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In addition to the
shops and restaurants, there are many other
attractions within downtown Golden.
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Two blocks east of the downtown shopping
district is the starting point for touring
the world's largest brewery. Vans collect
tour-goers at 13th and Ford Streets.
The tour includes a brief history of the
business, an explanation of the brewing
process, a chance to see the beer being
made, and a trip to the Coors hospitality
room, where visitors have the opportunity to
sample Coors products. |
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The Washington Avenue bridge is a destination of
its own. Wide pedestrian walkways on either side
are separated from motor vehicles. The pedestrian
areas offer tables and chairs, to allow people to
enjoy one of the best views in town. It's a great
place to drink coffee or eat ice cream. Interesting
signs line the bridge, with photos and text telling
the history of the Golden area. Changing colored
lights illuminate the bridge at night, making it
pretty both day and night!
Just across the bridge from downtown shopping,
Parfet Park is a great place to bring a sandwich and
enjoy the trees, the mountains, and the creek.
There is no playground at this park, so it tends to
attract adults who want to sit, stroll, or play
Frisbee. One summer a fencing club met there, and
the park was full of flashing rapiers. Pretty
cool. Young children love the dragon statue and
generally wind up crawling all over it. (If you
need a park with a playground, go four blocks west
on 10th street, to Lions Park.)
During the summer, Parfet Park is host to our
biggest annual event--Buffalo Bill Days. This
multi-day event fills the park with food vendors,
rides, carnival games, live music, and thousands of
people. Buffalo Bill Days happen over the last
weekend in July.
In August and September, Parfet Park is the venue
for a music and film series, hosted by GREAT and the
City of Golden. This is also popular with the
community, as several hundred people arrive with
lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the free
entertainment.
The Mountaineering Center is a former Golden
School, used first as the high school and later as
the junior high. The building stood empty for a
number of years after the schools moved to more
modern facilities. Former Mayor Marv Kay was very
instrumental in finding a new use for the building.
He persuaded first the American Alpine Club and
later the Colorado Mountain Club to bring their
headquarters here to Golden. Colorado Outward Bound
also has offices here.
| The school was a nice building even
before the restoration, with a WPA
mural, neo-classical architectural
touches, and a nice auditorium, but it
definitely showed signs of many years of
hard use by thousands of students. The
Golden Civic Foundation stepped in and
worked with the new occupants to bring
the building back to its prime and far
beyond. Walk inside the building some
time, just to admire it! |
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In early 2008, the American
Mountaineering Museum opened in the Mountaineering
Museum. Don't miss this
spectacular addition to Golden!
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The Visitor's Center is a good place
for out-of-towners to start a visit to
Golden. An army of volunteers keeps
this place staffed, and they're always
very happy to provide maps, directions,
and recommendations. Pamphlets
describing local attractions are
plentiful and free for the taking. This
building is also the home for the
Chamber of Commerce. A shady side patio
offers a good place to rest and watch
the creek. |
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A favorite activity in Golden is to
walk along the paved paths on either side of Clear
Creek through the downtown area. The paths extend
for several blocks, beginning at Vanover Park on the
East, and ending West of the city's campground.
Three bridges cross the creek, and benches are
placed throughout the path system, to allow people
to sit and enjoy the creek and mountain scenery.
Just west of the Visitors Center on
the creekside path is the Rotary Amphitheater. When
Rotary International celebrated its 100th birthday,
they encouraged local clubs to contribute a tangible
memorial to the event in their own communities.
Golden Rotary Club asked the City of Golden what
they would like to have, and the City suggested a
creek-side amphitheater that was included in the
master plan. The club built the amphitheater and
contributed the grouping of butterfly sculptures
that complement it.
Rotary Amphitheater Dedication Ceremony
| The next stop along the creek path
could be the Golden History Center.
This museum was started in the 1930s and
has been collecting and interpreting
interesting Golden artifacts ever
since. It's a good place to learn about
the Indians who occupied this area prior
to European settlement. They also have
nice displays on domestic life of the
pioneers, ranching, mining, antique
guns, and many of Golden's historic
businesses.
See the museum's web site to learn
more....
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During the summer,
D'Deli runs a
satellite operation selling lunch and ice cream on
the museum's patio, which overlooks Clear Creek and
the Living history park.
Golden History Center Patio - a great lunch spot
in the summer!
The Golden Library is right next to
the History Center. Golden residents appreciate the
frequent programs and the extensive collection of
books: Golden library is part of the Jefferson
County Library system, so whatever titles they don't
have on the shelves, they can generally get.
Visitors to Golden can use the
library's internet connection to check e-mail or do
a quick web search. They may also enjoy just
relaxing with the magazines and newspapers in the
periodicals section.
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Lions Park offers tennis courts,
baseball diamonds, a good playground,
picnic tables, big shade trees, and a
pond. The Lions Club hosts the annual
4th of July celebration here, which
includes live music, food vendors, free
children's rides, and a good fireworks
display. |
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The kayak park is interesting even
for those of us who don't kayak. Several years ago,
the City "groomed" the Creek as it runs through
downtown Golden, to make it particularly good for
kayaking. They rearranged the rocks and boulders on
the stream bed to make interesting chutes. Now,
kayakers are often seen in the Creek, starting at
the West end, across from Lions Park, and ending
down at Vanover Park, on Ford Street. The trail on
the North side of the creek generally has a few
kayak-toting people in wet suits, carrying their
boats back upstream for another run.
The community center, located at the
West end of 10th Street, is a beautiful facility,
with a recreation pool (including slides for the
kids) and a lap pool, a dance studio, a
rock-climbing wall, a gym, an indoor track, and a
weight room with weight machines, free weights,
stationary bikes, and treadmills. The facility is
open to the public.
See their
web site to check hours of operation and
admission fees.
Re-cross Clear Creek via the
pedestrian bridge that runs between the library and
the Clear Creek History Park. Enjoy the Friendship
Garden on the south end of the bridge.
This collection of old buildings on
the south side of Clear Creek is one of Golden's
many historic treasures. The buildings in the park
are not original to the site; instead, they are all
buildings that were slated for demolition in the
mountains West of town. A number of Golden-area
residents attended school in the one room Guy Hill
School House. The Reynolds cabin, root cellar,
blacksmith shop, and chicken coops are all relicts
of pioneer times. The Park is open to the public.
To arrange tours of the buildings, see
their web site....
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The Rocky Mountain Quilt
Museum has really put us on the map with the
large and enthusiastic cult of quilters!
People travel from all over the world to
visit our museum. Their quilt exhibits
change several times each year. They also
offer education programs and a wonderful
gift shop.
See their web site to learn more....
This Museum was started in
the 1930s and has been collecting and
interpreting interesting Golden artifacts
ever since. It's a good place to learn
about the Indians who occupied this area
prior to European settlement. They also
have nice displays on domestic life of the
pioneers, ranching, mining, antique guns,
and many of Golden's historic businesses.
See the museum's web site to learn more....
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The Astor House is one of the older
structures in Golden, having opened in 1867. During
the years that the territorial legislature met in
Golden, many of the legislators boarded at the Astor
House. It now serves as a museum, with the hotel
rooms set up to show how a legislator might have
lived (a roll-top desk for doing business), or a
cowboy, or a family (in a multi-room suite).
The dining room/parlor on the first
floor are full of interesting artifacts, such as a
stereoscope and a piano that the guests would have
used for entertainment, and the kitchen is stocked
with antique food preparation tools.
The Astor House presents a very
popular series of "teas" featuring performances or
lectures and, yes, a yummy high tea.
See
their web site to learn more....
| This spectacular new museum
opened in February 2008 and is attracting
mountaineers from around the world
Co-sponsored by the Colorado Mountain Club,
American Alpine Cub, and National Geographic
Society, the museum is "...dedicated to the
heroism, technology, culture and spirit of
mountaineering."
Learn more at their web site... |
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| One (steep!) block south of the
shopping district is the Foothills Art
Center. Foothills is a highly-respected
gallery with juried exhibits that rotate
throughout the year. They also offer
classes and lectures. From
Thanksgiving till Christmas each year
they host a holiday art market which
offers great, unique arts and crafts.
See their web site to learn more....
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Two blocks west of the downtown
shopping district is the Colorado School of Mines.
The CSM campus is a pleasant place for a stroll,
with hundred year old trees and equally old
buildings abounding. The school recently published
a walking guide to
campus artwork, available on their web site.
A short walk along the nearby CSM
Geology Trail provides visitors with a chance to
view fossilized palm trees, dinosaur footprints,
palm frond imprints along with an overlook of
Golden. Maps for this tour are available from a box
posted at Maple Street and Campus drive.
The CSM Geology Museum showcases
minerals and fossils from Colorado and around the
world. The upper floor exhibits exquisite mineral
collections as well as displays on Colorado mining
districts. The lower level of the Museum holds many
educational displays. These include fossil,
meteorite, mineral properties, and interactive
radioactivity displays. The highlight of the lower
level is a walk-through faux uranium mine. Within
the mine is a photomontage showing Colorado miners
at work, a display of mine lamps through time,
display about radon, and a collection of fluorescent
minerals.
See their web site to learn more....
Extremely popular with locals, this
brewery is about as "micro" as they come. The beer
is brewed and sold in a carriage house behind one of
the finest houses in the 12th Street Historic
District. They make a red ale, an India pale ale, a
brown ale, and several other brews--all delicious.
There is a small seating area in the carriage house
and a larger one in the yard outside. |
