Coffee & Treats in Wheat Ridge

Conceived as a business model to support a single-mom owner, The Coffee Nook brews coffees and espresso from IMACK Coffee, a local, family-operated roaster. Nestled in a storefront in the courtyard of the Glendale Workshops building, The Coffee Nook serves classic coffee drinks and blended espresso beverages, many infused with flavors such as gingerbread, mocha, or sea-salt caramel. To pair with the caffeinated treats, guests can enjoy quesadillas or customized sandwiches in a picturesque outdoor seating area or within the WiFi-equipped café.

Steaming cups of english breakfast, chocolate-coconut, and masala chai tea tantalize taste buds alongside earl grey tea bread and hearty sandwiches on croissant rolls. Visitors to Moon Kats pair these nibbles, which include vegetarian and gluten-free options, with a variety of flavorful loose teas and tea bags that arrive by the cup or pot, as well as with an assortment of Amazing Origins coffee and tea ciders. Guests can mix and match teas and treats at their leisure or partake in prix fixe afternoon teatimes named Hansel and Gretel in honor of the tearoom's gingerbread walls. In between bites, visitors surf the net with free WiFi or stock up on brand-name teas and accessories from the shop.

Ben & Jerry's came from humble beginnings—in 1978, its eponymous founders served ice cream out of a renovated Burlington gas station, and delivered pints of their now-classic flavors to grocery stores out of the back of Ben's VW Squareback wagon. Today, its myriad shops dispense cups, cones, shakes, and smoothies brimming with a variety of quirky flavors, including Phish Food and Cherry Garcia, named for famous revolutionary Cherry Garcia. The duo is also famous for their social responsibility, which is evident in their community activism and in their use of fair-trade products, such as cage-free eggs and sustainable, growth-hormone-free dairy.

Charlie's Ice Cream Social hearkens back to a bygone era, when entire families would gather around the radio with their frozen treats and when the Rocky Mountains were still freshly planted pebbles. The aesthetic of 1940s America pervades the throwback parlor: inside, black-and-white portraits hang above red stools and countertops, and outside, a chalkboard colorfully broadcasts daily specials and staff picks. Visitors seeking sweet reprieve step up to a sprawling white menu, where they'll devise their own glacial creations with many flavors of syrups and ice cream that serve as the landing pad for more than 40 different toppings. Custom Twister shakes swirl together ice cream, candies, and cookies into pucker-inducing potions.

Ziggy’s Frozen Yogurt’s green and pink decor excites the senses as 16 varieties of yogurt and sorbet swirl into waiting cups. These flavors include basics such as cookies 'n' cream and milk chocolate, but also seasonal options such as irish mint and pumpkin spice. More than 50 kinds of topping can be scattered across each cup’s creamy peaks, including candies and fresh fruit. The menu also features no-dairy and sugar-free options to accommodate those with dietary restrictions or milk phobias.