City: Boulder, CO

Category: Shopping

Description: Lafayette’s main shopping areas are around the intersection of South Boulder Road and Public Road, which is also U.S. Highway 287. To the north, this is an area of small, unique, and charming shops, with the big-box stores just down the road. Antique hunters gravitate to the funky finds at West’s Antiques, which is a full block long. Lafayette Florists offers the most bedding plants in the county; a visit is a rite of spring for many Boulder County residents. The Lafayette Flea Market uses sandwich-boarded boosters to draw customers into the rambling series of interconnecting spaces, with everything from antiques to unadulterated junk. Take a trip back a few decades by pulling into the Sonic drive-in on Waneka Parkway for a limeade and a chili dog, and run over to the Coal Creek Bowling Center for a game or two. Cannon Mine’s Coffee or the newly opened Mojo is a great place to enjoy a cup of coffee any time of day. You can get a good bite of Mexican food at Efrain’s, which serves the hottest green chile around.