Boulder County Gold » Boulder County Gold – BEST PLACE TO ENTERTAIN KIDS: Pearl Street Mall http://bouldercountygold.com Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:09:06 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 BEST PLACE TO ENTERTAIN KIDS: Pearl Street Mall http://bouldercountygold.com/2011/best-place-to-entertain-kids-pearl-street-mall-2/ http://bouldercountygold.com/2011/best-place-to-entertain-kids-pearl-street-mall-2/#comments Wed, 28 Sep 2011 19:07:27 +0000 Boulder County Gold http://bouldercountygold.com/?p=2718 Share

Winner

Pearl Street Mall
Pearl St., Boulder
www.boulderdowntown.com

The Pearl Street Mall is famous for its shopping, dining and bars – always a good time for the adults. But the mall was designed from the beginning as a special place for entertaining kids, too – and most of the fun is completely free. What envious adult hasn’t wanted to join in the exuberant fun of the pop-jet fountain (in the 1300 block) on a hot summer day? The frog and snail sculptures in the 1400 block – a favorite “photo-opp” – patiently await your climbing kids. Rock structures and fountains beckon young explorers. And our perennial favorite street performers are guaranteed to make the little ones stop in their tracks and watch in awe, as Ibashi-i contorts himself into a small Plexiglass box, or the busker in a top hat on an eight-foot unicycle juggles fiery batons. Frequent arts and ethnic festivals add to the fun and texture of a visit to the mall and seasonal events like the Munchkin Masquerade (a costume parade and trick-or-treat visit to mall merchants scheduled for Monday, Oct. 31 from 2 to 5 p.m.) add festivity to this special place in the heart of our city. Watch for these additional holiday events, for the young and the young-at-heart: Switch on the Holidays (Santa counts down to the illumination of the Boulder County Courthouse, the Pearl Street Mall and the star on Flagstaff Mountain, Sat. Nov. 19 at 5 p.m.); St. Nick on the Bricks (Santa visits the mall Friday. Nov. 25 and Saturdays Nov. 26 through Dec. 17, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and holiday favorite the Lights of December Parade (marching bands, floats, fire engines, scouts, carolers and much more, Sat. Dec. 3 at 6 p.m.).

Runner Up


Gateway Fun Park
4800 28th Street, Boulder, 303.442.4386
www.gatewayfunpark.com

]]> http://bouldercountygold.com/2011/best-place-to-entertain-kids-pearl-street-mall-2/feed/ 0 BEST Place to Entertain Kids: Pearl Street Mall http://bouldercountygold.com/2009/services-faces-places/best-place-to-entertain-kids-pearl-street-mall/ http://bouldercountygold.com/2009/services-faces-places/best-place-to-entertain-kids-pearl-street-mall/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:03:47 +0000 Boulder County Gold http://bouldercountygold.com/?p=328 Share

Winner

Pearl Street Mall www.boulderdowntown.com Downtown Boulder (from 700 to 2200 Pearl St., between Spruce and Arapahoe) 303.449.3774
Pearl Street Mall

Pearl Street Mall

Terri Takata-Smith, director of marketing for Downtown Boulder, can cite endless possibilities for entertaining kids on the Pearl Street Mall. And she’s talking just about the free stuff. “No cost, and hours of enjoyment,” she says. During hot summer days, the pop-jet fountain on the 1300 block is a huge crowd favorite, and kids can’t resist the cooling spray. Not far, on the 1400 block, is the marble play area involving the oh-so-climbable snail and frog. In the 1200 block outside Peppercorn are rock structures and a bridge for the kids to climb and explore. “Those activities are typical of Boulder,” Takata-Smith notes. “People here love to climb and explore.” On the 1100 block is the “slippery rock,” which attracts kids like a magnet. The famous Pearl Street Mall buskers are spellbinding: There’s Bongo, the balloon artist, who twists balloons into every conceivable shape; and contortionist Mitford Ibashi-i Brown, who unbelievably curls his lanky body into a 20-inch Plexiglass box. The people trains run during the summer between the 1200 and 1400 blocks, Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to noon. Festivals on the Mall – like the Boulder Asian Festival, and the Boulder Jewish Festival – often incorporate kids’ activities. Seasonal events coming up include the Munchkin Masquerade on Thursday, October 29, from 2 to 5 p.m., when little ones trick or treat up and down the Mall. And all ages chime in for the home team at the Pearl Street Stampedes, those let-’em-have-it pep rallies on the Friday nights before Colorado Buffaloes football home games, featuring the Golden Buffalo Marching Band. No wonder kids – and their parents – love hanging out at the Pearl Street Mall.
Runner Up

Runner Up

Gateway Park Fun Center www.gatewayfunpark.com 4800 N. 28th St., Boulder 303.442.4386
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