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

Weekly events at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art include multimedia performances and lectures.   (Photo: Courtesy of the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art)

Take a break from the food frenzy to experience Boulder's long-established arts scene. Start out with café au lait and beignets from Lucile’s, a Creole brunch joint inside a small Victorian house that plays zydeco, jazz, and Cajun music. Next, walk a few blocks to the Pearl Street Mall and take a quick stroll down the famous pedestrian-only strip to see street performers, musicians, and impressively eccentric residents. A few minutes down the road, head to the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art ($5) to see exhibitions from local artists, or participate in lectures and dance events held throughout the week. From there, grab a taxi and head a few miles from downtown to Redstone Meadery, one of the country’s largest producers of honey wine, for a free tour and tasting, as well as live music on Saturdays. Head back downtown for dinner at Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, a gorgeous space that 40 Tajikistani artisans adorned with hand-carved and hand-painted ceilings, walls, and columns. The rotating menu offers an eclectic sampling of world cuisines in dishes like Indian masala dosa ($15) and Persian spice-rubbed chicken ($16). Afterward, walk to the Laughing Goat, Boulder’s top artists’ café, for the readings, gallery showings, and musical performances held there nightly. Finish the night by raiding the board-game closet at Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery and sipping a happy-hour pint of award-winning, homemade craft beer (half pints from $2.40, 10 p.m. to close).

Published on Aug 3, 2012 as a web exclusive.