Guides
Boulder Guides — Things to Do, Hiking, Dining & Skiing
Updated July 2026
Sundance runs 10+ days, and Boulder is a great place to spend the downtime between films. These evergreen guides cover the essentials — written for a January (winter) visit — plus stories about the city and the festival.
Guides for your visit
What to do in Boulder →Pearl Street, museums, breweries, and cozy winter ideas between screenings.Where to hike →The Flatirons, Chautauqua, Mount Sanitas — plus winter-trail safety.Where to eat →From Pearl Street classics to fine dining and great coffee.Skiing & snowboarding →Eldora is ~45 minutes; the big I-70 resorts are a day trip.Live music & arts →The Fox, Boulder Theater, eTown, and historic Chautauqua.Where to stay →Real local lodging by area — and why to book early.Where to shop →Pearl Street boutiques, the Apple Store at 29th, and legendary McGuckin Hardware.Museums & tours →Free natural-history & NCAR, the planetarium, Celestial Seasonings.Nearby towns: stay & eat →Longmont, Louisville, Lyons & more — the smart overflow when Boulder's full.
Boulder stories & facts
9 surprising facts about Boulder →Mountain-view laws, Nobel science, Mork & Mindy, and more.How Boulder keeps its mountain views →The Blue Line, a height limit, and a pioneering open-space tax.A secret science capital →NIST, JILA, NCAR — atomic clocks and Nobel physics.Boulder's film scene beyond Sundance →BIFF, CU's International Film Series, and the Dairy's art-house.Colorado Shakespeare Festival →One of America's oldest, at the open-air Mary Rippon Theatre.CU Buffaloes football →Folsom Field, the Big 12, and the Coach Prime era.A cycling & endurance capital →Altitude training, bike paths, and the BolderBOULDER 10K.Famous faces & Boulder lore →Scott Carpenter, South Park, Gold Hill, the real Shining story.