Our Top Three Reasons We Stopped in Boulder, CO
Where we ate, what we saw, and why we’d return again
Hello, travelers!
While traveling in Colorado, we stopped for one evening in Boulder. Known for being a college town, it was bustling with shops, restaurants, street musicians, people everywhere, and lots to see. There were several highlights from our time there, but these three highlights are what we loved most.
PEARL STREET MALL
The Pearl Street Mall is the main downtown area of Boulder. This four-block area is full of stores, restaurants, and cool places to sit and take in the vibe of the town. As we were walking, we saw a street musician playing the cello, several ice cream carts, and a lot of college students walking around.
One shop that we highly recommend is the Boulder Bookstore. It’s a multi-level bookstore that, yes, sells many, many new editions, but they also have merch, stickers, stationary, and (our favorite) used books! We could have spent the entire day in that store alone and still have some spots in the store that we didn’t see, it was so huge! Check out their website here.
Due to how big the Pearl Street Mall is, there were a lot of parking options. Many we saw had a meter, and street parking is scattered throughout and around the mall, so finding a spot was easy. We highly recommend taking some time in the afternoon or evening to peruse Pearl Street!
MORK AND MINDY HOUSE
One of our favorite free activities to do on vacation is drive around and find houses whose exteriors are featured in movies or television shows. Just last year we did this in Los Angeles, and this summer while in Colorado, we wanted to find some more. In Boulder, you are able to view the Mork and Mindy house!
Featured in the 1970s sitcom starring Robin Williams and Pam Dawber, this house sits just a little outside Pearl Street Mall and has gorgeous Queen Anne-style Victorian architecture. While it isn’t a museum or a house you can enter (a resident owns it), you can still drive by to say “na-nu, na-nu!”
RESTAURANTS AND SWEET TREATS
River and Woods
River and Woods is a restaurant that we were both really looking forward to in Boulder. It operates out of an old wooden cabin that’s been renovated on the inside to feel cozy and aesthetically pleasing. What’s tough about reviewing this is that we’re at a stalemate! For Ryan, it was nothing to write home about. For Lillian, she really enjoyed it!
Both of us ordered the same main with different sides. We each got the Farmers Market Salad which was a mixture of greens and a selection of Boulder-area seasonal vegetables and fruit with Yoder Farm goat cheese and a honey poppyseed vinaigrette. They were great portions and everything was very fresh. For sides, Ryan ordered a side of roasted garlic mac n cheese while Lillian had their crispy sweet potatoes. Ryan’s mac n cheese, which featured Organic Pastificio heirloom wheat fusilli, Colby, fontina, gouda, roasted garlic, and challah breadcrumbs fell flat for him, and he didn’t feel the $11 for the side were justified. Lillian’s sweet potatoes were a favorite at the table though, as they were cubed and roasted with miso chili aioli, scallion, and garam masala as a garnish.
Overall, we both enjoyed this restaurant in some aspects, but had higher expectations in other aspects. If you want a dining experience that’s truly unique with interesting dishes, this restaurant might not be the place for you. But, if you want a laidback experience tucked away from the city, you’ll love the vibe here!
Sweet Cow
Sweet Cow is a local ice cream chain, and we stopped in the Boulder location when we were wrapping up our night. We absolutely loved it when we had it! There’s a wide variety of ice creams to choose from, from classics to innovative and fun flavors. The service was great, and it was the perfect way to end our night. We wrote about our experience there in the Our Top Five Food Spots in Colorado post so make sure to read that if you want the full review!
VERDICT
From the atmosphere to the shops to the food, we really enjoyed our time in Boulder. Honestly, we wish we’d spent more time there! You can definitely turn Boulder into a full day or two itinerary, and we recommend you stop there if you’re traveling in Colorado.
We hope you enjoyed reading about our time in Boulder, CO! If you want to read more about our travels to Colorado, check out the West section under the “U.S. Travel” tab of our blog for more content! And, if you want to keep updated on our adventures, subscribe to our newsletter or follow our socials for a more exciting and exclusive look at our blog.
Happy travels,