31. Boulder Public Library—Main Branch
City: Boulder, CO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (303) 441-3100
Address: 1000 Canyon Boulevard at Ninth Street be
Description: Most Boulder-area libraries offer abundant reading nooks, computers, and storytelling times. This is the city’s crown jewel, an eye-popper with an outstanding selection of books, publications, videos, and other materials. The espresso shop on the second floor offers a view of the creek that is stunning any time of year. The main library is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
32. Boulder Public Library—George Reynolds Branch
City: Boulder, CO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (303) 441-3120
Address: 3595 Table Mesa Drive
Description: A branch library serving south Boulder, it offers easy access and an extensive video- and audio-tape section. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
33. Boulder Public Library—Meadows Branch
City: Boulder, CO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (303) 441-4390
Address: 4800 Baseline Road at Foothills Parkway
Description: This library branch serves residents who live east of downtown. Adjacent to the Meadows Shopping Center, it features a nice children’s section, and with fewer patrons the staff always has time to help. The library is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. This branch is closed on Thursdays.
34. University Of Colorado Museum
City: Boulder, CO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (303) 492-6892
Description: The CU museum has a kids’ corner and numerous kids’ activities and special events. This place is definitely one of Boulder’s best-kept secrets. Find the real triceratops head, and try on the sea-turtle shell. This museum is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults and $1 for seniors and children ages 6 through 18. Children younger than age six and CU students can visit for free.
35. Cave Park (Arapahoe Ridge Park)
City: Boulder, CO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (303) 413-7200
Address: 1220 Eisenhower Drive
Description: Cave Park, also known as Arapahoe Ridge Park, offers the best and most creative array of playground equipment around. It’s next door to Eisenhower Elementary, but large enough for everyone.
36. Chautauqua Park
City: Boulder, CO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (303) 442-3282
Description: Chautauqua Park boasts a great expanse of lawn, away from traffic, as well as playground equipment that includes a child-size playhouse. The huge grassy area is great for kids and Frisbee-chasing dogs. In summer months the Chautauqua Dining Hall is the perfect place to grab a bite to eat; it has convenient restrooms, too.
37. Scott Carpenter Park
City: Boulder, CO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (303) 441-3427
Description: Rated “Boulder’s Best Park” by Daily Camera readers, this park was named after a local astronaut and features a climbing apparatus resembling a rocket ship. The playground was completely refurbished in 1998 with new equipment that adheres to the “space” theme. The Boulder Skatepark is also here. Open to kids eight years old and older, it lets skateboarders test their skills on the 10-foot vertical half-pipe, or play it safe on the 6-foot or 4-foot mini-ramps and street course. Admission is free; helmets and pads are required and can be rented for a small fee. In winter, the park is Boulder’s most popular sledding area. After a winter storm, the sledding hill is small enough to be manageable but big enough to be exciting.
38. Viele Lake
City: Boulder, CO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (303) 441-3448
Address: 1360 Gillaspie Drive
Description: Complete with canoes, paddleboats, and lots of Canada geese, this man-made lake is a central feature of this south Boulder neighborhood. For students who attend the nearby Fairview High School, it’s a nice place to take a break. There’s no swimming allowed.
39. Boulder Bikesmith
City: Boulder, CO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (303) 443-1132
Address: 2432 Arapahoe Avenue
Description: Should your child’s two-wheeler “bite the dust” on Boulder’s bike path, head for this shop, adjacent to the Boulder Creek Path. Trained experts on staff can help with bike service, the sale of new or used bicycles, and, as a last resort, in-line skate rental. They are open every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
40. University Bicycles
City: Boulder, CO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (303) 444-4196
Address: 839 Pearl Street
Description: This is a great downtown location from which you can rent kids’ bikes, bike trailers, tandem bikes, and trail-a-bikes, a style of hybrid tandem with an adult-size bike in front and a kid-size one in the rear. One way or another, you can get the whole family on wheels.
41. Boulder Creek Path
City: Boulder, CO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (303) 441-3388
Description: A stroll along the path—keeping mindful of fast-moving cyclists and in-line skaters, please—can take on exploratory aspects with small detours down the creek along the way, to the murky but well-intentioned trout-viewing windows near the Millennium Harvest House Bridge, or to the duck-pond overlook between Ninth Street and the Justice Center. Freelance musicians might be playing in the park between Broadway and 13th Street. Be sure to read the interpretive signs along the way.
City: Boulder, CO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 3198 Broadway
43. Walden And Sawhill Ponds
City: Boulder, CO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (303) 678-6200
Description: This is a beguiling 113-acre complex of ponds reclaimed from old gravel pits—an example of nature’s ability to heal a scarred landscape. The ponds, with their aquatic vegetation and fish, have become an attractive habitat and breeding area for waterfowl, painted turtles, muskrats, and other fauna. Two miles of ultra-gentle trails, picnic areas, and fishing areas make these ponds a fine family destination.
44. Cu Ice Arena And Skate Shop
City: Boulder, CO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (303) 492-7255
Description: CU-Boulder’s indoor ice-skating rink gives skaters a great view of Sunshine Canyon. It is free to students and members, otherwise the cost is $5, plus $1 for skates. You must be a guest of a student or member to use this facility or be signed up for public lessons. Recreational skating hours vary from day to day.
45. Boulder Recreation Centers
City: Boulder, CO
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: At the East, North, and South Boulder Recreation Centers, adult city residents pay $6.25, senior citizens age 60 and older pay $4.50, and children and teens younger than age 18 pay between $3.50 and $4.00 per visit. Punch cards purchased in advance will reduce the fee for those who plan to visit regularly. There are also annual passes and a corporate pass program. Online information for all of Boulder’s recreation centers is available at www.ci.boulder.co.us.