Long before farmers' markets popped up in just about every neighborhood in the metro area, there was the Boulder County Farmers' Market, a twice-weekly gathering of local growers, ranchers, dairy farmers and purveyors that consistently lured a large community of shoppers, chefs, browsers and socialites. That market — held on Saturdays from April through November and also on Wednesdays from May to October — has only gotten better with age, adding food trucks, makers, cooking demonstrations and live music over the years. The model's been so successful that market managers have spun off satellite markets in Longmont and Lafayette and at Denver's Union Station. Still, it's worth a trip to the original: Go early if you're after tip-top ingredients, later if you're into the social scene.
Readers' Choice: Old South Pearl Street Farmers' Market
