Colorado in July HELP

Colorado is made for the outdoors! Especially in the summer - it is so beautiful.
Definetly go up into the mountains. July 15-17 and 22-24th there are two art shows in towns near Vail (Avon and Edwards) that have very good, high quality artists. Breckenridge is a lovely town with beautiful scenery and good shopping. I like Denver - used to live there - but it's a big city and you already live in one of those. In my opinion the great outdoors is the reason to explore Colorado.

My husband and I went to Vail last July and loved it. We are not outdoor people either. We like nice hotels, good eats and shopping. We LOVED Vail - good for all of the above. We also spent an afternoon in Breckenridge - again very nice town with lots of good eats and shops. The weather in July was fantastic and the scenery is awesome. I would highly recommend you take this trip to Colorado!

You might even enjoy a day in nearby Manitou Springs. Sounds like your kind of place -- nice scenery, quaint town, shopping, eateries.

You don't have to be an outdoor person to appreciate the beauty of the Rockies. Who says you can't take a drive rather than a hike! As has been pointed out, the resort towns all have great shopping, dining, etc. Breckinridge is great. Or you might want to consider Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. New England is wonderful. But so is Colorado in the summer! Don't miss this opportunity to experience something different!

My advice--go (!) but be open to what the west has to offer--it's way way way different than New England. It looks like there is some common ground with your interests, though. If you can, head to the mountains west of Denver for a few days. Golf is fabulous in the Rockies--you'll be amazed at how your ball soars! We've golfed at both Breckenridge and Copper Mountain--it's so pretty--hard to keep your mind on the little white ball.

Dining? Not a problem. Try some western corn-fed beef (if you're a meat lover). If you're brave, have a plate of Rocky Mountain Oysters (tastes like chicken...not really...)--let me know if you're not sure what that is

Denver would also be fun for a stopover after his meetings. Stay in downtown Denver to experience great dining/lodging.

As for shopping, there's a nice outlet mall in Castle Rock (near the Springs) or you could go to Park Meadows Mall in southern Denver (just head up I-25 for 1/2 hour or so and you'll run right into it). If you're in downtown Denver, I'd go to the Cherry Creek shopping area and mall.

Have a great trip--I'm not too familiar with C. Springs but I'm sure you'll get some good ideas from others who are.

Ooooh yes, GO! I love any excuse to get away, explore something new, order room service! You will love it. We're city people too, only moderate hikers (although we're all serious runners) and never, ever camp. But Colorado is God's country, truly glorious.

You've gotten some great advice so far, but i'll add my .02 Tour the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, especially The Chapel. Very interesting and inspirational. Do at least a drive through of Garden of the God's (also col springs), easy to see without hiking. And if nothing else, find lodging with a private balcony and enjoy your am coffee and evening wine while soaking in the spectacular views.

You've gotten great advice so far. I wanted to add there's also outlet stores in Silverthorne in Summit County. If you end up in Breckenridge and get tired of all the shopping there, head over to Silverthorne. Breckenridge is great. And in my opinion, just my opinion, Aspen is over-rated. I'd rather go to Telluride.

Good advice. I hate snow, but summer is my time in the Rockies.
M

Thanks to all of you ... I so appreciate your input .. !

Also, you can tour the Coors Brewery in Golden! The US Mint (Denver) used to offer tours but i don't think they do anymore...? Both were great tours.

Its also possible to drive into Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park, to the first summit (can't recall the name) walk around at the top, there's a nice gift shop, then look *down* at the elk and snow. Although it may still snow while getting there, it did when we were there.

Estes Park, at the foot of the park, is a charming little town with fun shopping and lots of restaurants. Have fun!

I second that motion that you might like Vail Colorado. Several golf courses in the area and very nice shopping in the village. A good place to make your base - and you can do several day trips from there to different places - like Breckenridge. Several of the hotels in Vail have Spas so you can relax while your husband golfs. (You might try the Cordillera Resort in Edwards (just outside of Vail). It's gorgeous. If you're flying in and out of Denver, you might want to end your trip in Boulder, CO for a day or two. Wonderful new hotel/spa Downtown, close to great shopping, restaurants, and again, golf. Check out www.stjulien.com for more info. Have fun! Colorado is awesome!!

SaltysMom,

Are you by chance talking about Essentiels Spa in the downtown Boulder Marriott? If so, that place is spa heaven to me!! Next to Mandalay Bay's spa in Vegas, Essentiels is my favorite spa anywhere. As a matter of fact, several of my friends and I are leaving tomorrow for our annual Mom's-tired-and-really-needs-a-weekend-away spa weekend and we're going to Essentiels for the third year in a row. We stay at the Omni though...

I should really start reading more carefully. Obviously, the website you mentioned tells me I was wrong about Essentiels...hmmmmmm, a new place to check out!!!!!

Is there much to do see and do in Denver ...

Personally, I think any extra time you spend after your husband's business portion of the trip would be better spent in one of the resort areas. Denver's a city, you live in a city. Why not get further into the mountains and enjoy the scenery, the resort atmosphere, etc. I'm sure you'll hear from people more familiar with Denver than I am. But I've never been that impressed with it as a destination in and of itself. My son is a huge, huge baseball fan so we've been to Rockies games twice and really enjoyed them. We also enjoyed the tour we took of the mint in '99 and a great bookstore (the name of which eludes me at the moment) in Cherry Creek mall/shopping center. Other than that, I really can't think of anything to recommend. But, as has been mentioned several times, there are great resort towns that have lots to offer in terms of shopping, dining and just enjoying absolutely beautiful scenery. There's also the fact that you're spending the first five days in Colorado Springs, which is a city. Going to Breckinridge, Estes Park, etc. would give you a little more diversity.

Aspen- the town people love to hate... After 20 years of going there I think Aspen rocks. Just can't find another Rocky Mountain town compares for great food, upscale shopping, beautiful scenery, AND you'll get good hotel prices in the summer.

Check out the Hotel Jerome (Will Smith & Jada Pinkett stayed there), The Little Nell (Ivana and Ivanka, and Lance Armstrong have stayed there), or the St. Regis for the kind of place where you will be greeted by name and so will your dog... I remember hearing that Goldie H. and Melanie G. both enjoy the spa at the St. Regis but I have never been to the spa myself.

I know some people don't care about seeing celebs but I enjoy bumping into famous people in Aspen (Jack, Cher, Cybill, Will, Martina, Kate & Goldie, Antonio, Ivana,and any number of "first name only" celebs) because no one bothers them so you see them acting "almost" normal. There is a HUUUGE music festival most of the summer (Cheryl Crowe performed last summer and Lance came with) and a "think tank" that brings in former heads of state and assorted world wide brainiacs.

Let's see, just a few things the twon has to offer in July....
July 9 Taste of Aspen- All of Aspen's best restaurants featuring cuisine samples in booths lining both sides of the street. Live music and entertainment.
July 23 JaSummer Nights Swing
Aspen Highlands is transformed into a 1940s jazz club. Live and silent auctions, open bars and dinner at Willow Creek Bistro at the Ritz Carlton.

July 29-30 Aspen Arts Festival
3rd annual event- open art gallery for 200 exhibitors offering jewelry, pottery, sculpture glass, ceramics, paintings and prints.

July 31-August 2
Amy Grant & Vince Gill Snowmass Charity Golf Classic Pro celebrity Golf Tournament benefiting Challenge Aspen

Find more info at www.aspensnowmass.com
www.stayaspensnowmass.com
www.jazzaspen.org
www.aspenchamber.org

BTW- I see you posted the same question a few minutes earlier and didn't get a response. If you don't get a response to a question, don't repost the question again. Just go to your original post & click at the bottom to respond to the post and type "ttt" or "topping" in the reply box so that it will go to the top of the list again.

Aspen, definitely! There's no place like it. Lots of wannabes, only one Aspen. Surrounding country is gorgeous, the town still has its historic look despite the glitz you hear about. All the times we've spent there, we've not seen one celebrity, which is how we like it, so don't be intimidated. In addition to the upscale hotels amwosu mentioned, there are excellent condo complexes like The Gant and Aspen Square. Definitely stay right in town if you can.

ttt

Thanks to all of you ... I am definitely going .. but I need just a little bit more advice .. after Colorado Springs .. should we go to Vail .. Aspen .. or Denver .. or can we do two out of the three .. and how much more time should we add to the trip ... two or three more days .. more or less .. Thanks so much ... !

I lived in Denver for 3 years; reading your posts, I think you could skip Denver and do Aspen for 3 days. The drive is much longer than Vail though...

Vail is super but 2 days would be plenty.

From a Vail local, so I am somewhat biased!! Summer is heaven here> no humidity, no bugs!
Shopping and dining in Vail are hard to beat. If you enjoy the cultural scene rather than "star" watching, we have some stars of our own...we are the summer home for the Rochester Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic and the Dallas Symphony. We also have The Vail International Dance festival if you enjoy ballet... all performined under the stars at the FABULOUS Gerald R. Ford amphitheater Check out www.thinkvail.com for the calendar of events & MORE!!! ENJOY!!

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