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Hello ! Colorado is our home too, and we want to help you take advantage of every opportunity to enjoy it. Pack up the car and head out to explore our vacation-ready state. Multi-day trips, two-hour escapes and everything in between are all easy to enjoy when your home state is filled with so many activities and attractions. Tee one up at a golf course you’ve always meant to play, visit an intriguing historic site to learn more about our state history or attend one of the many upcoming summer events and festivals filling our calendar. Take a moment to read this month’s idea-packed newsletter to reinvigorate your love for Colorado. And on COLORADO.COM, we’ve created hundreds of vacation ideas and compiled statewide hot deals and packages to help you plan your vacation and save all at the same time.
Just walk out your front door to start your vacation; we’ll help you with the rest.
Epic Summer
Experience the best of Colorado with an all-inclusive summer getaway. Accommodations, activities, meals, transportation & more! |
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Tee One Up, Tiger!
Golfing in Colorado
You don’t have to travel far to treat yourself to an unforgettable golf getaway. With over 300 incredible courses - each offering its own special variation of elevation, climate, vegetation and wildlife - you can enjoy a round of golf almost any day of the year. Plus, at Colorado’s altitude, drives are likely to go farther and straighter.
Colorado delivers a vast diversity of golf courses that feature every type of design imaginable – mountain, high desert, target and parkland – created by noted architects like Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Jim Engh, Tom Weiskopf and Robert Trent Jones Jr., to name just a few. Revered golf retreats like The Broadmoor, The Club at Crested Butte and the Vail Golf Club are time-tested destinations. But hidden gems like Pagosa Springs Club, Cougar Canyon Golf Links, Buffalo Run Golf Course and the Homestead at Murphy Creek color the landscape with exciting alternatives. Avid golfers can tackle the best courses in Colorado with the newly created Colorado Golf Trails, a series of all-inclusive, preplanned stay and play golf packages available throughout Colorado. For example, the Mile High Golf Trail, includes signature, championship golf courses such as Arrowhead, Fossil Trace, Fox Hollow, Homestead GC at Fox Hollow, Vista Ridge, Heritage Todd Creek, Riverdale Dunes, Buffalo Run and Green Valley Ranch. Each trail will offer anywhere from 12-16 package options depending on duration of stay, hotel classification and number of rounds of golf played. Groups of four to 20 players, including golfing buddies, couples and business associates can enjoy each trail. www.coloradogolftrails.com
For more ideas on exploring Colorado’s golf opportunities, visit www.colorado.com/golf.aspx
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History and Heritage Brought to Life
Summer is the perfect time to explore Colorado’s rich history and heritage. From ancient cliff dwellings and historic trains, to gold mines and pioneer forts, Colorado’s abundant heritage sites and artifacts are waiting to be discovered. Here are five ways to explore Colorado’s past.
• National Parks and Monuments: Colorado’s national parks and monuments provide a time-tested journey to the past. Mesa Verde National Park, a world heritage site, is home to some of the most unique Ancestral Puebloan dwellings in the world. Well-preserved and well-studied, these dwellings have been inspiring interest in this ancient culture for more than 100 years. Tucked securely into cliff walls, the adobe-constructed homes are a novel sight to visitors who crane their necks skyward to see them. Ladders give guided groups access to the cliff dwellings, and informative park rangers offer educated glimpses into the daily lives of the previous inhabitants. Hovenweep National Monument protects six prehistoric, Puebloan-era villages spread out over a 20-mile expanse of mesa tops and canyons along the Utah-Colorado border. And the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument preserves fossils from an ancient ecosystem dating back 34 million years ago. Petrified redwoods, fossilized palms and images of peculiar insects captured in stone enthrall those who stand before them.
• Scenic and Historic Byways: One way to learn about Colorado’s past is by hitting the open road. Our 25 Scenic and Historic Byways weave in and out of cities and towns, making their stories come to life. Along their varied course, these highways and back roads unveil a myriad of tales of Ute Indians, silver seekers, opportunistic settlers, ambitious entrepreneurs and crafty engineers. Ten of Colorado’s 25 Scenic & Historic Byways have received national designation as America’s Byways, recognizing their outstanding scenic and historic attributes. In fact, only one other state has as many nationally designated byways as Colorado. www.coloradobyways.org.
• Scenic & Historic Trains: The moment you step aboard one of Colorado’s nine scenic and historic trains you’ll be transported to an earlier time. Try the Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad and enjoy a four-mile round-trip through historic Victor and past old mining sites, then back to the gold-rush town of Cripple Creek, now known for its low-stakes gambling as well as its restored Victorian-era town. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is the longest and highest narrow-gauge line in North America - it stretches 64 miles from Antonito, Colorado to Chama, New Mexico. From an open-air sightseeing coach, you can take in the sights and enjoy on-train refreshments. The 1950s-era Royal Gorge Route Railroad forges through one of America's most spectacular canyons – the Royal Gorge. Travel in comfortable cars as you chug along the bottom of the gorge and look up 1,200 feet to the Royal Gorge Bridge spanning the top.
• Historic Attractions: The Colorado landscape is peppered with historic attractions. Visit Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site, a must-see attraction along the Santa Fe Trail National Scenic and Historic Byway. Built in 1833, it quickly became a center for cultural interaction between American settlers. Stop by the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave and pay tribute to this icon of the Old West. Or, spend time at the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site.
• Mining Towns and Mine Tours: From Denver to Leadville, towns and cities were established to meet the needs of gold seekers and silver miners. Mining was perhaps one of the greatest influences on Colorado as we know it today. This rich history can be experienced from mountain mine tours and gold panning in storied places such as the Hidee Mine, the Mollie Kathleen Mine and the Old Hundred Mine. It can also be enjoyed on the Main Streets and museums across Colorado, including Idaho Springs, Cripple Creek and Breckenridge, that showcase the rich history of this important time period.
For more ideas on exploring Colorado’s history, visit http://www.colorado.com/SeeColoradoHistoryAndHeritage.aspx
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FEATURED EVENTS:
Colorado Brewer’s Festival (Fort Collins), June 27-28, 2009: Downtown Fort Collins comes alive this June at the 20th annual Colorado Brewer’s Festival. Taste more than 50 Colorado brewed beers including New Belgium, Odell’s and CopperSmith’s, while enjoying great food and live music in the historic downtown area. http://www.downtownfortcollins.com/dba.php/brewfest/
106th Annual Cowboys' Roundup Days & Fourth of July Celebration (Steamboat Springs) July 4-5, 2009: For more than 100 years, Steamboat Springs has celebrated Independence Day with a rodeo. Cowboys’ Roundup Days celebrates the Western heritage native to the Yampa Valley with events for the entire family. On Saturday July 4, kick back in boots at several community events, including a community all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, children’s activities, concerts and fireworks. Sunday morning begins with a real cattle drive where local ranchers will drive 100 cattle from their ranch down Lincoln Avenue. The cattle will then play a part in the Ranch Horse Competition and Ranch Rodeo, where local ranch hands compete against one another. www.steamboat-chamber.com
For more information on events and festivals happening across the state, visit http://www.colorado.com/DoEventsAndFestivals.aspx |
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 TRIP GIVEAWAYS 
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Save Big with Colorado's "Hot Deals":
Governor Ritter recently proclaimed May “Rediscover Colorado Month,” encouraging Coloradans to get out and explore their own backyard. And, with the launch of the Colorado Tourism Office’s new Hot Deals website, HOTDEALSCOLORADO.com, it’s never been easier or more affordable to explore Colorado. The Hot Deals website provides easy access to more than 150 great vacation deals from across the state. From rafting adventures to spa escapes, there is something for everyone, including savings on admittance to attractions and discounts on shopping and dining. The new Hot Deals site also allows you to create a customized “MyColorado Coupon Book,” where you can easily collect and print a variety of coupons to use while exploring this great state. Below are just a few ideas.
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Get “Down & Dirty” at The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa:
Colorado’s first “green” resort invites locals to embrace spring in the high country with the new “Down & Dirty: I Love Mud Season” package. It’s an affordable getaway that highlights the best outdoor adventure that the Vail Valley has to offer, at a great price of 20 percent off traditional rates. Visitors will spend an energizing – and muddy - morning exploring the White River National Forrest in an open-air Jeep tour with Nova Guides. Then it is into the refreshing Eagle River for an exhilarating afternoon of whitewater rafting. The day comes to an end with a relaxing treatment at Spa Anjali, which offers a complete menu of services focusing on healing mountain traditions. Guests can soothe their tired bodies with a Therapeutic Sports Massage, a Glacial Mud Body Wrap or a Peak Hydration Facial. Packages start at just $329 per night for two people with a two-night minimum stay required. www.westin.com/riverfrontavon
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“Mile High” $52.80 Deals in Denver:
Visit the “Mile High” city of Denver and save big all summer with more than 100 bargain packages from hotels, restaurants, sports teams, cultural facilities, museums, restaurants and attractions that offer deals for the “mile high” price of $52.80. Attractions such as the Denver Art Museum, Water World, the Butterfly Pavilion, Molly Brown House and the Downtown Aquarium are offering attractive $52.80 packages. Customized cultural offerings for $52.80 include ticket packages for the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Opera Colorado and Central City Opera. Even hotels are offering extended night stays for just $52.80. www.denver5280deals.com
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Two-Night Stay and Play Package at Wilderness Trails
Dude & Guest Ranch:
This incredible value includes cabin lodging for two nights with breakfast, lunch and dinner. In addition, guests will enjoy an hour of fishing for free, including equipment. Buy one activity and receive a second activity of equal or lesser value free; choose from horseback riding, hayrides, evening entertainment, guided fishing and land/lake activities. Rates start at $300 for double occupancy. www.wildernesstrails.com
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