Beautiful Boulder

The western state of Colorado has a diverse landscape of arid desert, river canyons, and the snow-covered Rocky Mountains. Boulder at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains is in northern Colorado. To the west, you can see the trail-lined Flatirons which are craggy rock formations that overlook the city.

The Flatirons are the most distinctive feature in Boulder making them a natural backdrop to the city. There are five huge, slanted slices of sandstone. The area is home to many hiking trails leading into the surrounding foothills. One hiking trail the Flatirons Vista Trail will lead you right into the rocks. The Flatirons have also become one of the most popular rock-climbing destinations.

The Open Space Mountain Park area is the best place to begin exploring the Flatirons. The lovely meadow space is where many of the hiking trails start.

The Pearl Street Mall is one of the most iconic man-made attractions in Boulder. It stretches along Pearl Street for four blocks. This is a brick-paved pedestrian mall that is filled with shops, art galleries, and restaurants. There are benches where you can sit and watch people go by and sometimes there are street performances.

Chautauqua Park is located next to the Open Space Management area offering amazing views of the Flatirons and hiking trails beginning in a lovely meadow setting. This park has been preserved as a historic landmark. Here you can find a community center dating from the late 1800s that hosts lectures and music festivals. There is a romantic restaurant The Chautauqua Dining Hall. Children enjoy the playground and there are tennis courts.

The Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory is a company that is the largest herbal tea producer in North America. The factory in Boulder packages over eight million tea bags a day. You can tour the facilities. The 45-minute tour lets you see how the tea is made. There is a herb garden and you can see the Mint Room where huge bags of peppermint and spearmint tea are stored before shipping, There are also free tea tastings.

Eldorado State Canon Park is another top tourist attraction with Eldorado Canyon. High sandstone cliffs are popular with rock climbers and the park has over 500 technical climbing routes. You can also go hiking and mountain biking. There are lovely picnic spots by South Boulder Creek which runs through the park. In the winter visitors can go snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

University of Colorado Boulder is worth visiting with impressive architecture such as The Old Main Building which was the first structure dating back to 1876. The campus has attractions like the outdoor Mary Rippon Theater which hosts the Colorado Shakespeare Festival in the summer.

On campus, the Museum of Natural History has over four million objects among them Colorado's largest collection of bee specimens. The CU Museum of Natural History is a great place to learn about the flora and fauna of the Rocky Mountains and the Southwest.

The CU Art Museum offers over 8,000 objects that cover some 10,000 years of human artistic creations.

Fiske Planetarium is one of the largest planetariums between Los Angeles, California, and Chicago, Illinois. You can check out the stars through the lens of the powerful Zeiss telescope, hear live musical performances, and see theater performances, There are interactive full-dome films and the popular late-night laser and liquid sky sown that are set to music.

The Hill is a college neighborhood directly to the west of the CU Boulder Campus. There are student-focused shops and restaurants as well as live music venues like Fox Theater.

Flagstaff Mountain is a popular destination to watch the sunset. You can hike up or drive to the top of the mountain for some awesome views of Boulder. At the top, you'll find the Flagstaff Summit Nature Center where you can learn about the local flora and fauna. A hike to the top begins from the Flagstaff Trailhead and is a two-mile hike to the summit.

Mount Sanitas Hiking Trail winds up both sides of the ridge leading to the summit of Mount Sanita. Locals run the trail for a workout. There are lovely views of the valley from the top.

The Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art was founded in 1972. There are three galleries that rotate exhibits of regional, national, and international art. A 100-seat black-box theater puts on innovative performances from dance to poetry readings.

Take a trip to the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse which sits at the base of the Rocky Mountains in Central Park next to Boulder Creek. The teas here are sourced from Dushanbe, Tajikistan which is Boulder's sister city. The building is impressive with a carved ceiling and decorative wood paneling. The highlight here is the English High Tea with homemade cakes, pastries, and sandwiches accompanying the Dushanbe tea.

The Cure Organic Farm opened in 2005 run by Ann and Paul Cure with more than 100 different kinds of organic vegetables, herbs, and flowers on display that can also be bought at the farm store. There are also cuddly farm animals to see like ducks, geese, pigs, and cows.

Long’s Gardens were started more than 100 years ago by JD Long. Their gardens are known for showcasing the beauty of irises in the Boulder area. The farm grows bearded iris flowers that can be purchased here and can grow over 27 inches long, The peak blooming season is from May to June.