Hello. I am looking for any guidance to where to visit on our trip to Colorado. We are going the first week in October and have never been. We have the current Colorado magazine which is a big help. I asked for help on our last trip and received great tips and feedback. So I'm asking again for any advice.

Thanks, Tina

We went to CO a few years ago, flying into Denver.

We visited the Molly Brown house (Titanic survivor and wealthy resident)--LOVED it!

There's a US mint there, too, but I believe you have to make special arrangements with a congressman to go on a tour. You probably have time to do this and I think it'd be a great tour.

We drove to Colorado Springs and took the cog railroad up to the summit of Pikes Peak. Along the way, we stopped at several gold mining "museums".

One of the highlights of the trip was a trip to the Mollie Kathleen gold mine in Cripple Creek (as I recall a long drive from Denver, but worth it). It's a working gold mine and you go down in the mining shaft.

Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine
9388 Hwy 67
Cripple Creek, CO 80813
P.O. box 339
719 689 2466
1 888 291 5689 9101
(must use 9101 pin #)
[email protected]

We were there in the summer for an archery tournament, so our sightseeing was limited to a few days before and a few days after the event, but we enjoyed it very much.

We stayed at the Drury Inn in Englewood and it was wonderful--cheap, but very, very nice--free breakfast, free internet, free food at night, etc. etc.

HTH
Rae

The western 2/3 of the state are GORGEOUS! If you are a Stephen King fan, you can stay at the Stanley in Estes Park.

We didn't do many of the tourist things, we hiked in the Rockies though, and loved it. Just driving through there is awesome. The rest areas are in beautiful places!

Pikes Peak is being paved, not sure if they have finished it or not...if not you may want to check that out before it is changed forever.

It will be borderline for tourist things to be open in Oct. - check to make sure.

Have you narrowed down the are you'll be visiting? Colorado is a huge state and each area has it's own unique characteristics. Colorado Springs is great for a family-oriented vacation and also centrally located. Not only is there tons to do right in Colorado Springs (Air Force Academy, US Olympic center, Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, Old Colorado City, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Seven Falls) you can easily get to several mountain resort areas in addition to Cripple Creek, Denver, Canon City. For mountain resort towns, I'd recommend Breckinridge. All of the things that Rae mentioned are top of the list...the Mollie Kathleen (big ), the cog railway. Send me a PM when you know a little more specifics about your trip and I'll make some recommendations and I could probably help you plan some day trips. For instance, if you are going to do the cog railway, there is also a nearby castle open for tours, charming shops, a trolley tour of Manitou Springs, and lunch at the Loop is a must! If you go to the Mollie Kathleen, there is nearby Cripple Creek and Victor, both historic mining towns. Cripple Creek has been converted to a gaming town but all the old buildings are there along with some really interesting small museums and a steam railroad tour of the mining areas.

Sorry, I didn't mean to ramble on for so long...

You couldn't pick a better place for a vacation!!!! I live in the Denver area and there are tons of things to do.
If you like museums,
Denver Museum of Science and Natural History is interesting. They have the Body Works exhibit right now, but I'm not sure how long that will run.
Denver Art Museum has King Tut until January
The Denver Botanical Gardens are beautiful
The Molly Brown House
The US Mint
Red Rocks has a nice easy trail for hiking, as well as the ampitheater and museum.
Golden has the Coor's brewery that does tours, and a Railroad museum
Rocky Mountain National Park is just a short drive from Denver and is by Estes where the Stanley Hotel is located. Unfortunately, Trail Ridge Road will likely be closed by then, but if it happens to be open, it is a beautiful drive.
Idaho Springs and Georgetown are both quaint adorable little mining towns
located just west of Denver. I think there are some hot springs in Idaho Springs.
Central City and Blackhawk mostly have casinos, if you are into that.
There are a ton of other things, but off the top of my head these are the ones that come to mind.
You can also rent bikes in Denver and ride though some of the extensive bike trails around town.
Hope that helps

I have a friend in the Durango area, and got to visit. Lots of neat places nearby like Silverton, an old mining town that you can get to by narrow gauge railroad. Also close to Mesa Verde.
Lots of great hiking trails, too, if you're into that.

Thanks Everyone! I have enjoyed reading all your tips and have printed them out We are starting in Denver and will travel to Estes and go from there. We looked at the Stanley Hotel and wanted to stay there but I was not impressed with the rooms. We have our flights booked and our rental car now just trying to figure out where to stay. It's difficult to plan the trip because a lot of things that are open now will be closed when we arrive. We would love to go on a bike trail not one that's too difficult. All of the railroads looks fantastic. But so many make it hard to decide which one to pick.

We went to Vermont the same time last year for the first time and it was more winter than fall. We are from Florida so we rarely use our coats but I love cold weather. It was a blast! Except when we got home it was barely fall here so it felt more like Christmas than fall. I have a feeling this will happen again I guess we should start out in early September next year.

I appreciate all your tips. It is really helpful. I knew I could count on Cake Central!!