Boulder, the Museum of Natural History has an incredible collection of items including amazing Dinosaur fossils.
Admission to the Museum is free (donations recommended), and hosts some great programs throughout the year as well.
They have permanent as well as rotating exhibits. Some include aspects on local areas such as the Rocky Mountains, Antarctica, Oceans, Dinosaurs, birds, bats and more. I love the ones that specifically focus on Colorado environments as its rare to find these aspects in other museums.

Dushanbe Teahouse
Address: 1770 13th St, Boulder, CO 80302
Website: Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse
It is one of the most beautiful teahouses I have seen in the entire United States. And one with a great story to boot. After establishing Dushanbe Tajikistan (Tajikistan’s capitol) as a sister city, the Mayor of the city visited Boulder. The teahouse was built as a gift to the city and featured over 40 Tajik artisans to create and decorate the incredible building.
The interior of the place feels a world away and like a garden within the city. It has become on of the most important and impressive sites within the city as well.
The teahouse has a great selection of food and beverages. I’m also impressed that even with it’s decoration and prominence it’s still quite affordable too.

The Flatirons
You can’t help but notice the slanted slaps of sandstone along the horizon in Boulder. This is one of the most recognizable aspects of the Boulder area. The flatirons located in the distance from Chautauqua Park are also very popular with climbers in the area as well.
There are also several strenuous hiking trails that will get you out and into the foothills and closer to the slabs
Eldorado Canyon State Park
Address: 9 Kneale Rd, Eldorado Springs, CO 80025
Website: Timed Entry System
Located South of Boulder, Eldorado Canyon state park has some of the most beautiful hiking and views in the area.
The park is popular for biking, hiking, and climbing. During the winter folks come for snowshoeing as well as cross-country skiing.
Unfortunately due to the popularity of the park, there’s a timed entry system that was created. This is required for visits from late Spring to mid-September.
Boulder Creek Path
Website: Boulder Creek Path
The popular 5.5 mile trail takes bikers and walkers along Boulder Creek from Boulder Canyon to Carpenter Park. The path runs through downtown Boulder and along the creek and past quite a few wonderful attractions in the city as well.
The trail is a mix of concrete, asphalt and dirt throughout the trail length. It’s great for visitors of the city as well as you’ll get to see several great attractions like Dushanbe Teahouse, library, and civic center. It’ll also pass close to others like the Museum of Contemporary Art, Farmers market, and University of Colorado (Boulder).

Museum of Boulder
Address: 2205 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80302
Tickets: Museum Tickets
The History of Boulder Museum contains hundreds of thousands of artifacts and documents related to Boulder’s history. The galleries focus on various parts of Boulder History, Boulder’s people, and the area.
The museum discusses parts of Boulder’s part in innovation, technology, culture, food, and more. The extensive collection of photographs and documents is impressive as well. Many of these photographs and documents can also be viewable online.
There are also a fair bit of hands on exhibits that are great for kids of all ages as well.
Boulder Theater
Address: 2032 14th St, Boulder, CO 80302
Tickets: Boulder Theater Info
Established in 1906, the Boulder Theater is the premier city location for movies and music productions. The beautiful art deco building is a beautiful reminder of the past as well. It hosts some incredible acts throughout the year both local as well as international acts.
Celestial Seasoning Tea Factory
Address: 4600 Sleepytime Dr, Boulder, CO 80301
Tour Information: Celestial Tea Tours
For as often as I’ve drank this tea, I had no idea it was located in northern Boulder Colorado. Serving 1.6 billion cups of tea a year, celestial seasonings is one of the largest tea manufacturers in the world. The factory offers 45 minute tours as well as has an onsite tea shop and café.
Over 2 million people visit the factory annually to take the tour. The company manufactures over 100 varieties of tea and many of them are on sale to try to buy at the location.
Tours, Café, and Shop are currently closed due to Covid. Hopefully they will re-open again soon.
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