Evergreen, CO

Location: Evergreen, Colorado

Duration: Day trip

Season: Fall

Where we ate: Little Bear Saloon --American food

Favorite shop of the day: Aspen's (Women's consignment store)

This time of the year is great for viewing the aspens. If you are not from Colorado, that means going for a drive to view the changing of the colors in the trees. On or way our west, we stopped inn Evergreen to spend a few hours. You'll find that in Colorado cities with draw you to different things depending on the time of the year. During the summer Tyler and I will usually visit the lake for paddle boarding but won't venture into the town afterwards. Since the lake was closed for the season (until they re-open for ice skating when it freezes over) we decided to check out the town. We started with Little Bear Saloon for lunch. It was quite dark inside with dollar bills taped to the walls, bras hanging from the ceiling and thousands of staples stuck in the beams from countless paper advertisements. As seedy as it might sound, there was something homey about the space. Our feelings were confirmed when the live singer came on stage, welcomed us to the saloon and gave us some background information. Turns out the saloon has been around since the 1800 s and was not always the saloon it came to be. Little Bear was not always Little Bear. Originally it was a church (go figure!), then a drug store, a dance hall and now...a restaurant and saloon. Our waitress was very kind and the live music made the wait for our food incredibly enjoyable. Tyler and I are not great for giving restaurant reviews. Between his pickiness and my vegetarian diet, he has a "naked bear burger" (meat and bun) and I had a classic cheese quesadilla. But for what it's worth, we both enjoyed our meal. We tipped the singer and were on our way.

Walking through the little downtown of Evergreen is always enjoyable. They have so many quaint stores filled with trinkets, jewelry, home goods and artwork (and there's a Baskin Robbins!!). At the end of our visit I walked away with a sterling silver ear cuff with bears engraved into it, turquoise stud earrings and an Obermeyer coat that retails for over $400 at a consignment store where we paid only $70! If you are ever sitting at home on a Saturday and need a little adventure but don't want a long drive, Evergreen is a great compromise and a fun way to get some fresh air.

Aloha,

Nandi