Beyond the attractions listed, the Boulder Creek Winery, 6440 Odell Place (tel. 303/516-9031; www.bouldercreekwine.com), offers a complimentary tasting Thursday through Sunday from 1 to 5:30pm, and BookCliff Vineyards, of Palisade, has a north Boulder tasting room at 1501 Lee Hill Rd. (tel. 303/449-9463; www.bookcliffvineyards.com), open 1 to 6pm Friday through Sunday in summer (closed winter Thurs). These are two of the top wineries in the state in terms of awards won; Boulder Creek is known for its cabernets and merlots, and BookCliff is the only Front Range winery that grows its own grapes.
Museums
There are three art galleries on the University of Colorado campus, all with free admission. The CU Art Museum (tel. 303/492-8300) displays the work of CU students and faculty as well as pieces from the Colorado Collection, about 5,000 works by international artists including Warhol, Dürer, Rembrandt, Tiepolo, Hogarth, Hiroshige, Matisse, and Picasso. There are also rotating exhibits. The museum is located in the new-for-2010 Visual Arts Complex.
At the University Memorial Center, the UMC Art Gallery (tel. 303/492-7465) organizes and hosts a variety of exhibitions featuring regional and national artists. In the music-listening rooms, visitors can peruse current periodicals while listening to modern and classical music. The gallery is on the second floor of the center, just left of the information desk; it’s open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm.
The Andrew J. Macky Gallery (tel. 303/492-8423), at the main entrance of Macky Auditorium, shows touring exhibits and works by local artists. It’s open Wednesday from 9am to 4pm.
There are also studios and a gallery at the Dairy Center for the Arts, 2590 Walnut St. (tel. 303/440-7826; www.thedairy.org), which also houses two theaters, classrooms, and several dance, theater, and arts organizations.
Especially for Kids
City parks offer the best diversions for children.
On the Boulder Creek Path, the underwater fish observatory behind the Millennium Harvest House fascinates youngsters. They can feed the huge trout swimming behind a glass barrier on the creek (machines cough up handfuls of fish food for 25¢). Farther up the path, on the south bank around 6th Street, Kids’ Fishing Ponds, stocked by the Boulder Fish and Game Club, are open to children 11 and under. There’s no charge for either activity.
Likewise, the Pearl Street Mall is a terrific spot for kids, featuring giant beaver and snail sculptures to frolic with, massive faux boulders to climb, and a pop-jet fountain to cool off in on hot summer days, not to mention such kid-friendly shops as Into the Wind and the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.
The Fiske Planetarium (tel. 303/492-5001; www.fiske.colorado.edu) offers visitors a walk through the solar system. Dedicated to the memory of CU alumnus Ellison Onizuka and the six other astronauts who died in the space shuttle Challenger explosion, the outdoor scale model begins at the entrance to the planetarium with the sun and inner planets, and continues across Regent Drive to the outer planets, located along the walkway to the Engineering Center. Admission is free; allow at least a half-hour. The planetarium offers kids’ after-school and summer discovery programs, star shows, and other programs in which you get a chance to look at the sky through the planetarium’s telescopes. Admission for these events is usually around $5 and parking is $1.50; call for the latest schedule.
On the north end of town, at Gateway Park Fun Center, 4800 N. 28th St. (tel. 303/442-4386; wwww.gatewayfunpark.com), you'll find go-karts, a human maze, batting cages, minigolf, and more.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
