This past month, I was able to explore a city I haven’t been to in a while – Boulder, Colorado. This beautiful city at the base of the Rocky Mountains was brimming with vibrant fall colors and cool, crisp air. This college town has both a city feel with it’s delicious restaurants and shops all within walking distance as well as a small town feel with it’s community festivals and farmers markets.
History
Long ago, Boulder was supply town for farmers and miners, but they needed a place for people to stay in order to make it more attractive to tourists. Hotel Boulderado has such an interesting and different history than most. I say this because when the Boulderado was first built 114 years ago, it was not funded or owned by a single person or business – it was owned by the town through shares. The townspeople of Boulder came together to build this beautiful hotel.
The in-house historian, Laurel McKown, has an art history background and is the sole person responsible for all of the authentication of the furniture, art, and memorabilia within the hotel. This Victorian hotel is also part of the Historic Hotels of America. You can also book a history with her yourself if you put in a request by emailing her at lostandfound@boulderado.com.
The Wedding Balcony. In 1911, the first documented wedding was held here. And you can see why it’s so popular with brides and grooms. This balcony exudes drama and I’m sure it’s a stunning sight to see a bride walking down those wood stairs towards her groom.
The Boulderado also boasts that it has a direct line of glacier water pumped into the hotel. The original water fountain is still in the lobby of the hotel (and it still works), although it consists of only 2% glacial water now.
Rooms & Amenities
There’s two parts to this impressive hotel – the historic side and the more modern side. Both have an “old world” feel to them, but only the historic side features the original (refurbished) furniture, something, and even an person-operated OTIS elevator. While the original hotel had 90 rooms, this hotel as you see it now only has 42 rooms. That’s because the original rooms didn’t all have their own bathrooms. Some rooms had communal bathrooms with guests having to go down the hall and that just wouldn’t work for most guests’ tastes nowadays.
Restaurants
Inside the hotel, you’ll find a few different options for dining and drinking – The Corner Bar, License No. 1, and Spruce Farm & Fish.
Spruce Farm & Fish, while it’s changed names over the years, is the longest running restaurant in Boulder. It’s served different types of cuisines and had different names, but it’s definitely got some staying power. The food found here is absolutely delicious and the cocktails can’t be beat.
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