Excerpt pulled from The Eyes of Texas 2008 article, Road Trips & Travel Tips...
Texas vs. Colorado • Folsom Field • Boulder, CO • October 4, 2008 • 5pm, MST
Overview: Located on the doorstep of the Rocky Mountains, the scenery alone is enough to make most people want to pack their bags for Boulder, especially Texans looking to escape the September heat. Colorado is one of the best road trip venues in all of college football.
Tips on lodging, restaurants/bars, tickets, etc. after the jump...
Lodging: Hotel options located on Broadway Street or near the Pearl Street Mall are ideal for their proximity to the campus and the restaurants/bars.
54b’s picks:
Boulder University Inn
1632 Broadway, 80302
303-417-1700
boulderuniversityinn.com
Boulder Marriott
2660 Canyon Blvd, 80302
303-440-8877
marriott.com
Millennium Harvest House
1345 28th Street, 80302
303-443-3850
millenniumhotels.com/millenniumboulder
Transportation: The Denver International Airport is located about 40 miles east-southeast of Boulder and while there is a Super Shuttle departing hourly from DIA to Boulder, a rental car is highly recommended as you’ll definitely want the freedom to explore the Front Range or maybe even Rocky Mountain National Park.
Restaurants/Bars: If you ask someone from Colorado what kind of food they’re known for, they’d probably say, "beer." With the Coors Brewery just down the road in Golden and hundreds of Colorado-based microbrews available, don’t fight it…imbibe it.
54b’s picks:
Walnut Brewery, 1123 Walnut Street, 303-447-1345
Flagstaff House, 1138 Flagstaff Drive, 303-442-4640 ($$$, reservations required)
The Buff Restaurant, 1725 28th Street, 303-442-9150
The Catacombs, 2115 13th Street, 303-443-0486
Sundown Saloon, 1136 Pearl Street, 303-449-4987
Connor O’Neils, 1922 13th Street, 303-449-1922
Tailgating: Most fans choose to pre-game just west of campus at the bars and restaurants located on what is known as "The Hill" (13th Street and College Ave.). By far the most popular establishment is the 80+ year-old restaurant and bar called The Sink (1165 13th Street) that features the famous Sink Burger and an outstanding selection of beers on tap.
NOTE: For any BON readers looking to meet up before the game, my friends and I will most likely be at The Sink by around 10 or 11am Saturday...yeah, that early.Something tells me you won't have a lot of trouble figuring out which group is us. Just look for the crew that DOES believe fat, drunk, and stupid IS the way to go through life.
More good tailgating info over in the diaries from RMHorn and the Rocky Mountain Texas Exes.
Tickets: If possible, acquire your tickets through the CU Ticket Office (303-49-BUFFS, cubuffs.com) or via Internet sights prior to arrival. Be advised that scalping is against the law in Colorado, but locals claim it’s rarely enforced.
Gameday Traditions: You’ll definitely want to get to your seats before kick-off to witness one of the best traditions in intercollegiate athletics, the running of Colorado’s live buffalo mascot, Ralphie. Tethered to a group of handlers, this massive and majestic animal leads the Buffaloes football team onto the field thundering out of its holding pen and sprinting from one end zone to the other and back again.
Local Attractions: Just west of campus is Chautauqua Park (bouldercolorado.gov) where you’ll find several trailheads leading to the top of the Flatirons and other geographic wonders like the Royal Arch, a 20-foot sandstone arch that frames Boulder Valley.
And if your travels allow for an extra day or two, I can’t recommend enough continuing north on Hwy 36 to Estes Park and then taking a drive up and over the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park (rockymountainnationalpark.com).
Special thanks to Marc Chipouras (buffs.tv) and Wells Person, CU Alumnus