Everybody in Boulder goes to Chautauqua in the summer. Hikers move in packs across the meadows and up the Flatirons, and some summer Sunday afternoons it seems the whole city has taken up residence on the lawns with a couple of kids, some things to throw and Boulder’s most popular current fashion accessory, a dog.
People endure long waits for a table on the porch at the Dining Hall. Evening concerts draw such crowds that shuttle buses run to ease parking concerns. It’s so beautiful that few people really mind.
But have you ever gone to Chautauqua in the winter? You can, you know.
Stay in a cottage, take in a concert or silent film at the Community House, walk more than 48 miles of trails in the snow. Put on a pair of snowshoes or Nordic skis and get outside. It’s still beautiful in the winter – and quiet, to boot.
The Colorado Chautauqua has been around since 1898, when it was established as a center for intellect and culture, part of the Chautauqua Movement that started in upstate New York and moved west. There were more than 12,000 Chautauquas around the country, some traveling, others permanent like the one in Boulder. A joint venture between the city of Boulder and a group of Texas teachers established the site and built the stately dining hall and auditorium in 1898.
The first years, guests stayed in tents to enjoy the brisk Colorado air. Simple cabins were quickly constructed. They have been updated and added to over the years. The city of Boulder still owns the land and leases 26 acres to the nonprofit Colorado Chautauqua Association, which operates the National Historic Landmark District.
Fact and fiction
As one would expect of something that has been around 108 years, the Chautauqua suffers under its fair share of misconceptions. A fair number of Boulder residents believe many things about Chautauqua that are no longer true.
For example, the Dining Hall has had a liquor license since 1996. Yes, you can – and absolutely should – tip your server. Yes, you can rent rooms and cottages all year long. No, you don’t have to own a cottage or pull strings to stay up there, although popular summer weeks do book up months in advance.
And well they should. A Chautauqua cottage in the summertime is completely idyllic, from the screened-in porches to the Dining Hall breakfasts and the jaw-dropping views of the Flatirons. In the winter, the crowds go home but the Flatirons stay where they’ve always been.
Of the 99 cottages on the grounds, 39 are privately owned, many by families who have made Chautauqua their summer home for decades. Texans are still well represented, and you’re likely to see a Lone Star flag flying at certain times of the year.
The other 60 cottages belong to the Colorado Chautauqua Association. During the winter, some are occupied by couples and small families under September-to-May leases. But many can be rented for a weekend getaway.
The cottages are not fancy, but they’re modernized, winterized and comfortable.
They have updated bathrooms and well-equipped little kitchens.
“We offer tranquility in lieu of televisions,” they will tell you. Chautauqua cottages have neither televisions nor phones, but cellular service is good up there, and there is free wireless Internet access for overnight guests.
The Chautauqua founders believed in improving oneself. They would rather you occupied your brain cells with a good book, a lively conversation, healthy outdoor exercise or that jaw-dropping view.
The way I see it, you can spend an idyllic and expensive weekend in downtown Boulder. Drop a few hundred dollars a night for one of the St. Julien Hotel’s beautiful rooms and another few hundred dollars on one of those dinners at Frasca that everybody in the food magazines is writing about. You will eat exquisitely and sleep soundly, but if it weren’t for the piles of snow outside, you might as well be in Santa Monica.
Or you can snowshoe down to Dot’s Diner on University Hill, “where the folks get their yolks,” and have an enormous lumberjack breakfast. Or if you make it downtown, stop at Tom’s Tavern for a burger and a beer.
There are a few authentic places left standing in Boulder, and Chautauqua, Dot’s and Tom’s are three of them. Enjoy.
The details
Chautauqua Park is at 900 Baseline Road, Boulder. Take U.S. 36 to the Baseline exit, turn left and head west for 1.5 miles. Look for the entrance on your left after you pass Ninth Street.
Cottages: Chautauqua offers cottages through May 30 starting at $106 per night for efficiencies and going up to $184 for three bedrooms. There is a two- night minimum for winter weekends. Pets are allowed in many cottages for an extra $10 per night. Call 303-442-3282, ext. 611, or e-mail lodging@chautauqua.com.
The Chautauqua Dining Hall (303-440-3776, chautauqua dininghall.com) is closed in January but resumes winter hours Feb. 1: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday (breakfast and lunch) and Sunday (brunch).
The city of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Department operates the Chautauqua ranger cottage at the Mesa Trailhead and Chautauqua Meadow Open Space. Call 303-441-3440 or visit the city’s events calendar at boulder colorado.gov for scheduled hikes, talks and other programs year-round. Upcoming programs include Tzol & Tierro from Kan’Nal, Jan. 25 at 8 p.m. (tickets $10); Jayme Stone Quartet, Feb. 1 at 8 p.m.; silent film “Garden of Eden” with piano accompaniment by Hank Troy, Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. Info: chautauqua.com/programs.html. Box office: 303-440-7666.
Dot’s Diner has two locations: 2726 28th St., 303-449-1323, or on the Hill at 1333 Broadway, 303-447-9184.
Tom’s Tavern, 1047 Pearl St., Boulder, 303-442-9363.
Lisa Everitt is a freelance writer who lives in Arvada. Contact her at lisaeveritt@comcast.net.
