Golden part 1

Golden Colorado is a little bit  city, little bit small town. It feels like the perfect combination of rural and urban.  Close to Denver – about 30 minutes away and nestled in the foothills, it is the last patch of flat land before the mountains. It was the last chance for trade and services for prospectors and trappers. It was even somewhat of a political hub, back in the day. Today it has survived as a college town, tourist stop, daycation destination and home to the US’s largest brewery.

Downtown Golden

Downtown Golden is a 10 minute hustle from Clear Creek RV Park. Shops, Bars and restaurants line the main street of Golden, with some businesses and housing surrounding the main street.  Unlike most downtown areas we have seen on our trip, Golden is still doing quite well. No vacancies exist in the historic section and most stores were active and actually busy, but not too busy. Unlike our experience in Branson, MO there is parking available along the main street. Everyone there is friendly; tourists, college students, locals, and business people alike all appear to be very happy with this area. As I said in our introduction, I would love to live here! Our current plan includes this as one of our settling down points after the trip, while Gail finishes school.

Bars and Beer.

Every time I went downtown I had my kids with me. While I’m not opposed to taking them into a bar for a family meal or to share some time with them enjoying a root beer and me enjoying a pint – 1 pint – I opted out because the atmosphere and timing just didn’t work out.  BUT there are some good specials along the main street. Every corner bar has several good reasons to walk through the door to enjoys some libations.  Many places have special at or under a dollar or two. Next time I am out there I intend to get some friends together to do a poor mans Walking Beer Tour” (dibs on the trademark name) .  Basically, start with the short Coors beer tour, and then hop the happy hour and all day specials downtown. Good times, good times.

Food.

There are tons of places to grab a bite to eat from on the cheap to executive class meals.  You can hit fast food, and classy wine and dine locals, depending on your tastes. We stopped at several places to enjoy the food, but with two kids in tow, we hit Woodies Wood Fired Pizza on a regular basis. You can spend a few dollars on grabbing slices or an-easy-hunred after apps, meals, drinks and dessert.  On one of our visits the boys and I did a walking dinner down main street for less that $12 and had a great time. Woodies slices of pizza were a core part of that.

We will highlight a few of the places we visited in our next post.  Stay tuned, and in the mean time chime in: What is your favorite place to eat in Golden?

Leave a Reply