<p>We are travelling to Colorado Springs from CT in early August for my neice’s wedding. We’ll have 4 or 5 days after the wedding for some sightseeing. D, S, and I have never traveled west (H was there when he was in the service) - I’ve been as far as Chicago many years ago…the kids…um…Pittsburgh? It may be one of the last chances we get to travel as a family. Looking for some ideas on things to do. Drives, (easy) hikes, shopping, other “neat” things?</p>
<p>You all are so smart and have such great ideas - I know you won’t lead me astray!!</p>
<p>I would be inclined to drive to one of the ski towns, which are gorgeous and uncrowded in summer. Breckenridge is a fairly easy drive (less than 4 hours, I think) and goes over Hoosier Pass. You could stay in Breckenridge for a night or so.</p>
<p>Royal Gorge is another option. Great park and only about 100 miles away.</p>
<p>^^I agree with getting away from Colorado Springs or even Denver into the mountains. Anywhere in Summit County or making the drive and staying in Crested Butte where you can easily get to hiking trails, the Black Canyon, the Blue Mesa (water)…so much to do there all within close reach. Late July into early August in Crested Butte the wildflowers are just gorgeous. Breck would be about a 2.5 or so hour drive from Colorado Springs and Crested Butte would be about 3.5-4 hour drive from Colorado Springs.</p>
<p>Three things not to miss in Colorado Springs:
Definitely plan to visit the Money Museum at the American Numismatic Association.
Spend a morning at the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum.
And of course, Garden of the Gods.</p>
<p>If you’re going to Colorado Springs you should consider just skipping Denver which is just another big city IMO - especially when compared to ColoSprgs which is smaller and nicer (disclaimer - I used to live in ColoSprgs). I second - Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak (you can drive to the top if the road’s open), Manitou Springs for wandering around, Cave of the Winds, Air Force Academy if you’re interested in that (especially the modern church there). If you’re into horseback riding or for some nice views you could stop by Palmer Park (a huge natural bluffs area sort of in the middle of the city) and go to Mark Reyner stables -
[Home</a> Page](<a href=“http://www.markreynerstables.com/]Home”>http://www.markreynerstables.com/)
It used to be a nice drive from ColoSprgs to Cripple Creek, an old gold/silver mining area in the mountains, but they turned it into a gambling town and completely ruined it although there are still a few non-gambling things to do there. However, you could drive to a town very close to it called Victor.
[Victor</a>, Colorado - City of Gold Mines](<a href=“http://www.victorcolorado.com/]Victor”>http://www.victorcolorado.com/)
You could go to the Broadmoor hotel for a 5 star historic hotel along with the amenities that go with. It’s situated fairly close to the zoo on Cheyenne Mountain which is scenic as well as Seven Falls -
[5</a> Star Hotels & Luxury Resorts in Colorado | The Broadmoor | Golf Luxury Spa Vacations](<a href=“http://www.broadmoor.com/]5”>http://www.broadmoor.com/)
You might want to go have a chuckwagon meal at the Flying W Ranch -
<a href=“http://www.flyingw.com/[/url]”>http://www.flyingw.com/</a>
I second Royal Gorge near Canon City.
<a href=“http://www.royalgorgebridge.com/[/url]”>http://www.royalgorgebridge.com/</a>
<a href=“http://www.canoncitycolorado.com/[/url]”>http://www.canoncitycolorado.com/</a></p>
<p>You could do a loop drive from ColoSprgs to the Cripple Creek/Victor area to Royal Gorge to Canon City then back to ColoSprgs.</p>
<p>See I knew I could count on you all for suggestions. I just threw Denver in there - we probably would be happier staying out of the city and finding quieter stuff to do. The parks sound great. USC<em>UCLA</em>dad - the loop drive is right up H’s alley. We’ll definitely check that out, as well as some of the other stuff too. Will check into an overnight trip into the mountains.</p>
<p>BTW, thanks for the earworm - now I’ve got “Up on Cripple Creek” stuck in my head! :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Reviving this old thread. We never did make it out for that original trip (yikes, no wedding :eek: ) , but I am going out to Denver on business from Wednesday to Wednesday. H is flying out to join me for the weekend (Friday evening thru Mon am). So again, looking for fun short day trips (no kids though). We’ll be staying in the southern part of Denver (Greenwood Village). Love to drive, so great routes with some interesting stops would be appreciated. Would have loved to see a Rockies game, but they’re out of town.</p>
<p>Great restaurants? (We’re not foodies, so basic and tasty is good)</p>
<p>Do we need advance reservations for the Cog Railway?</p>
<p>Just a caution–if you take the Cog Railway, you should be aware of potential altitude issues. You’ll be taking the train up above 14,000 feet, and based on your original post, it sounds like you are from the East coast–maybe around sea level? Many years ago, we took six kids on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway for DS’s 9th birthday. (We live about 1 1/2 hours away, at around 5,000 feet.) Several of us had a touch of altitude sickness and one kid felt absolutely awful and proceeded to throw up on one of the other kids! Memorable birthday party, to say the least! You might not have any problems, and it is absolutely stunning–just be aware!</p>
<ul>
<li><p>In Golden, Co. (very close to Denver) you can tour the Coors brewery.</p></li>
<li><p>Also in Golden is the Colorado Railroad Museum.
[Colorado</a> Railroad Museum](<a href=“http://www.coloradorailroadmuseum.org/]Colorado”>http://www.coloradorailroadmuseum.org/)</p></li>
<li><p>Rocky Mountain NP isn’t that far from Denver and will get you up into the mountains -
[Rocky</a> Mountain National Park (U.S. National Park Service)](<a href=“http://www.nps.gov/romo/index.htm]Rocky”>Rocky Mountain National Park (U.S. National Park Service))</p></li>
<li><p>You can still do the stuff I posted earlier and some loop drives. From Denver you could take I-70 west to Leadville which is an old mining town with some historical stuff to see/do.
[Leadville</a>, Colorado history, recreation, sight seeing, historic buildings, biographies, museums](<a href=“http://www.leadville.com/history/]Leadville”>History - Leadville, Colorado)
You could then continue the drive from there on highways to the Cripple Creek/Victor area I mentioned before and then into Manitou Springs then Colorado Springs to see a lot of the things there mentioned before and then drive back up to Denver. Some of this might be more fun if you could stay in some hotels along the way and maybe see a melodrama in some of the places.
[Cripple</a> Creek Butte Theater](<a href=“全黄一级裸片视频免费,全免费看,一级特黄aaa大片兔费,久久e热在这里只有精品99_亚洲国产精品每日更新_色8欧美日韩国产无线码”>http://www.butteoperahouse.com/)</p></li>
</ul>
<p>I only had one day or so in Denver. Denver Botanical Gardens are awesome. Cherry Creek area has really nice upscale shopping (google Cherry Creek mall).</p>
<p>I highly recommend Le Mistral Restaurant in the Greenwood Village area (French -inspired food).</p>
<p>Mr. Fang and I will be in the Denver area for a week in August. Food recs? (We are kind of foodie-ish, so hole-in-the-wall ethnic delights and other interesting recommendations are welcome.)</p>
<p>And how about a nice vacation spot in the mountains for five or six days, where I could ride my bike and Mr. Fang could hike?</p>
<p>When I went to Co springs to visit my brother I really enjoyed all the touristy things like Garden of the Gods & Manitou Springs.
ttp://<a href=“Garden of the Gods Park Information”>www.gardenofgods.com/parkinfo/index_114.cfm</a></p>
<p>( but being from Seattle- I was * shocked* that there wasn’t an espresso cart on every corner- I was never so glad to see a Starbucks! )</p>
<p>There are lots! Breckinridge has been suggested and is great. We have always enjoyed Keystone resort is the summer. Lots going on and some nice level bike paths. Stay hydrated and don’t do too much the first few days. Steamboat Springs is beautiful but farther from Denver.</p>
<p>Breckinridge sounds lovely, but nice level bike paths are not what I had in mind. I was thinking more of something like, oh, Trail Ridge Road. Or somewhere with good paved roads or fire roads.</p>
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