Earlier this year, we spent some extended time in the Denver area. While there, we spent a full day in Boulder, Colorado. It's a fun and unique place to visit. It has all of the trappings of a quaint mountain town, along with endless opportunities for fun and recreation.

DUSHANBE TEAHOUSE

After arriving in Boulder, our first stop was the Dushanbe Teahouse for a late brunch. We visited here on the recommendation of my uncle Mark who lives in Boulder. He shared with us some of the interesting history from the Teahouse. I loved everything about this restaurant, everything from the food to the decor and atmosphere. The bright colors and Persian design pieces made me want to spend the whole day there just admiring all of the details. If you go during a busy time, there is some great outdoor seating available too!

They have a wide variety of food and tea options to choose from. I'd recommend the Spicy Indonesian Peanut Noodles (they were A-MA-ZING). You can check out their menu here.

BRAINARD LAKE

We wanted to spend as much time outdoors and exploring as possible. We drove up into the mountains to the Brainard Lake Recreational Center where there are several trails that provide good lookouts and vistas. Unfortunately, when we got there the trails were closed off due to snow (snow in May! Can you believe it?).

We didn't let the opportunity pass us; we took as many photos here as possible and got some great shots!

WARD, CO

We took a different route back down to Boulder. On our drive back, we drove through the interesting little town of Ward. Immediately upon entering Ward you can tell that this town has seen better days. In the late 1800s it was one of the most successful areas of Colorado. It boomed during the gold rush and even produced a significant amount of silver. Over time, and after a major fire, the area was depleted of its resources and the population dropped to 4 people.

Now, Ward is an eclectic collection of things from the past. Some of these things are displayed as works of art, while others are simply prized possessions left to decay in the elements.

SWITZERLAND TRAIL

After leaving Ward, we continued on to an area known as the Switzerland Trail - formerly the main form of transportation from the mountain communities to the major cities.

Along the way we stopped and saw a large group of deer. They moved gracefully on the side of hill. I was able to capture a photo of one deer leaping over a fence. It was a pretty neat experience getting that close to them.

GOLD HILL

The next stop on our descent into Boulder was in the small mountain town of Gold Hill. This was the location of the first major discovery of gold in the Colorado Gold Rush. We walked around here and took some photos of their general store and surrounding buildings.

We quickly realized that there were a lot of people congregating and walking into a local restaurant (The Gold Hill Inn). As we walked by, we heard music and decided to walk in. This may have been the highlight of the whole day. We stayed around an hour enjoying the music and family friendly environment. Emet loved dancing to the music and exploring all of the different areas of the restaurant.

PEARL STREET

Once we arrived back in Boulder, we spent some time exploring the Pearl Street Mall. We had visited Boulder back in 2008 and really enjoyed this area of the city. There are a ton of shops, restaurants, and live street entertainment. One of our favorites is the Zip Code Guy. You tell him your zip code and he's able to tell you the name of your town and other local features. It's really amazing - he also does some juggling too. :)

After walking around for a while, we ended the evening at Rio Grande. Not many would think to get Mexican food in Colorado, but the food was super good. 

While we didn't get to explore many trails this day, we did get to experience some lesser known areas of Boulder. 

What are some of your favorite memories of exploring places out of town?

|  Credits: Author - Jacintha Payne; Photography - Calvin and Jacintha Payne  |