5 Best Sights in Boulder and North Central Colorado, Colorado

For some of Boulder's prettiest views, follow Baseline Road west from Broadway to Chautauqua Park, nestled at the base of the Flatirons. Grab a picnic or ice cream cone at the General Store and relax on the lawn, or use the park as a launching point to 40 miles of hiking trails. Historic Chautauqua is also home to a tasty restaurant, the historic Chautauqua Dining Hall, open year-round for brunch and dinner. Or attend a lecture, silent film, or concert at the auditorium, which hosts the Colorado Music Festival and internationally renowned concerts every year. For a bird's-eye view of Boulder, keep going west on Baseline (which turns into Flagstaff Road) 1 mile to Panorama Point, and then 3½ miles to Realization Point.

The late-19th- and early-20th-century commercial structures of the Downtown Boulder Historic District once housed mercantile stores and saloons, but today the stores here cater to modern tastes, with fair-trade coffees and Tibetan prayer flags. The period architecture—including Queen Anne, Italianate, and Romanesque styles in stone or brick—has been preserved.

This dome on the University of Colorado campus puts on planetarium shows and star talks, as well as laser shows choreographed to music by the likes of Pink Floyd, Bob Marley, and Queen. Showtimes vary somewhat, but generally laser shows take place on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, and star shows are sprinkled throughout the week, including some family matinees. The planetarium hosts live talks on Thursday evening. The Sommers–Bausch Observatory is open for free public viewing every Friday, weather permitting, when CU classes are in session.

Between 8th and 20th Streets in the downtown area, Pearl Street is the city's hub, an eclectic collection of boutiques, bookstores, art galleries, cafés, bars, and restaurants. From 11th and 15th Streets is a pedestrian mall, with plenty of good people-watching and some of the most outrageous street performers you'll ever see. Regulars may include fire-eating contortionists, a man who plays the piano while hanging from his feet in a tree, and steampunk-style street bands.

With more than 5 million objects, this museum is home to the largest natural history collection in the Rocky Mountain region. There are five galleries and a discovery corner for kids. Permanent and changing exhibits feature CU research, fossils, archaeological finds, dinosaur relics, plants, and invertebrates. Depending on your level of interest, you could spend anywhere from an hour to all day here.