Boulder is well-known as a trendy hub for culture, history, family activities and home-grown businesses, not to mention its surrounding natural beauty. While the city offers many great attractions, activities seem sweeter when they’re free. Here are a few suggestions for enjoying Boulder without ever opening your wallet.
Celestial Seasonings
4600 Sleepytime Dr.
Boulder, Colorado 80301
303-530-5300
celestialseasonings.com
Enjoy free samples and view original Celestial Seasonings artwork from the well-known tea boxes in a 45-minute free tour. See how ingredients from all over the world are put into the bags that create these delicious teas. Tours are held every day, except major holidays.
Celestial Seasonings also has a tea shop and a café. Enjoy favorites such as Sleepytime, Cinnamon Apple Spice and India Spice Chai. The Celestial Café also serves good-for-you meals for breakfast and lunch.
University of Colorado Museum of Natural History
15th Street and Broadway
Boulder, Colorado 80309
303-492-6892
cumuseum.colorado.edu
With one of the largest collections of natural history in the Rocky Mountain region, the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History is both educational and entertaining for families.
The museum features five exhibition halls, including hands-on exhibits and displays ranging from Colorado’s history to world history to paleontology. There also is a coffee shop called the BioLounge that mixes exhibit space, science displays and art with a steady flow of java.
Historic Downtown Boulder and Pearl Street Mall
1942 Broadway, Suite 301
Boulder, Colorado 80302
303-449-3774
boulderdowntown.com
Enjoy Boulder’s lively downtown and Pearl Street scene, with frequent street performers, including musicians and jugglers. Shop, dine and people watch with the beautiful backdrop of the Flatirons.
Several events hit this street scene every year, including the Downtown Boulder ArtFair. It will be held July 17 and 18 this year between 10th and 16th streets, with several tents displaying art of all kinds from local Boulder artists.
National Center for Atmospheric Research
1850 Table Mesa Dr.
Boulder, Colorado 80305
303-497-1000
www.ucar.edu/educ_outreach/visit
NCAR offers free educational displays and hands-on exhibits on the study of atmospheric science. Visitors can view some of the world’s fastest super computers and visit almost any day. Tours are offered at noon.
The building itself is an architectural marvel, designed by famed architect I.M Pei. NCAR also offers the Walter Orr Roberts Weather Trail and picnicking in the Tree Plaza.
The Wonder of Science at Twenty Ninth Street
29th Street and Canyon Boulevard
Boulder, Colorado 80301
303-444-0722
twentyninthstreet.com
Not only does Twenty Ninth Street offer outdoor retail shopping in the middle of Boulder, it also has a permanent interactive science exhibit that is great for kids. The exhibit includes a 35-foot tall rocket used in atmospheric studies, space exploration exhibits and large, lighted models of the solar system.
Kids will also find a local weather and reporting station, a sundial and a sculpture that tracks the Institute of Standards and Technology’s famous atomic clock.
If You Go
Celestial Seasonings
4600 Sleepytime Dr.
Boulder, Colorado 80301
303-530-5300
celestialseasonings.com
University of Colorado Museum of Natural History
15th Street and Broadway
Boulder, Colorado 80309
303-492-6892
cumuseum.colorado.edu
Historic Downtown Boulder and Pearl Street Mall
1942 Broadway, Suite 301
Boulder, Colorado 80302
303-449-3774
boulderdowntown.com
National Center for Atmospheric Research
1850 Table Mesa Dr.
Boulder, Colorado 80305
303-497-1000
www.ucar.edu/educ_outreach/visit
The Wonder of Science at Twenty Ninth Street
29th Street and Canyon Boulevard
Boulder, Colorado 80301
303-444-0722
twentyninthstreet.com