We have had friends and family in Colorado for years, but have never been able to make a visit. Finally, this summer our dear friend and fellow travel agent Barbara convinced us to make the plunge, and I took the kids out for a few days in the Centennial State. I can’t believe it’s taken this long! We had a wonderful time and can’t wait to go back – it’s definitely somewhere I would encourage visiting with families!
During our stay in the Denver area, we visited the awesome Red Rocks Amphitheater. As a science teacher, I geek out at the geology and scientific history in the area, which even features dinosaur bones! The layers of sediment and beautiful rock are incredible, not mentioning the amazing concert venue that brings in bands of all ages and types, with a super sound system!
Red Rocks is awesome!
On the kids’s side, we visited the Denver-centric Hammond’s Candy Factory, which offers free tours until 3PM. The kids had fun shopping for postcards in treats in this historic spot, and we can vouch the chocolate, taffy, and candies are all delicious!
We love a local candy factory!
One of the highlights of our stay was our visit to Keystone Resort, up in the Rocky Mountains. We crossed over the Continental Divide at nearly 12000 feet, with gorgeous snowy views of the summer mountains and geology that has impacted American History and far beyond! The Resort itself is gorgeous, featuring plenty of games and a full activity center for the kids/guests, and tons of restaurants with a small village and downtown area. While it was summer season with nice weather, scenic views, and plenty of activities, I can imagine this place is pretty fantastic during the winter ski season as wll! We took the gondola up above 11000 feet, where there’s a full restaurant/bar, sandbox, and more games for the family. They also offer a band and other amenities during the summer hours. The views are absolutely breathtaking, and we even found some snow to play in! The ride in itself was fun too 🙂 Back at 9280 feet (village/resort level), the kids loved the trampoline, Mineshaft maze, and mining for gems – nothing like what we have at home!
We made it to the Continental Divide!
Snow and amazing scenery in summer!
Surveying the scene!
This kid always loves sand, even at nearly 12000 feet!
Postcard perfect views
Summer and playing in snow!!
We found gems!
Trampoline jumping at altitude!
Other activity highlights included the Denver Zoo, which is much bigger than one thinks! It has a lot of animals, gorgeous exhibits, and great viewing areas. The kids had a blast! Next door, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science was another hit. From the giant dinosaur skeleton in the lobby to the hands on Body Science to the water play and many exhibits and labs, we didn’t even see half of this place! A great spot to hit with kids.
Great viewing areas here!
Surveying the scene
We loved the Denver Zoo!
Doing some cool body science!
Love the dinosaur science in Colorado!
Gorgeous views of Denver and the Rockies!
We also had a blast visiting Evergreen, where the kids got to go out on a paddleboat, wade through rivers and streams, and skip rocks, all in the presence of the gorgeous Rocky Mountains – definitely not like we get in Southern California! The local town here is adorable, with plenty of shopping and dining – it actually reminded me a lot of Cambria in Central California!
Riverbed fun!
Mountains and Clouds reflected in the lake – heaven!
Paddleboating and working out with kids! 😉
The Rockies game was another awesome activity with the kids. Taking the light rail train to the stadium (not to mention the airport) is super easy! We had a severe weather delay to the game, which was exciting for the kids to see a full blown thunder and hailstorm and temperatures in the 40s, only to return to happy summer temperatures and a great baseball game within hours. Colorado weather is fantastic! 🙂 We even found Mickey on the Club Level! And Mom got to have Blue Moon beer in the place where it was originally brewed and “invented”! A true Colorado experience!
Lots of history at Denver Union Station!
Not a beer drinker, but had to drink Blue Moon where it was created!
Plus – free cup! 🙂
Moments after a crazy hail storm – summer is back!
We barely scratched the surface of all there is in Colorado, and we cannot wait to return. With endless mountains over 14k feet to hike, rivers, bike trails, lakes, museums, concerts and more, there’s something for everyone here! And it’s a fairly short flight from almost anywhere in the US 🙂 Contact Me to plan your stay!
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