Omayra Acevedo, Peak to Peak. Farmers market. Almost every town or city has one. It’s a great way for communities to unite, support local agriculture, find good deals on fresh produce and other homemade goodies. Sometimes you can even sample the goodies before purchasing them. It also costs you nothing to walk through one. 

Want another freebie? How about the historical museum? There, you can find artifacts, records and everything in between relating to coal mining in the area. Historic photos, information on settlers from long ago and hard copy of publications dating back to the 1940’s. Strange, that now the forties are considered ‘historic’. C’est la vie! Go check it out and see if you can determine from the photos what things still remain in town.

Wondering where we are yet? No worries – I’m getting there. For now, let’s head into Davidson Mesa. Another awesome place to check out. Once you find the parking lot, it’s just a stroll down a flat path to the overlook above Boulder Valley and Indian Peaks Wilderness Area. If you travel with a four-legged companion, don’t forget to stop at the dog park. While in town, ask a local how to get there. They’ll point you in the right direction.

However, if you can spare the extra pennies, make sure you treat yourself to some of the tasty goodness this town has to offer before leaving town. Sweet Cow ice cream, Bittersweet Café and Confections, 12Degree Brewing and Lucky Pie Pizza to name a few. Why not take the time to walk around town where you will find 100-year-old wooden buildings, plenty of window shopping and people watching. Word of advice: stay off the train tracks. 

There’s also street faire, Bluegrass Monday Pick Jams, first Friday art walks, live music and seasonal festivals. As you can probably guess, you can spend a couple of hours here or an entire day. The choice is yours. This precious small city was built by coal miners, named after Louis Nawatny and voted one of the best US small cities for a getaway. It rests at 5,335 feet above sea level and is not very difficult to find between Denver and Boulder. Welcome to Louisville, Colorado. 

(Originally published in the August 1, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)