sca_bumble

Hi! My husband and I are flying to Denver for our spring break trip with our teen child. We will fly into Denver but have a place to stay with friends in Pueblo, CO. We have never been out that way and I am having a hard time planning our week. We arrive on a Wednesday and leave the following Wednesday. We have a very early flight home so we know we have to spend the night back in Denver on Tuesday before we leave. We will have a car so can easily get around. I would love some help creating a flexible itinerary of day trips. We could spend the night at some of the locations if it is something special but would love to use the house in Pueblo as our home base. Any ideas what to see and on how to break up our stay to maximize our time there would be very much appreciated. Thank you!

emalloy

It is often kind of mud season in Colorado in March, so most of the things I would suggest like hiking in Rocky Mt. NP, are out. If you are determined to use Pueblo as your base, you could drive a couple of hours down to Great Sand Dunes NP, or an hour or so to Garden of the Gods or take a ride on the Royal Gorge Railroad or tour the Air Force Academy. On the day you return to Denver visit Red Rocks music venue.

Nerd that I am, I would drive the six hours to Mesa Verde and spend a couple of nights there, but it sounds like you would not want to do that.

I bet if you google "things to do in Pueblo Colorado" you will come up with lots of ideas.

Melnq8

Pueblo doesn't make the best base for seeing what most first time visitors come to see. With so little time and the drive distances involved, I'd suggest you concentrate on the Colorado Springs area. In addition to the usual suspects mentioned upthread, you might want to meander over to Bishop's Castle.

Plan Your Visit - Bishop Castle

fmpden

Ya, you do need to look at the map. Pueblo is not what we call centrally located and to spend a week there would be challenging. What do your friends say or offer as day trip suggestions? They could be your best bet. The weather should be a little warmer that far south. Driving into the mountains carries some risk of spring snows at that time of year. The Great Sand dunes tend to be pretty wet at that time of year. You might consider spend three or four nights with your friends and then three nights in the Denver.

Nelson

About an hour and a half east of Pueblo, away from the mountains, is Bent's Old Fort. If that kind of iconic historical site interests you then it's well worth the drive (boring to most people, but not me). In nearby La Junta is a nice Native American Museum, the Koshare Indian Museum and Trading Post.

It might be that the weather is good in that direction but not in the mountains. Or the other way around, but check it.

sylvia3

There are several towns in southern Colorado that are attractive/ historic. You could also take a trip to Las Vegas New Mexico, 2 hours away, a very cool, historic, interesting little city with nearby hot springs. There's been a restoration of an old grand Harvey hotel at the train station that might be ready to open, or the Plaza hotel on the plaza!

Melnq8

Las Vegas, NM is more like a three hour drive from Pueblo (213 miles).

You might want to read this before heading to the hot springs though:

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/new...6945066e1.html

sca_bumble

Thank you for your response! It is appreciated!

sylvia3

Quite right, sorry, I was punching in some of my favs, and used Trinidad, not Pueblo, as a starting point.

Gretchen

Just wondering if your child would want to ski. It's late in the season but the areas will still be operating. Making a base for a few days in Summit County would have things to do. Even if he doesn't ski, there is a facility at Copper Mountain called Woodward where trick skiers practice by jumping into foam pits. He can do trampoline and things there also.
Anyone interested in fly fishing for a day--outifitters in Silverthrone would have everythng and all but guarantee a fish.