Are you searching for a diverse vacation destination? Consider Colorado for your next play date. With plenty of adventure, beer, and fine dining, history and mountain town casinos, there is no shortage of fun to be had in The Centennial State.
How to Play in Colorado
Get Outside!
If adventure is calling your name, Colorado boasts four national parks, 41 state parks, eight national monuments, and numerous wilderness areas. You can hike, backpack, or mountain bike to your heart’s content. Downhill skiing will surely get your blood pumping. Twenty-six resorts/ski areas will give you a wide range of difficulty and atmospheres.
Are you a river rat? Summer snow melt means fast rivers in Colorado. Numerous rafting companies have set up shop in Buena Vista, Canon City, Crested Butte, and Gunnison that can offer you an all-inclusive whitewater rafting experience that you’ll never forget.
Chill Out Downtown
Are you looking for something more relaxed? Be sure to check out downtown Denver. Union Station has been revamped with a bar, several restaurants, and other eateries as well as a few small storefronts. Shop til’ you drop on the 16th Street Mall, then hit Larimer Square where you’ll find no shortage of wonderful dining opportunities.
“LoDo” or lower downtown, offers plenty of bars as well as a couple of small music venues to explore. If you’re looking to check out the Colorado beer scene, set up a pedal hopper tour, a guide will direct you around the area as you pedal the multi-person bike to many local breweries.
Go for a Drive in the Mountains
From Denver, head west on Interstate 70 until you hit the small mountain towns of Black Hawk and Central City where you can take Lady Luck for a spin. This area was originally mining settlements going back to 1859. The brick streets will transport you back in time. Casinos, hotels, restaurants, and small shops are housed in historic buildings. Black Hawk is the larger of the two towns and is also the home of the modern Monarch Casino and a couple of luxury hotels. At just under a mile away, the quaint Central City has more history and a slightly slower pace.
If it’s the history you’ve come for, there’s plenty of it. From the historic ghost towns, rich in mining history to the Mesa Verde archaeological sites, you can get your nerd on. Walk in the footsteps of the dinosaurs at Dinosaur Ridge, discover old fort sites such as Bent’s Old Fort in LaJunta or take one of the historic railroad trips offered around the state. Caves and natural history wonders are in no short supply either.
Stay for a bit, play hard and go home refreshed! Colorado is calling.
