Hi, we have a chance to go see my brother in late August and see a bit of Colorado. We have three kids ages 7, 10 and 12.

Although my brother lives in the southern part of Denver, we are planning to stay with family in Colorado Springs, as part of our trip would overlap the Democratic National Convention.

My questions....
How hard is it to get a shuttle from the Denver airport to Colorado Springs? Car rentals are cheaper there even if we return the car to DEN.

We are interested in Pike's Peak, the Air Force Academy,the Dinosaurs and Garden of the Gods. What other activities around Colorado Springs should we consider?

What would be a good day trip from CS? My brother mentioned Canon City but he hasn't been yet, just going on hearsay. I've read on this board that it is overhyped, but other places it gets good reports. Trying to make sense of the two views....

If not Canon City, what other choices for a day trip would you recommend? Are RMNP, Brekenridge or Vail too far for a possible day trip? (We would choose just one of them!)

What else do we need to know about the Convention? I have read the DNC website.

Thank you!

Hi 5alive!

I have not lived in the Denver area for many years but will be there the last week of August for the convention.

You said, "What else do we need to know about the Convention? I have read the DNC website." Do you have any specific concerns about what to expect at the convention, other than massive traffic jams every evening near the Pepsi Center?

I found one shuttle service-http://www.coloradoshuttle.com/ -and there probably are others. They pick up at DIA 5 times a day and drop off at the CS airport. $50 per person one way. So that would be $250 for your family. Maybe renting a car a DIA is cheaper??? and it would certainly be more convenient.

RMNP, Breckenridge or Vail would be doable from Colorado Springs as day trips. Breckenridge is probably the closest (Vail is probably a half hour past Breck) and you would avoid both the Colorado Springs and Denver traffic on I-25 getting there which you would not if you went to RMNP.

For shuttles from Denver to Colorado Springs, check out super shuttle - www.supershuttle.com.

OR, you might consider taking a shuttle from DIA to a nearby off airport rental location in the Denver area - you'll easily save half on your car rental and you can still return the car to DIA without paying all those airport taxes (I just did this myself).

I'm from Colorado Springs originally and the tourist attractions that come to mind in addition to what you've mentioned include -

Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame (?)
Cave of the Winds
Olympic Training Center
Seven Falls
The Broadmoor
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Van Briggle Pottery
Manitou Springs and Old Colorado City
Flying W Ranch

And for some really good salt water taffy, you can't miss Patsy's on the west side.

I don't really understand the attraction of Canon City - was just there in May - but perhaps I've missed something...

Keep in mind that CS is not that close to Denver. It is probably 70 to 80 miles. As a Denver resident we don't expect the convention to impact much beyond the immediate downtown area. From the south side the downtown area is well served by light rail lines so if you want to see something in the downtown area you could easily get there via the train.

If you want to go to RMNP, you don't need to pass through downtown Denver on I-25. C470 and 93 through Golden and Boulder is nearly as quick and a more scenic route.

All your suggestions are doable as day trips but long day trips involving at least two to three hours of travel each way.

For your age kids you could do a dinosaur trip!! The Denver area is absolutely a center of dinosaur sites. Just south of the Springs is _______ (I'll have to come back) that has a wonderful museum. Then just west of south Denver is Morrison/Dinosaur Ridge. Drive along Dinosaur Ridge and look at the sites marked, and then go to the little museum in Morrison. Have a lunch at one of the cute restaurants. We took our grands to these last summer.
I'm sure there are shuttles to CO Springs. Someone else has posted how expensive rentals are at that time so it well may be worth it, even with the cost of the shuttle.
Royal Gorge is south of the Springs and would be gorgeous. And RMNP would certainly be doable in a day trip. Enjoy.

If you don't have tickets, check the prices into Colorado Springs; flights and cars may be cheaper.

There's a nice bus that goes from Denver to the Springs and back, and I think it's only about $9 pp each way. My niece just used it. It's called the Front Range Express.
http://www.frontrangeexpress.com/?sid=2

You might need to catch it downtown. It wouldn't be too hard to take a SuperShuttle downtown, to catch the FREX, which runs quite often during the day.

Come on people, lets give Salive some useful/practical information instead of just throwing things on the floor.

To the best of my knowledge, SuperShuttle does not service Colorado Springs.

FREX is not a practical suggestion. It is a commuter bus run that connects downtown Denver with the I-25/Tejon park and ride in Colorado Springs. It about every 30 mins during the commuting hours and one to two hour internals during the day. Short of a taxi there is no practically way to get to the Denver pickup points. Super Shuttle would cost you $19/each. You could take the skiride ($9) from DIA to the Market Street station and walk to 19th and Stout. To many transfers with luggage and lots of lost of time,

It is either the Colorado Shuttle or rent a car at an off site location. Or, as someone else suggested, fly into CS if the tickets are not purchased.

However, if arriving during the DNC, it is my understanding that rental cars will be very expensive and hard to obtain. They may even be in short supply elsewhere as something like a thousand extra cars will be transferred here.

if you don't live here, be careful what you recommend.

Having lived in Colorado Springs and currently in Boulder I most definitely do not recommend a "day-trip" to RMNP from the Springs. It's, with the very best conditions, a 3 hour one way drive. Breckenridge is more doable from Colorado Springs, if you go the back way through South Park and Fairplay is about 1.5 hours one way.

Good advice Kate. Driving conditions on I 25 between Colorado Springs and Denver can be miserable. Breckenridge is a better option.

Here is the schedule for the FREX:
http://www.frontrangeexpress.com/?sid=1

I don't see any daytime two-hour waits, and only one or two one-hour waits. I still think it's an option, since the OP has family in the Springs who could meet them at the park 'n' ride. It's a nice-looking bus, and even has wireless service on it.

Since the OP wants to rent their car in the Springs, this is a practical suggestion.

Not just throwing things on the floor, fmpden.

P.S. Take a shuttle from the airport to catch the FREX downtown, near 18th and California.

Wow! Thanks for all of the great ideas. I'm sorry I wasn't able to check back in sooner to clarify a bit:

--Regarding the car....yes it is much cheaper to rent in Colorado Springs. My brother could pick us up at the Denver airport, but at this point his vehicle only seats 5, so just my husband would have to take a shuttle down to CS. This is one way only; the way back we can return the car to Denver Airport with very little difference in price. The Colorado Shuttle probably makes the most sense for us since only one is going, but I'm going to need to check the schedules.

--No plans to go near downtown Denver, but sometimes there are less obvious repercussions for large events that only a local would think of.

--The airline tickets are much more expensive into Colorado Spring for the airline we want.

Kate7ann, I appreciate the drive times very much. That is longer than I would like to spend in the car for a day trip. I will research Breck and come back if I have more questions.

Gretchen, the dinosaur idea is great. I have been doing some searching for it, knowing that Utah has a lot too, and I did find a museum of dinosaurs in Canon City. But now I'm not sure that's where we want to go. (Here's the link for those interested: http://www.dinosaurdepot.com)

One new question is, would the US Olympic Center even be open since the Olympics will be going on in Beijing? I had written that off my list.

Sorry, I should be more clear: the 3 hours to RMNP is longer than I want for a daytrip.

Peaceout -- I suggest you learn how to read a schedule. I just looked at the schedule. The PICKUP to CS in downtown Denver is 19th and Stout. The drop off point in Denver is 18th and California -- small difference. There is over a 3 hour gap between 9:30 and 12:40 pm followed by another nearly two hour gap. I still think it is impractical in part because of the time involved. Do you live here or just pretend to?

How are you and the kids getting to Colorado Springs? Have you checked car rental prices in the south suburban areas of denver? If your brother's car is too small to pick-up your entire family, you may want to consider the RTD Sky Ride to one of the locations in the south metro area. Kids ride for free.

www.rtddenver.com/skyRide/

My brother can drive four of us to Colorado Springs. I'm hoping he can swap vehicles with a friend and drive all five of us....then the whole issue is moot.

I did try on the search engines for "city" pickup of a car (as opposed to airport). The price didn't come out much better, but maybe a specific address would help, if you have one?

I don't have a specific address since there are many offsite locations. Try Littleton, Englewood, Centennial and Highlands Ranch in the city area on the car rental websites. All of the above are very close to the southern part of Denver.

I think reason that you are not finding cheaper prices at off site is that the DNC is soaking up all of the available cars. Try Enterprise I have always had good luck with them at off sites in Chicago.