sbrons

We are planning a trip to Colorado with our 9yo son/daughter. We have about 7 days and will be flying in/out of Denver. We don't want to be driving the whole trip so I'm looking for a good "base" to stay or maybe two bases. I would like to see if we can see a Colorado Rockies game but do we need to stay in Denver? Could we stay in Colorado Springs or Boulder for a few days? What about Breckenride or Vail? My husband would like to relax too and not just drive 2 hours everyday exploring. Any ideas? Thanks!

fmpden

You have to decide if you want to be in the city or in the mountain. It is hard to do both. Give me date and I will tell if the Rockies are home. Breckenridge/Frisco in Summitt County can serve as a good base for relaxing and short day trips. Why not spend four nights in Breck and then return to Denver for another two or three nights and maybe catch your game. Boulder and CS have less to offer in variety although CS might work.

BetsyG

I totally agree with fmpden & depending on the Rockies schedule, you can do Denver before or after. There are other things to do in Denver for kids, the zoo & the Museum of Science are our favorites (have 15 yr old twin boys & lived in the area forever). Breck/Frisco have a lot to offer in terms of condos & activities. We also love the hot springs pool in Glenwood which would be good day trip from Frisco.

fmpden

The kids would like the Georgetown Loop Railroad and especially the side trip to the silver mine. You have the Cowboy mine in Breckenridge. Tiny Town in Morrison but would have to take 285 into the mountains over Hoosier Pass into Breck from the south. And the outdoor museum at Fairplay. Lots to see and do/

sbrons

Thank you all for your input! It is very helpful. I don't have exact trip dates yet but it will be sometime between August 15th and August 29th - for 7/8 days. Where is the Georgetown Loop Railroad and silvermine - near Breck/Frisco?? Does anyone have specific recommendations on lodging in either Denver/Denver area or Breck/Frisco area? It sounds like I could do 4-5 nights in Breck area and then just a night or two in Denver would be fine. Thanks again!

fmpden

The Georgetown Loop Railroad is in Georgetown. Just off I-70 at the start of the climb up to the east side of Eisenhower Tunnel. Use Hotwire or VRBO for Breckenridge. Since I almost never stay in Denver, I don't have any recommendations. But a wide range is available.

Gretchen

I'll also make a play for looking at dinosaur sites around Morrison (it is literally on the outskirts of Denver). Our 9 year old grands loved doing it.

BellaD

I love Breckenridge. The kids would probably love white water rafting, as would the parents! ATVing in Leadville is incredible, you can get info at the Breckenridge visitor center.

I would say spend a couple of days in Denver, see a game, you can go to Six Flags and/or a water park, eat at Casa Bonita restaurant, which is campy and fun. My kids loved it at 9 years old. Head up to the mountain (about 2 1/2 hour drive) to Breckenridge for the rest of your time. You can rent great homes with hot tubs and all the amenities on www.vrbo.com for less than a couple of hotel rooms. Breckenridge is a very charming town and the scenery is gorgeous. You can hike, swim, boat, just about anything you can think of! I wanna go!!!!

Vttraveler

We (husband, 19-year old son and I) returned last weekend from a week in Colorado. We spent 4 days in Colorado Springs for a family reunion and took a short 3 1/2 day trip looping from Denver west to Frisco south to Buena Vista area (Mt. Princeton Hot Spring resort) and then east/NE back to Manitou Springs and Co Springs. We also visited the Denver/Co Springs area when our kids were younger and before that w/o kids.

If you have never been to Rocky Mountain National Park that would be my first recommendation. We did this on two earlier trips so not this latest time. It is spectacular.

On our recent trip, we spent the first night in Golden which is basically about half an hour west of the Denver airport, easy to get to skirting the city to the north. We (well, mostly my husband) wanted to see the Colorado Railway museum which is a very good spot for train buffs. Most people associate Golden with Coors brewery tours but that didn't appeal to us and probably wouldn't be appropriate for your family. There is also a drive up Lookout Mountain to the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave with a great view
http://www.buffalobill.org/history.htm
In Golden we stayed at the Denver West Marriott which was fine. It involves a drive to downtown Golden for restaurants.

We drove on from Golden to nearby Georgetown which others have mentioned for the railroad trip. Georgetown and Golden
are both pleasant towns with lots of historic (for CO) buildings downtown.

We spent the night in Frisco. My husband and I toured the outside of the good historic museum in the park there (inside of the buildings were closed) that afternoon. My husband rented a bike the next morning and rode around part of Lake Dillon in very high winds. It is a scenic ride but the weather was certainly not ideal that day.

From there we went on to Leadville (highest town in the US) and mining museum, then to Mt. Princeton hot springs. This is a good resort if you like outdoor activities (horseback riding, biking,hiking, rafting) with gorgeous scenery of the Collegiate range. The resort has cabins for rent.

In the Manitou Springs/Co Springs area I can recommend the following from our two trips: Garden of the Gods, Manitou cliff dwellings, Cave of the Winds, Cheyenne Mt zoo and Will Rogers shrine (combined ticket), Rock Ledge Ranch historic site. We thought the drive up Pike's Peak was pretty hair-raising, but there is also a cog railway.

West of Manitou Springs on Rte 24 we enjoyed the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument--lots of materials available there for junior rangers
http://www.nps.gov/flfo/index.htm

If you want more information on any of the places I have mentioned, please ask.