Oh, I really wish we had time to explore more of Boulder on our big
The Drive
Our route from Layton, UT, headed straight east and through the bottom of Wyoming. We met up with my niece at their home in Laramie, WY, and took a tour of where they each worked before making it to charming Fort Collins, CO for dinner.
Hyatt House Boulder
Our hotel in Boulder was kind of amazing, however. We scored a Hyatt House in Broomfield, CO and it was like a little apartment. Except for the almost total lack of windows, I could have happily lived in one of these! It was extremely efficient.
From the door, you walk straight into a full kitchen with full-sized appliances and everything, with a living room sofa (with a pull out bed) and work desk beyond under the one tiny window in the room. On the other side of a large wall divider/storage unit is the bed and completing the square is a large bathroom with a full-size closet. A flat-screen TV in the divider unit can be turned completely around to either face the bed or the sofa. The halls were nice and so was the workout room. The provided breakfast was really disappointing though.
Boulder, CO
Oh, but Boulder. Had we time to look around some, we could have discovered all the natural wonder that Boulder has to offer. Much of its charm comes from outdoor activities like the Flatirons which provide a dramatic backdrop to Boulder from almost any angle. Chautauqua Park and Eldorado Canyon are popular spots, as well as Flagstaff Mountain, Mount Sanitas Trail, Mesa Trail, Switzerland Trail, the urban Boulder Creek Path and more.
In town, shop it up in historic Pearl Street for a real taste of Boulder culture, or visit the Boulder Farmers’ Market, voted the best farmers’ market in the country by USA Today. See a show at the historic Boulder Theater, in use since 1906, or learn more about local history in the Museum of Boulder at the Tebo Center.
Boulder has a lively foodie scene and a thriving craft beer culture. But if your tastes run to tea, consider a visit to the FREE factory tour of Celestial Seasonings, the largest tea manufacturer in North America. Mmmm, mint room. Afterward, drink tea at the stunningly beautiful Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, a gift from Boulder’s sister city in Tajikistan. For a wacky tour of the whole city, try Banjo Billy’s Bus Tour, a rolling hillbilly shack with accompanying silly narration.
Estes Park
What I really wanted to do was visit nearby Estes Park, though unfortunately we totally didn’t have the time for that. Estes Park is an hour north of Boulder, up in the Rocky Mountains. This was a bit of a Mt. Hood situation for me again–a scenic byway, a Shining hotel, and a tram to the top of a mountain.
The hotel, in this case, is the Stanley Hotel, where Stephen King was inspired to write The Shining. It reportedly has ghosts of its own, and the interior even looks a little like the Overlook Hotel in the movie. There’s an Aerial Tramway in Estes, taking visitors up to the top of Prospect Mountain for $14. And the Peak-To-Peak Scenic Byway is a beautiful stretch of road south through Rocky Mountain National Park alongside Boulder. It’s a 2-hour drive one way but would work as a day trip to circle back to Boulder.
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