Little chef at the MeatSkool

The leaves are changing, the temperatures have dropped, and the idea of a day indoors is a welcome one. Steamboat may be known for its outdoor playground, but there is plenty to explore behind closed doors. We’ve made a list of our favorite ways to spend a rainy day in the ‘Boat.

1. Tread of Pioneers Museum, 800 Oak Street. Step back in time with a tour inside a Queen Anne-style Victorian home built in 1901. Discover how the Ute Indians and early pioneers came to settle in the Yampa Valley and how Steamboat became Ski Town USA.
2. The Crooked Key on 5^th Put your brain to the test and enter an escape room. Decipher codes and look for clues to unlock your way out.
3. Snow Bowl. Test your accuracy on one of 12 lanes at the ever-popular bowling alley on the west side of Steamboat. The full bar serves BBQ food and is a go-to for locals.
4. Bud Werner Memorial Library. Find a comfy chair or snuggle up on a window seat with a book or a magazine. Public-access computers are available for use and kids have access to a play area, which is perfect for stretching out.
5. Take a class at the Old Town Hot Springs in downtown Steamboat. Guests have the option of everything from kickboxing to Pilates.
6. Steamboat is home to thirteen art galleries including the Steamboat Art Museum. Entry is free to all and visitors to the Standard Art Gallery and Wine Bar on Lincoln Avenue can kick back with a refreshment. Find a list of venues and special events at steamboatcreates.org
7. Take a cooking class at MeatSkool run by Laura the Butcher. Classes for all ages are available and there is an option for private events at The MeatBar.
8. Tickle the taste buds on a beer tasting tour of town. Start with the longest running brewery in the ‘Boat at Mahogany Ridge Brewery, then stop by The Barley, Mountain Tap, Storm Peak and Butcherknife Breweries. Sample local made brews and find your favorite stout or hoppy pale ales.
9. Shop until you drop in downtown Steamboat, where local offerings range from Stetsons and boots at F.M. Light to handmade chocolates by Daniella at the Homesteader. Shoppers will find high street favorites including Lululemon and the North Face, along with a whole host of locally owned boutiques and outfitters.
10. Take in a new release movie at Wildhorse 6 on the mountain or check out a live show at the Chief Theater in downtown Steamboat.

By Brian Bonebrake at the Jace Romick Gallery

Okay, so it’s not what you think – the green movement in Steamboat Springs is more than just legalized pot. The edibles we are talking about are the wild and wonderful plants, flowers and shrubs growing all over Routt County.

Never are they more celebrated that at the annual Wild Edible Feast, now in it’s 21^styear. The annual fundraiser for Yampatika, Steamboats’ environmental education nonprofit is a favorite with every foodie in town.

The event, which suffered a one-year hiatus, due to COVID-19, is always a sellout. Diners sit down to a mystery smorgasbord of flavors, conjured up by the best chefs in town.

On Thursday, May 27 guests are invited to join one of two sittings at Aurum Restaurant in downtown Steamboat. This year’s feast will include moose, elk, antelope and duck eggs, with seasonal staples such as wild onions, ferns and dandelion leaves. Chefs will be kept in the dark to the week’s harvest, until unusual pickings such as cattail root are delivered to the kitchen.  

 “Every year the produce is always a little different based on the weather,” said Joe Haines, Yampatika’s Executive Director. Tickets are on sale for two sittings, 5.00 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Local naturalist, Mary O’ Brien and Yampatika founder, Karen Vail will give a “Behind the Scenes’ mini master class in wild edibles between sittings for an additional fee.

Out of town guests, who won’t make the event can dabble in their own kitchen by signing up for Yampatika’s virtual master class; ‘Dig In, Cooking with Wild Edibles.’

www.yampatika.org