If video and TV killed the radio star, then it eradicated the Chautauqua Park Historic District. A popular adult education movement around the turn of the 20th century, Chautauqua assemblies brought entertainment, lectures, music and other information to the culturally-starved populace in semi-rural America. In the 1920s, there were more than ten thousand Chautauquas in the country; all but three have disappeared behind the electronic curtain of radio, television and computers. One is in Boulder, and with some aggressive efforts at historic preservation, the Colorado Chautuaqua Association has maintained it as an historical landmark with modern relevance. Chautauqua Park offers year-round programming that ranges from author readings to meditation sessions to the acclaimed Colorado Music Festival. There are two lodges and ninety-nine cottages on the property, sixty-six of which are available for short-term rent by individuals or groups hosting events at the community centers and pavilions. Add to the mix the miles upon miles of adjacent hiking trails in the Flatiron foothills and Chautuaqua becomes Boulder's healthiest information alternative. Take that, TV! Contact the park for directions and reservations.
