Yes, 5280 is all about celebrating beer this week, but we realize that some of you just don’t care. Maybe you don’t drink. Perhaps you’re pregnant, missed out on tickets, can’t find a babysitter, or would rather do something else than join the masses downtown with their four-ounce glasses. For those of you who can’t wait for GABF to be over, here’s a guide to avoiding the festival.

1. Take a guided tour of Preston, a ghost town. Learn about the area’s mining history, and poke around among abandoned buildings and historical remnants.

2. Hate beer, but love wine? Join fellow grape admirers at the HCA Alliance Gala in Lakewood for food, wine, art, and a silent auction. Proceeds benefit the Lakewood Heritage, Culture, and the Arts Alliance.

3. Submit your family’s straw-stuffed creation into the 16th annual Festival of Scarecrows competition in Arvada. Kick the spooky season off early with a costume parade, hayride, and pumpkin contest.

4. Sign up for the Mine to Mine Challenge, a 9K dash through Cripple Creek (pictured).

5. Catch the last of the fall colors before they fade away on Mount Evans. Take the scenic route—Guenella Pass from 285—and hike up the western slope.

6. Celebrate a season of collaborative greatness at 2012’s final Urban Market. You’ll find artists, foodies, thrifters, and holistic healers.

7. Check out the Museum of Contemporary Art for Black Sheep Fridays. Enjoy happy hour drink specials and the opening of their latest exhibit, Postscript: Writing After Conceptual Art.

—Image courtesy of Shutterstock