• 1. Where to Stay
• 2. Where to Eat
• 3. What to Do
• 4. Insider’s Tip
• 5. An Oddball Day

The Brew Bus (left) includes a stop at Avery Brewing Company (right) for a tasting of their craft beers.   (Photo: Courtesy of The West End Tavern (L); courtesy of Avery Brewing Company (R))

Get active and explore local farms on a half-day bike tour led by Awe-Struck Adventures (from $45 including rental and food). Pedal from downtown Boulder along a creek path to the rolling hills of the Front Range, with a break to tour a local farm, like Lone Hawk or Olin, before enjoying an alfresco dinner of wood-fired pizza and fresh vegetables while musicians play.

Check out the mid-season bounty at the Boulder County Farmers' Market (every Saturday, 8 a.m.–2 p.m.), the largest of its kind in the state, to browse the stalls of more than 100 vendors. Then, experience the best dining downtown has to offer during a two-and-a-half-hour survey of the area ($70) led by Local Table Tours. Be sure not to fill up beforehand, because restaurants on the tour, like Tahona Tequila Bistro, will serve you full dishes rather than samples.

Take a ride on the Brew Bus ($45; every Sunday through October 14) to sample some of the city’s best beers directly from the source. Hop on Banjo Billy’s self-proclaimed “hillbilly shack” on wheels and then spend an hour each at Upslope Brewing Company and Asher Brewery (Boulder’s only certified organic brewery) to tour the facilities and sample the goods. Finish up with the one-of-a-kind craft brews at Avery Brewing Company, where selections include a dark stout called Mephistopheles.

Published on Aug 3, 2012 as a web exclusive.