The do’s and don’ts of Parents Weekend

 Your parents are coming in for the weekend, which means three days of free food, hotel amenities and having to shove your dirty clothes under your bed. Boulder is a great place to bring parents because it is such a family-oriented town, so there are many cliche spots to have photo shoots. However, there are definitely some places to avoid like the plague in order to show that your school has some amount of chill on the weekends.

Do’s

Pearl Street

Whether this is a day or nighttime activity, everyone knows Pearl Street is an absolute must when parents are in town. Maximum amounts of shopping and good restaurants are left and right, so getting every free meal in for the weekend is checked off the list as well. I am not really sure what else students are supposed to do when their parents are in town other than gain five pounds, so Pearl Street is the perfect place to do this.

Farmer’s Market

Despite being open seasonally, the Boulder Farmer’s market is an easy way to be outside and get high quality groceries that you do not have to pay for. This is also a good place for a photoshoot, and offers lunchtime foods that are easy to split with groups, so it is mostly good for the daytime. There is also live music offered, which adds for good background music for your Snapchat.

Chautauqua

This one’s a duh. Along with always being a great Insta opportunity, Chautauqua offers a variety of hikes, so you do not have to be out of breath the entire hike when your parents are asking how you managed to fail an art class last semester. These hikes usually do not take too long, and are an easy way to get in exercise since we all know the rec center is not in anyone’s plans during a parent’s weekend visit.

Don’ts

Late-night Illegal Pete’s

If you or a family member has a late night craving and wants to relive their college days, just stick with room service. Walking into this fine establishment anytime after 10pm your family will witness students shoving three tacos down their throat (at once), which is not something you want to proudly admit you do as well.

Dispensaries

While this may seem like a funny idea in the moment, going to one of the many dispensaries in Boulder with a family member is slightly uncomfortable and just plain weird. Stay away unless you enjoy taking edibles with your parents and walking aimlessly around Boulder in silence and confusion

Fraternity parties

“Mom, I want you to meet my guy friends!” It is like word vomit. It spills out at dinner, and there is no taking it back. Hours later your mom is dancing on an elevated surface flirting with someone 20 years her junior. Was it worth the dinner conversation? Probably not.

Parents visiting any weekend definitely has many perks, but there are a handful of places to avoid on certain hours of the weekend. In order to have a good time when your parents visit, make sure to take cautionary steps in order to avoid any embarrassing situations.