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- Envelop yourself in Boulder’s Flatirons, where rock climbers maneuver technical routes and hikers explore extensive trails surrounding the iconic 230-million-year-old uplift.
- Get away from it all in Black Hawk and Central City, where you can partake in exciting gaming, dine at a fabulous restaurant, take a cultural history tour or open your senses to an internationally acclaimed performance at the restored Central City Opera House.
- Sip fair-trade espresso, browse the eclectic shops and people-watch along Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall. The historic open-air gathering spot is home to contortionists, jugglers and musicians performing for tips.
- Sink your sweet tooth into a world-famous Johnson’s Corner cinnamon roll—the gooey plate-sized treat that landed the I-25 truck stop on television's Food Network.
- Trace Fort Collins’ architectural history—from the stained-glass dome of the Northern Hotel to the sandstone Avery House—on an Old Fort Collins walking tour.
- Rustle up Western fun at the Greeley Stampede, a popular community festival with a Fourth of July parade, pro and kid rodeos, and big-name rock and country music concerts.
- Break in your skis (or snowboard) at Eldora Mountain Resort near Nederland—one of the closest full-service ski resorts to Denver—which boasts four terrain parks and an annual snowfall average of 300 inches.
- Taste the latest in microbrewed perfection on a tour of Fort Collins microbreweries. Also, don’t miss the famous Clydesdales and domestic favorites at the local Anheuser-Busch brewery.
- Spend an afternoon shopping in Fort Collins’ historic Old Town. Relax among the brick courtyard’s fountains and sculptures and see why in 2006, Money magazine voted the city the best place to live in America.
- Steam along a narrow-gauge track and over the Devil’s Gate High Bridge on the historic Georgetown Loop Railroad. Or, travel 500 feet underground and walk the wood planks of the 1870s Lebanon Silver Mine.
- Stop at two of the state’s best-preserved mining towns, Georgetown and Silver Plume. Both boast impressive Victorian-style buildings.
- Travel above treeline on Trail Ridge Road from the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park to the Colorado River’s headwaters near the park’s western border. At night, make sure to look up for a larger-than-life canvas of stars.
- Embrace lifelong learning with an intellectual discussion or captivating concert at the Colorado Chautauqua, a National Historic Landmark that dates back to 1898.
- Experience the grandeur of the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, the inspirational setting for Stephen King’s novel, The Shining.
- Don a kilt and get your fill of Guinness, meat pie and bagpipes while celebrating Celtic tradition at the Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival in Estes Park.
- Drive through three life zones on the highest paved road in North America to the 14,264-foot summit of Mount Evans, where mountain goats and bighorn sheep seem to outnumber people.
- Cruise the 55-mile Peak to Peak Scenic and Historic Byway, one of Colorado’s oldest scenic byways, for a Front Range showcase of high-country lakes, ghost towns and national forest.
- Live the cowboy or cowgirl life in one of the area’s ranching towns, where guest ranches offer a taste of home on the range.
- Fly-fish the day away in the designated wild trout waters northwest of Fort Collins along the Cache la Poudre River, where rainbow trout thrive in clear pools.
- Explore ghost towns and mining history near Idaho Springs on a tour of the Argo Gold Mine and Mill. During its prime, the mine processed more than $100 million of gold ore.
- Travel back in time at the 10-acre outdoor Centennial Village Museum in Greeley—part of the Cache la Poudre National Heritage Area—where you’ll find operating blacksmith and print shops.
- Get back to rodeo's roots in the town of Deer Trail. Home of the world’s first rodeo in 1869, the tradition lives on with a popular annual rodeo that includes an all-you-can-eat Rocky Mountain oyster fry.
- Be ravished by romance and tragedy all summer long at Boulder’s renowned Shakespeare Festival.
- Choose from a range of trailheads that lead into the valleys of the Indian Peaks Wilderness west of Brainard Lake near Ward.
- Observe the call of the wild—literally—during fall mating season, when herds of bugling bull elk vie for female attention in Rocky Mountain National Park and throughout the parks and open spaces of Estes Park.
- Join in mountain-town quirkiness with a polar plunge and coffin races at Frozen Dead Guy Days, Nederland’s winter festival celebrating an infamous, cryogenically frozen resident.
- Traverse a rugged section of the Continental Divide Trail, which follows America’s backbone and is easily accessible near Estes Park or Nederland.
- Rock hop and pedal past trailside wildflowers while mountain biking through a variety of terrain in Lory State Park. Then, dip in the hot springs pools in Idaho Springs, or enjoy all-natural pampering in a mud, mineral or geo-thermal cave bath.
- Pull over at artists’ roadside workshops sprinkled throughout the region to view chainsaw woodcarvings, ice sculptures, handmade jewelry and blown glass.
- Be still and keep your eyes open for owls, song sparrows and red-winged blackbirds at Hillsdale Park’s superb birding spots in Berthoud.
- Visit Front Range wineries to sample rich chardonnays, sweet rieslings and full-bodied merlots. Pair with Colorado-harvested peaches, plums, cherries and honey to experience full-on local flavor.
- Grab a fork, and visit the annual International Food Festival in the tiny prairie town of Ault, where locals bring their culinary ancestry to the table.
- Join two-wheel enthusiasts in Fort Collins for the original Tour de Fat—a ballyhoo of bikes, post-ride beer and wildly entertaining costumes.
- Scour farmers' markets for seasonal treasures such as chilies, cantaloupes, cabbage, apples, cherries, honey and homemade cider.
- Tap your foot to the mountain sounds coming from the mandolins, guitars and fiddles of the acoustic musicians at the RockyGrass Festival or Folks Fest in Lyons.
- View some of the nation’s best outdoor exhibits and more than 100 of the city’s sculptures at Loveland’s Benson Sculpture Garden.
- Water-ski, wakeboard or host a floating barbecue on 6.5 square miles of water at Horsetooth Reservoir, just west of Fort Collins.
- Enhance your chakra practice at the Shambhala Mountain Center, a 600-acre mountain valley retreat for the body and spirit near Red Feather Lakes.
- Cast a line at St. Vrain State Park near Longmont for catfish, yellow perch and bass fishing in cattail-lined ponds.
- Sling mud on an off-road adventure, on the Green Ridge four-wheel drive road near Red Feather Lakes.
- Trek three miles past more than 80 wildflower species to Bridal Veil Falls, an awe-inspiring 20-foot-high waterfall plunging over a steep rock face in Rocky Mountain National Park.
- Be as far-removed as you like in Glendevey, a rural ranching spot without a major highway or tourist attraction in sight. The nearby Rawah Wilderness is perfect for the freshest snowshoe and cross-county skiing routes.
- Canoe the calm waters of Boedecker Reservoir near Loveland to capture an exclusive photographic angle of the jagged Devil’s Backbone ridge west of town.
- Tube Boulder Creek for summer refreshment and an easy-going river ride.
- Spot bighorns scaling sheer rock faces in the Big Thompson Canyon on the winding drive between Loveland and Estes Park.
- Snowshoe the Allenspark Trail to Finch Lake, stopping at overlooks displaying prominent peaks and the fittingly named Wild Basin, part of Rocky Mountain National Park.
- Rest at The Peck House in Empire. The bed and breakfast resembles the days when President Ulysses S. Grant was a guest, and is decorated in period furniture with a peaceful lack of phones or televisions.
- Kayak the easy-to-navigate sections of the Cache la Poudre River just outside of Fort Collins.
- Watch the pros or try your hand at rock climbing the granite walls of the Twin Owls in the Lumpy Ridge area just north of Estes Park.
- Toss horseshoes and sprawl out in fresh air for a picnic at the award-winning Evans City Park.
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