Won a free trip to Denver..help!
 

Hi everyone! My husband and I won a contest from a supplier that we use, and now we're going to Denver on July 8th for 4 days! We will be staying at Adam's Mark. (How is that hotel, by the way? Not that I can complain about free!)

Only problem is that I've looked online for what seems like days for things to do, and I'm more confused than ever. I've found some "tours" that involve a scenic train ride that seem really interesting, but some seem to have closed down, some seem to go to one destination and stay there, etc. Do you know of such a thing that will take us from Denver and back to Denver the same day?

What else is a "must see / must do"? We aren't the bar-scene type, in our 40's, love to explore new places and new things, and hubby doesn't swim, so rafting is out.

Best Wishes :)

Browse around Denver--Art museum, botanic garden (there may be an evening concert there which is fun), zoo, Museum of Natural History. Shop in LoDo, go to a Rockies game if they are in town, shop at Cherry Creek. Day trip that would be LOVELY is to go north to the Rocky Mountain National Park, drive through the park, drop south to Silverthorne, and come back to Denver on I70, perhaps stopping in Idaho Springs for dinner.
On the outskirts of Denver in Westminster is a neat butterfly pavilion. If you like amusement parks there is Elitch Gardens right in Denver and a real old fashioned place--Lakeside--on the outskirts.

The Adams mark is nice, great location! Will you have a car? There is great hiking and biking nearby. If no car no worries Denver is a great town to walk around. you might look at http://denver.citysearch.com for events going on

oh and you might check out this...

Confluence Concerts, starting July 2004. Free summer concert series on the Riverfront, where Cherry Creek meets the South Platte River at Confluence Park in Lower Downtown, featuring the best in local entertainment ? from jazz and blues to classical performances. Every Thursday in July. (303) 637-2645 www.greenwayfoundation.org

JudieAnne
The Adam's Mark is a VERY nice hotel. Originally built as a Fairmont, and I am sure you will recognize that name. Great downtown location. Many good restaurants in area. Easy walking to many downtown activities, but I would say you need a car, or good taxi budget to get to anything else around the city. Check out Grayline tours for bus tours in Colorado. You might also check out www.colorado.com a good tourist website for the whole of Colorado.

Thank you for your helpful replies! We will rent a car while there, so I'm looking forward to a Rocky Mountain National Park day trip.

Keep the suggestions coming!! You all are great!! :)

Go to Vail for the day - less than a two hour drive from downtown Denver. I think there are shuttles to take you there if you don't want to rent a car. You could also take a bus a couple blocks from your hotel that will drop you in downtown Boulder - a fun place to hang out for an afternoon. BTW we stayed at the Adams Mark last year for company party - location is excellent right on the 16th street mall downtown. Lobby is very nice, rooms are average - clean and comfortable but not what you could call luxurious. But as you say for free you can't complain.

JudieAnne Vail is a good thought, try to eat lunch at "Up the Creek" reserve an outdoor table and watch the kayakers.

For something a bit more adenvertursome go to Dillon Marina. Take 70 west exit Silverthorne/Dillon about 90 min from Downtown. go south/left and follow the signs to the Marina/Amphitheatre You can rent kayaks/canoe or splurge and charter a sailboat for a couple of hours. Breathtakingly beautiful! Have lunch or an early dinner at the Tiki Bar at the Marina. This is always the highlight for our out of town guests
http://www.dillonmarina.com.

You mentioned a train ride in your question. There are three attractions that might interest you and could be done with day trips from Denver.

Just west of Denver, the Colorado Railroad Museum is in Golden. It has a variety of indoor displays and a large outside collection of rolling stock. More info at www.crrm.org.

Further west, an old mining narrow guage railroad still runs daily trips through the summer (at least for this year). The two stations of the Georgetown Loop RR are at Georgetown, about 50 miles west of Denver on I-70 and Silver Plume, another few miles to the west on I-70. It runs steam engines and curls through the forests and cliffs of the Georgetown Mining District. More info at www.georgetownloop.com.

Tthe third is a little further away (I'm guessing about 120 miles but its been awhile since I've done that trip). The Royal Gorge RR runs scenic trips through the the gorge. Royal Gorge is south of Denver and west of Pueblo. There is information about it on the Georgetown Loop web site.

Have a great trip.

Just wanted to say thanks =D>to Gretchen and others for advice in this thread.

Visited Denver this past weekend and did the Day Trip from Denver to Rocky Mountain State Park (25 North to 66 West to 34 (Trail Ridge =-oRd) to I70 and returned to Denver on Route 6 (passes through Golden Colorado).

The scenery((p)) and wildlife were amazing!!! Thanks again.:S-

I agree, I was just out there this week. We spent the day in Boulder, on the way there from Denver. Went of up to Rocky Mtn. Nat'l Park. Saw lot's of Elk, Deer, Coyote and Prairie Dogs. Plus, of course, the beauty of the mtn's and Estes Park. Have fun and enjoy!!!

The town of georgetown is a nice place to browse as well..lots of cute shops.

You've gotten a lot of great suggestions so far. In my opinion (I'm a Denverite), the best part of Denver is the nearby mountains, so consider day trips and day trips!

The Georgetown railroad is nice and very scenic, but also SLOW. The few times I've riden it, I've been ready to be done about half-way through.

On trips into the mountains, however, beware the traffic. On Saturday and Sunday (esp. Sun.) afternoons and evenings in the summer, the traffic back to Denver is backed up forever. Traffic west in the mornings is not so bad.

Could someone give me est. of driving time from DEN airport to RMNP? We arrive in early am & need to be back in city by 4. Anywhere to get something to eat in/near park? Is this a good choice for daytrip or Garden of the Gods better?

As noted above, we day-tripped from downtown Denver to RMNP starting in Estes Park. We passed plenty of places to eat just before entering RMNP and found the triple AAA Tourbook to have a decent map of routes through RMNP.

According to <font color="blue">www.expedia.com</font> map, the distance from Denver Int'l Airport is ~76 miles (1hour1/2) to Estes Park of RMNP. The stunning:o route through RMNP that we drove climbed to 12,000-~13,000 feet and would suggest you spend some acclimating to ~5,000 feet (e.g. by spending a few days in Denver) before driving through RMNP, if you're flying in from a sea level residence.
:S-
The only &quot;Garden of the Gods&quot; we've been to was on Lanai (Hawaiian Island), sorry can't help you with a comparison:?