Boulder Real Estate, Louisville Homes, Suburban Plains and Mountains Investment Property

Art Galleries
Theater
Museums
Festivals
Music
Professional Sports

Arts and Entertainment

Boulder County is known throughout the nation as one of the most creative and stimulating hotbeds in the U.S. For a population just over 103,000 people, including the university students, this is quite an accomplishment. Boulder County draws so many tourists just for this reason, that we are blessed with the opportunity to represent world famous artists featuring all genres of art. What follows is a brief over look of the different arts and entertainment available for enjoyment in this wonderful, small, and creative community.

Art Galleries:

In down town Boulder on the famous Pearl Street Mall, there are over two-dozen galleries offering a wide variety of art featuring paintings, sculptures, pottery, jewelry, photography, stained glass, Native American art, and crystals.
For a list of names and addresses visit the site below, it has great information:
www.getboulder.com

The Boulder Colorado Arts Alliance supports artists and art companies through grants, workshops, and exhibits. They feature rotating art exhibits at the Boulder Public Library and at McGuckin's Design Center in Boulder. The Lafayette Public Library also displays exhibits, featuring local artists.

In Louisville, at the Louisville Center for the Arts, the art displays change weekly and provide recognition for local artists, offers art classes, and hosts a community theater.

Longmont offers art classes, lectures and workshops as well as featuring exhibits for local, regional, and nation artists at the Old Firehouse Art Center. They also provide the "Art Experience" for 5-12 year olds every other Saturday, helping youth appreciate and understand art.

Back in Boulder, at the Colorado University campus, there are two buildings that provide fun and interactive art shows. The Mack Gallery, in Macky Auditorium (one of the most well known community buildings on campus) rotates 6 different art displays throughout the academic year, and is free to the public every Wednesday from 9:00 to 4:00.
The UMC, on campus, is well known for its variety of visual art displays featuring student work all the way up to internationally renowned artists throughout the school year.

In downtown Boulder, at the Dairy Center for the Arts, there are three galleries devoted to photography, for those with a love of the camera.

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), in Boulder as well, has a community art program in NCAR's Mesa Laboratory, with two art galleries with rotating exhibits.

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Theater:

Boulder hosts two fantastic and well-known theater entertainment choices.

The Boulder Dinner Theater, located in East Boulder, has a 20-year history of bringing the best Broadway Shows to Colorado, most of which are extremely family friendly. Dinner is included in the price of a ticket, and the members of their theater have performed on stages throughout our nation, from New York to Chicago to Hollywood.
Their web site, with a list of shows, ticket prices, and general information is below:

www.theater.boulder.com

The Boulder Shakespeare Festival is a national favorite, and brings tourists from around the world to see its performances every summer. Offering food, live music while dining, an introduction on the play about to be seen and the history behind it, all in the beautiful outdoor stadium located on the CU campus with awesome views of the Flatirons.
For a list of performances, tickets, and general information go to their web site at: www.coloradoshakes.org

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Museums:

Boulder County has a phenomenal array of museums offering history and information on a wide variety of topics; this is a list of some of the most well known museums in the area.

The Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art is located down town and has an astonishing variety of art; admission charges are great for everyone, no matter your budget.

The Boulder Museum of History, in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Boulder, offers a flash back into the 19th century, with rooms set up as they would have been 150 years ago. Just $3 for adults, $2 for seniors, $1 for students and children, this is an inexpensive, but informative way to learn about Boulder's history.

In Longmont, at the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center there are rotating exhibits on art, history, science, and history and culture of this region.

At the CU Museum, on the CU campus, there are exhibits on geology, archeology, zoology, and also there are lectures, classes, and special events available for all ages.

The National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST), offers great science displays and guided tours, including a look at Boulder's atomic clock.

For those willing to take a forty-minute trip to Denver, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science has an awesome number of displays falling under the categories of nature and cultural history. The IMAX Theater and the Gates Planetarium are also popular amenities of this museum.

Also in Denver is the Denver Art Museum, with permanent and temporary art galleries featuring collections of African, American Indian, European and American, Pre-Columbian, Spanish Colonial, and Western American Art, as well as, architectural, design, graphic, textile and oceanic art.

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Festivals:

Because of the diversity of people and the artistic and creative crowd that is drawn to Boulder County, there are tons of fun festivals year round. Some of the better known and frequented festivals in Boulder are:

Boulder County Fair and Rodeo:

Held in Longmont this summer fair/rodeo draws people from all over the county together for fun and entertainment. The main features are a carnival, rodeo, horse and live stock show, and various other special events that change from year to year. The best thing about this fair is there is no admission fee, and it is great for all ages.

Boulder Creek Festival:

This festival is held Memorial Day weekend and lasts for three days. The festivities include live performances, carnival rides, vendors of all kinds, food and beverages, arts and crafts, and the signature event; the Great Rubber Duck Race down Boulder Creek.

Boulder Creek Hometown Fair:

This is a popular annual fair celebrating the unofficial end to summer. There are arts and crafts, a pie eating contest, a Great Zucchini Race, beer garden and live entertainment. The perfect fair for all ages, it is great for families.

Boulder Festival:

This festival is a celebration of all things Boulder and 2009 was its first year. Right on Pearl Street this fair offers live music, brews, wine, and food. The Boulder Film Community shows screenings of documentaries on Boulder's music history and the Boulder International Film Fest offers short films for everyone.

Celebrate Lafayette:

The wonderful town of Lafayette offers a annual parade and street fair with a free pancake breakfast, concerts and live entertainment. Great for kids!

Louisville Labor Day Festival:

In Louisville at the community park over Labor Day Weekend, are three days packed full of fun activities, a parade, and live music performances. In addition to arts and crafts booths, there are non-profit booths and kids activities. It is a great festival for celebrating some time off from work!

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Music:

There are fantastic music festivals throughout the year in all of Boulder County. Some of the most renowned festivals include: Planet Bluegrass, Rocky Mountain Folk Festival, Colorado Music Festival, Longmont Downtown Concert Series, Mile High Music Festival and Rhythm on the River.

The Fox Theater and Boulder Theater, both in downtown Boulder, offer a wide venue of different music artists from all around the world, with reasonable ticket prices and shows year round.

The Chautauqua Amphitheater provides shows in a historic building, right next to open space trails and a great restaurant. If you don't have money for a ticket to get inside, join the hundreds of people who picnic on the lawn in the summer evenings with food and wine to listen to the show.

The Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra does shows year round, especially relating to holiday themes, and performs with the Boulder Ballet for beautiful performances that will keep you coming back for more of their famous talent.

The young quartet known as the Boulder Acoustic Society specializes in everything acoustic from ukuleles to stand up base. They perform at many of Boulder County's festivals as well as doing independent shows throughout the year. They bring an incredible energy to the stage that memorizes crowds and brings a great following to their concerts.

The CU Artists Series features the CU Opera, Colorado Light Opera, and Takac's Quartet with year round performances all over the state and a huge crowd wherever they turn up.

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Professional Sports:

1. Basketball – Denver Nuggets – Home Stadium is the Pepsi
    Center in Denver – www.nba.com/nuggets
2. Football – Denver Broncos – Home Stadium is Invesco Field in
    Denver – www.denverbroncos.com
3. Hockey – Colorado Avalanche – Home Stadium is the Pepsi
    Center in Denver – www.avalanche.nhl.com
4. Baseball – Colorado Rockies – Home Stadium is Coors Field in
    Denver – www.rockies.mlb.com
5. Soccer – Colorado Rapids – Home Stadium is Dick's Sporting
    Goods Park in Commerce City – www.coloradorapids.com

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