Golden has two theaters: Miners Alley in the historic downtown and the Music Hall, located in Heritage Square.
The Music Hall does musical comedies with a repertory cast. The "Loud" series that they do during the summer is a riot, and their renditions of pop songs from the 50s through today are great. They offer a dinner buffet before each performance.
Miners Alley does both comedies and drama. It’s a small theater, so every seat is close to the stage, and the performances are uniformly first-rate. They have a bar in the lobby, and you’re welcome to take your drink with you into the theater. There are many restaurants within a block or two of this theater.

Golden abounds with good places walk. If you like historic architecture, walk through downtown or any of three historic districts. The Colorado School of Mines Campus is reasonably flat, has good sidewalks, lots of big trees, and interesting historic buildings. Geology lovers will enjoy the geology trail marked on the west side of the school’s campus. Paleontologists should try the "Stegasaurus Trail," which runs along the west side of Fossil Trace golf course and includes some interesting fossils embedded in the limestone. The crown jewel of our walking trail system is the set of paths that run along both sides of Clear Creek in downtown Golden.

Golden’s restaurant offerings have greatly expanded in the past few years, and we now have great ethnic restaurants (Thai, Sushi, Italian, Mexican, Indian, and Middle Eastern) as well as classic American fair. For a really posh occasion, try the Briarwood Inn.

First Friday is held year-round. During the summer, we close off a block of Washington Avenue and have a street fair. Winter First Fridays are usually quieter affairs but the stores stay open late, several of them feature live music, and the lines are very short (or non-existent) for the free carriage rides.

The Farmers Market runs May through the first weekend in October, just North of Clear Creek at Illinois Street. You can buy prepared food as well as produce and meat, so come for breakfast, stay for lunch, take a carriage ride, and watch the kayakers in Clear Creek.

Golden is a Mecca for bike riders. We have lots of designated bike paths and we interconnect with trails that lead into Denver and out to the mountains. Some intrepid souls choose to ride their bikes up Lariat Loop road, to the top of Lookout Mountain.

We have lots of hiking trails, too. Most of North and South Table Mountains are Open Space, and several trails lead west into the Mountains.

This is something you can’t do just anywhere! Go to Heritage Square Amusement Park and ride the ski lift up the mountain and ride down the slide on a sled. They have two tracks, so you can choose the faster or slower path.

The Super Cruise is officially held the first Saturday of the month, May through October. If the weather is good, they often have "unofficial cruises" in April and November as well. The classic cars start to congregate along South Golden Road in mid-afternoon, and it’s like one long, huge car show. People walk around admiring each others engines and paint jobs and generally talking cars. Most of the cars are American, but foreign cars are welcome.

This makes a great, cheap date. They start you in a van that takes a quick loop through the historic downtown, then into the brewery, where you learn some about the history of the brewery (which was established in Golden in 1873), then see the giant vats and the brewery process itself, and end in the hospitality room, where you can sample Coors products for free.

The Golden City Brewery operates out of a carriage house in the 12th Street Historic District. They’re close to the campus, and popular with the School of Mines crowd. Inside seating is very limited, but they have a beer garden that is popular even in surprisingly cool temperatures. They close at 6:30, so a visit to the Brewery is an afternoon pleasure. The Blue Canyon Underground is located under the Blue Canyon restaurant and is popular with Golden’s twenty-somethings. The Buffalo Rose is a classic Western bar, and they offer live music seven nights a week.

During August, head to Parfet Park on Friday nights to listen to a band and then watch a movie on a giant screen.

Golden Bowl is a classic. They alleys are in good shape and the bowling and the beer are both cheap!

Foothills mounts several shows every year. From Thanksgiving till New Years they have the Holiday Art Mart, which offers a huge range of arts and crafts that make great gifts.

Golden has two annual film festivals: Colorado Environmental in November, and DocuWest, in June. Film events are often scheduled at the American Mountaineering Center.