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I am a firm believer in supporting local businesses and I don’t mean the Home Depot or the Starbucks down the street….absolutely love to do it…..makes me feel as though I am part of a community and that I am taking care of those who make my small town interesting and fun.

One of my favorite things to do in Golden, CO, is to visit the Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings.  I bought a bike 2 years ago for the sole purpose of riding to and from the market – have I ridden said bike even once?  Nope – I need to get off my rear-end and make it happen.

Admittedly, back in the day (8 or 9 years ago), I remember thinking how sad the Golden Farmer’s Market (GFM) was….a few booths with the standard fruits and veggies and Mary Kay Cosmetics.  No offense to MK, thanks to this multi-billion dollar company, pink Cadillacs can be seen all over America’s roadways – where would we be without them?

Over the years, the city of Golden has been able to attract some pretty cool vendors who are bringing excellent product and more appealing store fronts.  You can find an interesting variety of fresh pastas from Tony at Pappardelle’s, organically grown fruits and vegetables from a variety of local farmers, soft serve ice cream (breakfast of champions on a Saturday morning), and locally roasted coffees from the Table Mountain Roasters, just to name a few.   Don’t expect to find dream catchers, American Indian prints in black velvet, or cheap arts and crafts – if this is what you are looking for, the GFM is not the place for you.

The crowds here are manageable and family friendly – feel free to bring your pooches and kiddos along.  After an hour or so of picking the perfect bag of fruit, sampling unusual foods, and suffering from brain freeze from your ice cream cone, you can take a stroll along Clear Creek.  If you want to get really ballsy, rent an inner tube and float down the river.

When to go?  Every Saturday 8 am to 1 pm from the first weekend in June until the first weekend in October. Jump on the Life Bus – do something new and crazy and make the 17 mile drive to Golden (from Downtown Denver)!