GOLDEN — It is the most wonderful time of the year, that three-week stretch in early to mid-summer where Colorado cosplays northern Mexico.

Weather buffs might call it “semi-arid,” but I am not in the business of fancy words and terms. It is hot and dry, plain and simple, and due to my penchant for relentless sunshine, I have welcomed its scorching embrace.

Waltz over to your local park and stake claim to a patch of grass. Find a local joint with a patio. Tell the host you would love a table outside, if it is not too much of a hassle, and people-watch over a twelve dollar beer.

Make friends with the big eye in the sky. This is your anointed right—to burn, then tan, then field compliments from your loose friends about how you are not as pasty as the last time they had seen you in February. Cool your bones in one of the endless freshwater sources that split the mountains.

The world is your oyster—shuck it.

If you read the title and subhead to this story, you may very well understand where I am taking this adventure. Erected out of stone and mountain meadows at the dawn of the Gold Rush—Golden, as it stands before us today, is a dreamscape. Smack dab in the center of town is the holy trinity of aforementioned summertime leisure: the park, the patio, and the creek, all situated in the towering grain silos of our brewing overlords.

Let’s get some rays—walk with me for a moment. 

The first, and most straightforward activity at Golden’s nucleus is a park/creek lay. Clear Creek is lined with numerous checkpoints for you to flatten a picnic blanket, or prop up a folding chair with whatever goodies you brought from home.

If you would  like to remain on brand, a twelver of Coors Banquet—-brewed with water from the creek you’re staring at—is most fitting. Share it with friends, and chat up your fellow park-goers (I prefer small talk about the weather, hometowns, grill food, the Denver Broncos—simple stuff). This is what most Golden weekenders would classify as the baseline.

To zhuzh it up, throw the Golden Mill into your itinerary. The site of the food and drink hall that sits before us today has gone through a number of iterations—first serving mining camps, then as a livestock feed store—has housed local business since 1864. This means that the massive community hub where you’ll be self-serving margaritas, craft beer, and enjoying the sights and sounds of Golden proper has been around about as long as Colorado has been a state.

If that does not tickle your fancy, it is likely because you are hungry, and in a bad mood. You could eat at The Golden Mill, but real pattyheads know that heaven’s gates are within earshot. Bob’s Atomic Burgers is a sanctuary, run by passionate locals, serving up traditional build-your-own burgers and veggie alternatives.

Plus, we love grubbing at an eatery that supports local media—they make it clear on their website that they are dedicated to “meaningful marketing,” running ad placements in their community papers. Scarf down your holy creation at one of the outdoor tables they have in their parking lot, directly facing a stunning view of South Table Mountain, or walk-and-eat, as you make your way to the main event—river tubing.

There are a number of companies that line Clear Creek, offering a tube, a life vest, and a bus ride up the mountain to a drop-off point, where you can plunge into perfectly cold, soft, rushing waters for a trip down one of Colorado’s most beautiful waterways. 

We’re not splitting the atom with a day trip to Golden. Most residents of the Centennial State are well aware of its appeal. But at its core, it is good old-fashioned fun, affordable and honest. You’ll get a tan, you’ll get a buzz, you’ll get some facedown time in the grass, and you’ll leave in the late afternoon, as the sun sets on the mountains you share a parking lot with…with a smile in tow.