Favorite CO Places + Things To Do (Denver, Colorado Springs: ski resorts, chapel, hotels)

[preppyglam]

I'm starting to compile lists of great things to do in CO. That way, when we get there- I can just go down the list of things to see/experience/do in CO. I am a CA native and even though there are TONS of "things to do" in CA...I feel like tourists have much more fun in CA! haha! When we move to CO, I want to see it all and not struggle to conjure up things to do on a routine basis.

So, what are your favorite things to do/see in CO? I have three lists going- weekend trips, day trips and local activities. We are planning on moving to South Denver, but anyone following along can qualify what is a "local" activity according to where they live/plan on living.

I am looking for both well known "must see/do" places, as well as the lesser known community/regional events like holiday pumpkin patches, festivals, farmers markets, great family activities, awesome camping spots, great fishing, etc.

Also, restaurants, bars, favorite shopping spots/stores, best mom and pop places.....pretty much anything that is worth the effort and that you enjoy that is specific to CO.

Looking forward to hearing your suggestions! Hopefully this will be an informational thread for others who are also looking to take advantage of everything the great state of CO has to offer!

[SheridanL]

First off...where is south Denver to you? And...do you want things to do there..if so, where are you?
How far are you willing to travel? Do you want to go to the mountains and, are you willing to travel to get there?
There are so many places and things to see in this beautiful state that it is hard to narrow down! For instance...in SW Colorado, there is the Royal Gorge and rafting on the Arkansas river... there is Estes Park in the Rocky Mountain National Park...( northwest)...there is Mount Evans(west of Denver)...every resort skiing area one could think of ( Vail, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Aspen, Loveland, Crested Butte, Winter Park, Steamboat Springs, Eldora, Keystone, etc...).
Do you want to explore some of the more (out of way spots) such as.....SW...Ouray, Telluride, Gunnison? Absolutely gorgeous in my opinion!
Do you like more (plains areas) such as Limon, Elizabeth, Sterling, Burlington, Franktown?
Maybe you want some areas that have tons of tourists as in the COS area...Garden of the Gods....Cheyenne Mountain Zoo..Cave of the Winds,..North Pole, etc.?
Tell us your preferences and, it will be easier to guide you.

[80skeys]

* fly fishing the confluence of the Gunnison north fork and gunnison river near Delta, CO
* taking the boat to Reudi lake for fishing
* hiking and backpacking the San Juans / Weminuche wilderness in southern CO

[lalahartma]

Hot Springs in Ouray! Camping in Crested Butte!

[CosmicWizard]

A couple of beers and a pizza at Kanah Creek Brewery in Grand Junction.

[treedonkey]

There was a similar thread many months back, and there were several good suggestions, including this very detailed list sent to me by DenverAztec:

Really check out the weather and plan your indoor and outdoor event around that. 9NEWS.com | Colorado's Online News Leader | Breaking News, Local News, World News and more... is close to getting it right, but it is Colorado and change happens with the Rocky Mountains.

Colorado Springs Recommendations:

* Garden of the Gods
* Quick visit to the Air Force Academy chapel and museum, don't tour the base but the chapel is unique and be sure to see the basement as well as the main chapel.
* Broadmoor Hotel, used to be one of the only 5 star hotels in Colorado and the Olympic training center was attached in the back by the lake. Not sure if the ice rink is still there, but I got to see Christy Yamaguchi training several years ago.
* Cave of the Winds
* Seven Falls
* Manitou Springs
* Pike's Peak

Denver Recommendations:

* Park your car at the Denver Art Museum indoor parking for $7.00 all day, must make sure there are no special events that require hourly charging. Entrance is just off of 12th and Broadway. Everything below will be in walking distance, you will find Denver is very walkable.
* Denver Art Museum old and new structures, one of Denver's newest gems. Daniel Libeskind first building in the U.S.
* The State Capitol, enter on the north side of the building and expect possible airport security, but cameras are fine and get up to the routunda, great views.
* The Bascillica of the Immaculate Conception, even if not Catholic, the stained glass is from Germany and unique to only a few cities in the U.S.
* The Brown Palace lobby, this hotel is a must, where the big wigs stayed during the DNC.
* The enterior of the Equittable Building, replica of the one in NYC - incredible details.
* The 16th Street Mall for a meal and people watching. High end to fast food. Just okay shopping, Gap, Banana Republic type shops.
* Larimer Square, high end boutique shops but a fantastic collection of Victorian era buildings and some great restaurants.
* Check to see if any shows are happening at the Denver Center for Performing Arts.
* Go up to the 27th floor of the Hyatt just for the view. They will let you up and to the windows without have to get a meal or a drink.
* The 16th street mall has a free shuttle that runs the length of it and you can take it to Union Station and then walk to the Ball Park for a Rockie's Game. Fair warning, most tickets are sold out as this is opening weekend but look for tickets in what is called The Rock Pile. Cheap seat, not so great view, and the rowdier fans. However, you can walk around the whole stadium/field with a constant view of the playing field.
* Museum of Contemporary Art

By car in Denver:

* Museum of Natural History in City Park
* Molly Brown House/Museum
* Kirkland Museum
* Sadly, the Cherry Creek Mall is a huge visitor attaction. Not sure if that is your thing, but this is where you can find Tiffany, Saks, Needles Markup (Neiman), Macy's, etc. Cherry Creek North, outside the mall and to the north, is boutique shopping and Hermes of London may finally be open this coming weekend? All to rich for me but thought I would toss that out there.
* Historic neighborhood drives - East 17th or East Montview in Parkhill, East 7th or East 6th in Capitol Hill/Governor's Park, Hale and Hilltop.
* Washington Park
* Highland's for great eats - 32nd and Lowell.

Hope this helps and have a fantastic visit!

Safe Travels,

Denver Aztec

Oh, forgot mountainous drives:

* Roxbourough Park
* Red Rocks Ampitheater
* 2 hours north of Denver is Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. Trail Ridge road closed now but the base of the park is open and sure to see elk any time of the year.
* Echo Lake, Mount Evans will be closed but the drive to Echo lake is easy and short, but nice.
* Lookout Mountain and Buffalo Bills Grave
* Central City/Blackhawk for gambleing
* Boulder up Boulder Canyon to Netherdland, be sure to watch for the Boulder Falls as it might be a great looking ice chunk at the moment. If in Boulder, be sure to view the Flat Irons, if not drive up to them.
* Idaho Springs
* Vail is 1.5 hours from Denver and Aspen is about 4 hours.


THANKS TO DENVER AZTEC for all that great info. If I can find the original thread that it came from I'll post that here as well.

[koopdaddy]

Summit County ( as well as many other mountain areas) has numerous outdoor activities from mountain biking, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, fishing, camping, photography, horseback riding, snowmobiling, rafting, etc etc.

Some ski resorts offer chair lift rides during the summer as well.

If you like outdoor stuff, there isnt much that the mountains do not have outside of not having beaches.

[koopdaddy]

Also if you like tea, Celestial Seasonings is in Boulder and that is an interesting tour.

[jim9251]

The Million Dollar Highway from Ouray to Silverton, then the train from Silverton to Durango. Red Mountain Pass is um...interesting. Take the free gondola from Telluride to Mountain Village, then to the Mountain Village Core. That is a lot of fun!

[koopdaddy]

The Georgetown Loop train ride in Georgetown on I70 is interesting as well.