Colorado vacation? Over thanksgiving...

[postjack]

Do any headcasers live in Colorado, or spent anytime there? Melody and I are trying to come up with vacation ideas over thanksgiving (Wednesday through sunday) and are considering going to Boulder. We are looking for a relaxing vacation, nice hotel, good food, etc., but somewhere we can do cool hiking and outdoor stuff as well. I was out in Denver a couple years ago for some phish shows and thought it was beautiful, and would like to explore more of what Colorado has to offer.

Open to any Colorado ideas, or any ideas for a vacation like I described. Our ulterior motive is we are silently scouting out potential places to move to as well. While I do love the South we'd generally like to live somewhere with less of a morally conservative populace, and also somewhere less hot.

[grawk]

For a vacation, I'd recommend either a ski resort area, ft collins, or estes park over boulder.  Boulder's just traffic and hippies.

[acidbasement]

I've been to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival a few times, and that area is gorgeous. Skiing and hiking opportunities abound, gold mining history, cool shops, bars, restaurants, and the library is beautiful. You might even be able to help Tom Cruise do his taxes in you move there.

[HeadphoneAddict]

During thanksgiving holiday it might be hard to do hiking if it snows too much - some years it's dry and other's it wet and snowy already.  But the ski resorts are all open at that time, and a ski-trip might be the thing to plan.  It's a tricky time of year to come here, because it can be warm or freezing cold.

Telluride that's mentioned above is pretty much out of the way if coming into Denver, as it's at the far southwest corner of the state, and even farther from Denver than Durango/Purgatory ski resort.  You could choose from Winterpark (closer to denver) or Keystone, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, and Vail and find nice dining, but I haven't been in years due to my lung disease so I don't know about other entertainment there.  Breckenridge has a sledding hill, as does Copper Mountain (per my son).  Copper Mountain doesn't have much of a city to visit at all, and Breckenridge and Vail have more to see than Keystone (except near the highway in Frisco and Dillon).

If you don't ski, you could find some great hikes in the Boulder Canyon, Flatirons, Goldengate Park, and Red Rocks areas near Morrison, again the amount of snow being the issue (or not).  I don't know about Spas and hot springs being around Boulder, and the hotels are typically just average there (stayed at the Best Western and the Marriott, with Marriott slightly better).  I'd be searching the web for a nice B&B in Boulder or something.  Reservations for dinner at the Flagstaff House in Boulder is a good idea if you stay there (might want to check the dress code).  

Denver has some nice off broadway shows at the Buell Theater, and they're showing The Lion King during the time you'll be there Denver Theater & Buell Theater.  and we went to see Wicked this summer.  The Broncos host the Patriots that Sunday night, but you'll be gone by then.  The Denver nuggets play the Spurs on Friday at the Pepsi Center, if you like basketball.  I don't see anything past 11/19 for the Avalanche hockey games.  I think the Casinos are a waste of time (Central City and Blackhawk), and I expect that Elitches 6 Flags amusement park will be closed by that time of year.

Father out west is Glenwood Springs, which is within driving distance of Aspen and Snowmass ski resorts, with a nice hot springs pool, a few good restaurants, and places to get a massage.  Plus there is small ski resort there, but it may not have good snow that time of year (much lower altitude than the other resorts).  Steamboat Springs is also a favorite, with a nice hot springs pool and massage place, good skiing and hiking, and some nice restaurants.  But Steamboat and Glennwood Springs are a bit farther of a drive than the first resorts I mentioned (which aren't famous for having hot springs pools).  However, Idaho Springs can fill that roll as they're halfway between Denver and the typical I-70 corridor ski resorts.

Good Luck!

PS: The main street in Steamboat is nice for shopping (Like Breck and Vail), with many shops and restaurants, and there are also a few theaters showing current films.

[postjack]

Sweet, thanks for the tips! 

[Sherwood]

Posty, I lived in CO for 20+ years, 6 of them in Boulder.  It's one of my favorite places in the world.

Larry's tips are all excellent.  Telluride is far as hell away, great town though it is.  Dan also makes a good suggestion in Estes Park, though it's a scenic 1 hour drive from Boulder.  Fort Collins is of little interest to me, but it was Boulder's rival school, and I never came around to its "merits". Also my in laws live there.  Little love lost.

Other great place to live would be Golden (home of Macro brewed beer).

As far as vacationing goes, the sky is the limit.  If I were planning a trip back over Thanksgiving I'd want to go to Crested Butte, Breckenridge, Vail, or Estes Park.  Estes Park is actually where I chose to spend my last night in Colorado before I moved overseas, at the beautiful and famous Stanley Hotel.

[grawk]

I suppose the draw for Ft Collins for me probably doesn't interest posty anyway

[Sherwood]

I suppose the draw for Ft Collins for me probably doesn't interest posty anyway

[grawk]

Edited August 29, 2015 by grawk

[Sherwood]

That looks more fun.  How nerdy am I?

[HeadphoneAddict]

That looks more fun.  How nerdy am I?

You put yourself into Tyll's head for a sec is all...