Colorado's 5 Must-Visit Destinations Sandwiched Between Boulder And Denver

When visiting Colorado, it makes sense to try to hit the iconic cities of Denver and Boulder in the same trip, since they're only about 30 miles apart. While Denver is packed with viral destinations, Boulder gives it a run for its money. While they both feature highlights that include some of the best parks in Colorado, like Boulder's one-of-a-kind Chautauqua Park and the Red Rocks Amphitheater, the area between them also happens to be chock-full of amazing places to see. This string of vibrant suburbs and quaint western towns showcases even more beautiful parks and noteworthy attractions. 

To narrow down the list of destinations to visit between Denver and Boulder to the top five, we combed through various publications and destination websites and studied traveler reviews on Google and Tripadvisor. Our final five — listed in order from south to north in the route between the two cities — includes several family-friendly suburbs, each of which boasts an array of its own interesting sub-destinations. This region of Colorado is a magical oasis where visitors can discover unique experiences like being surrounded by tropical butterflies and a glorious state park that's also a world-famous rock-climbing destination. 

First on our list, Golden is a sun-drenched Colorado town in the foothills of the Rockies that's full of historic adventures. The farthest south of the five destinations, we chose this town not just because visitors adore its fun, Western vibe, but also because there are so many top-rated things to see and do here. To start, take a walk through the charming and historic downtown, which dates back to the 1850s. While doing so, don't miss the Golden History Museum and its adjoining park. Visitors can explore its open-air exhibits, including a Native American Arbor, cabins, and a schoolhouse, all depicting the realities of life in the 1800s.  

Based on average ratings on Google and Tripadvisor as well as on the overall number of reviews, one of the most popular attractions in Golden is the Coors Brewery, which happens to be the biggest single-site brewery in the world. Hop on one of their 90-minute brewery tours, which are open to all ages, to discover the various steps of the brewing process. 

Other well-loved attractions in Golden include the Mines Museum of Earth Science, which boasts a high overall rating of 4.7 out of 5 on Tripadvisor. Rockhounds and gem obsessives, this is your playground. "The museum has an extensive collection of minerals from all over the world. In addition, there are exhibits on mining that we found very interesting. Well worthwhile," noted one Tripadvisor reviewer. Finally, don't leave Golden without a quick trip 6 miles southwest of downtown to the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave, located on the glorious Lookout Mountain.

Moving north, the next destination highlight between Denver and Boulder is the Butterfly Pavilion, the first stand-alone, Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited non-profit invertebrate zoo in the world, according to the Pavilion's website. It's located just off US-36 in the Denver-Boulder suburb of Westminster, almost equidistant between the two cities, and boasts an exceptionally high rating of 4.7 out of 5 across 3,600 reviews on Google, along with a 4.5 rating on Tripadvisor.

The mission of this unusual place — a cross between a museum, a botanical garden, and a zoo — is to change the way people perceive not just butterflies, but also invertebrates as a whole, whose vital roles in the natural world are often underappreciated. For just under $20 for adults and under $15 for youths (children under two can enter for free), visitors gain access to a world where 1,600 exotic butterflies flit through the air, hairy tarantulas creep along the sand, and — in underwater exhibits — marine invertebrates scurry.

Tripadvisor reviewers rave about their experiences here: "Butterfly pavilion was the coolest ... We could view butterflies at various feeding locations, on flowers and plants, and sometimes landing on people ... Great conservation message and fundraising to make a difference in the world." Another reviewer mentioned that children of all ages in her family found things to love about the Pavilion: "The girls got to touch a starfish, hold a tarantula, and experience a butterfly release. All the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. We stayed about three hours. My teens loved the gift shop too."

Next up in the Boulder-Denver destination sandwich is Broomfield, a tech-minded city with scenic views and tons of attractions. This town is located a few miles north of the Butterfly Pavilion, around 14 miles southeast of Boulder, and 16 miles northwest of Denver. Situated in a scenic location right near the base of the Rocky Mountain foothills, this suburb made our list for its superb views as well as its highly rated things to do, making it an excellent stopover for those traveling between the two cities. 

If you need to do some shopping, head immediately to Broomfield's Flatiron Crossing, a shopping mall with restaurants, a movie theatre, and hundreds of retailers that bills itself as the top shopping destination in this part of Colorado. Across more than 11,000 Google reviews, the mall has an average rating of 4.4 out of 5. One Google reviewer enthusiastically described her day at the mall: "Got to get in some exercise, training for our pup, and entertain the kid, all in one trip 🙂 ... Nice selection of retail, entertainment, and food options in one convenient location." If you wax nostalgic for days-of-yore shopping malls — the ones so cavernous they can swallow consumers for whole days at a time — this is the place for you.

A few other highly rated area attractions in this suburb include family-friendly recreation spaces like the Broomfield Bay Aquatic Park with its assemblage of play and lap pools, slides, spraygrounds, and waterfalls. The Broomfield Community Park is another prime spot for families, featuring walking trails, a skate park, an outdoor swimming pool, batting cages, and sports fields.

When doing our research, one surreal spot between Boulder and Denver kept popping up for us: Eldorado Canyon State Park. Besides being mentioned in respected destination websites and travel guides, describing what to see in this part of Colorado, the park also has a sky-high rating of 4.8 across more than 4,000 reviews on Google. One Google reviewer recounted their visit to Eldorado: "We decided to go here as a last-minute idea before we had to take a flight home. We're glad we did because this place was spectacular ... If you're looking for a unique place outside of the Rockies, this place will not disappoint." Luckily, this destination doesn't require any scary mountain driving to get there, at less than 10 miles south of Boulder on CO-93.

As one of Colorado's most spectacular state parks, Eldorado boasts scenic canyon hikes and world-class rock climbing. Entering this park requires passing through a narrow, winding section of canyon with soaring cliffs. Gushing through the center of the canyon is crystal-clear South Boulder Creek, which takes the form of small but powerful waterfalls as it jets out over enormous boulders. If you don't feel like hiking or scaling up the canyon walls in Spider-Man fashion, you can always opt to fly fish in the creek for brown and rainbow trout or enjoy a leisurely lunch in one of the park's 10 picnic sites. A daily vehicle pass is $10, or $4 if you're on foot. Those planning to enter the park in a vehicle must obtain a timed entry pass on Saturdays, Sundays, and summer holidays (like Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, and Labor Day). 

Located 11 miles east of Boulder and 21 miles northwest of Denver, Lafayette is a suburb with a spectacular Rocky Mountain backdrop, along with an artsy and eclectic downtown. Old Town Lafayette is a delightful mix of boutique and antique shops, restaurants and breweries, art galleries, and small museums. If you're in downtown Lafayette and traveling with little ones, consider visiting the WOW! Children's Museum, which features creative and educational exhibits and hands-on activities for kids. Afterwards, stroll less than a half mile to the cozy, old-fashioned sandwich shop, Eats and Sweets, to munch on grilled cheese and peanut-butter-and-honey sandwiches followed by ice cream for dessert. 

The town also encompasses lovely green spaces, like the popular Waneka Lake Park, where you can lounge in the shade of established trees or indulge in watersports like paddleboarding and kayaking on the lake. Equipment rentals are available onsite, including brightly colored dragon- and duck-shaped paddleboards for little ones. This park isn't only the top-recommended thing to do in Lafayette on Tripadvisor, it also boasts an average rating of 4.7 on Google across almost 1,700 different reviews. One Tripadvisor reviewer remarked that the park is an "excellent place for family and friends. People can walk, run, or ride bikes there. There is a place for young kids to play on swings, etc. ... People even go there to fish. Amazing piece of Nature, 365 days a year."

To compile our rankings, we analyzed Google and Tripadvisor traveler ratings, Tripadvisor pages with rankings on things to do around Boulder and Denver, articles on destination websites like Uncover Colorado, Visit Denver, Visit Boulder Colorado, and blogs like Travel Lemming. We noted which destinations appeared most frequently on their lists of top things to do around Boulder and Denver, culling any destinations that weren't between the two cities, like Rocky Mountain National Park. We then ranked destinations based on their frequency of appearance in trusted sources, traveler ratings, and our own insider knowledge of the Boulder and Denver area, to arrive at our top five.

Next, we compiled details for each destination on our list using destination websites for Lafayette, Broomfield, and Golden, specific attraction websites, Google and Tripadvisor reviews, and Tripadvisor pages, ranking things to do for the three suburbs of Lafayette, Broomfield, and Golden. This research allowed us to flesh out descriptions of the noteworthy features at each of the five destinations.