145 Ways to Celebrate Colorado: Fall & Winter

Find the other half of the list and explore ways to celebrate Colorado’s birthday in spring and summer >>

Fall

• Admire mountains streaked with golden aspen groves on the Peak to Peak scenic byway.
• Soak up the sunset views from the historic Monarch Crest Scenic Tramway in Salida.
• Observe the Greater Sandhill Crane during the Yampa Valley Crane Festival each September (Steamboat Springs and Hayden).
• Bray with delight at pack burro races during Miners’ Day celebrations in Victor, Frederick and Nederland.
• Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 to Oct. 15) with fashion shows, musical performances, museums and more (Denver).
• Listen for bugling elk as you hike amongst the fall colors of Rocky Mountain National Park.
• Get into the Halloween spirit by exploring some of Colorado’s mining ghost towns and most haunted sites.
• Sip your way through a tour of Coors Brewery (Golden).
• Climb aboard a Colorado historical train for a leaf-peeping trip like no other.
• It’s pro sports season! Catch a Rockies, Broncos, Avalanche, Rapids or Nuggets game.
• Explore the second-largest concentration of natural arches in North America at McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area (near Grand Junction).
• Get all gussied up for The Stanley Hotel’s famous Shining Ball (Estes Park).
• Camp under explosively yellow aspens along Last Dollar Road (Telluride).
• Indulge in some good, clean, quirky fun at Lee Maxwell Washing Machine Museum (Eaton).
• Snack on apple-cider doughnuts (and pick fruit fresh from the trees) in Penrose.
• Eye colorful hot-air balloons at October’s Animas Valley Balloon Rally (Durango).
• Cheer on Ralphie (University of Colorado Boulder) or CAM the Ram (Colorado State University, Fort Collins) as they streak down the football field during halftime.
• Honor Native American Heritage Month (November) by learning about the Ancestral Puebloan people at Hovenweep National Monument (Cortez) or by visiting the tragic site of the Sand Creek Massacre (Eads), where history was forever changed.
• Resist the temptation to sit on the artistic and architectural chairs of the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art’s International Collection (Denver).
• Contemplate Bishop Castle — a massive sculpture built entirely by one man (Rye).
• Taste your way through our many Colorado wineries during the peak of grape-harvesting season (September and October).
• Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with the Nathan Yip Foundation’s annual luncheon and traditional Vietnamese mooncakes from Vinh Xuong Bakery (Denver). 
• Get spicy and enter a frijole-spitting competition at Pueblo’s annual Chile & Frijoles Festival.
• Revel in our amazing fall weather as you cruise some of our locally loved running and cycling destinations.
• At Coney Island Boardwalk, wolf down a hot dog from a stand that looks like an actual hot dog (Bailey).
• Hop on a shuttle to view the country’s most photographed mountains: the snow-streaked Maroon Bells (Aspen).
• Enjoy the autumn air and the good feeling of giving back with nature walks, educational events and clean-up get-togethers from Roaring Fork Conservancy (Basalt), Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (around the state) and Walking Mountains Science Center (Avon).
• Dash through Manitou Springs with a decorated casket at the Emma Crawford Coffin Races.
• Get an up-close view of bison roaming the plains at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge (Commerce City) or at Genesee Mountain Park (Golden).
• Horseback ride through Browns Canyon National Monument (Buena Vista).
• Survey the shack of Colorado-famous Baby Doe Tabor — an actor and the scandalous wife of a storied silver baron (Leadville).
• Nip hoppy concoctions at the Great American Beer Festival in October (Denver).
• Decode the messages of whispering aspens at Golden Gate Canyon State Park (Golden).
• Get lost in one of the state’s many corn mazes and Instagrammable pumpkin patches with our family-friendly fall drive itineraries.
• Squeal at the gory films shown every October at the Telluride Horror Show.

Winter

• Honor Black History Month (February) by exploring the Black American West Museum & Heritage Center (Denver) and Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center, where you can learn about Colorado's Buffalo Soldiers, some of the country's first national park rangers!
• Watch professional ice sculptors chisel their frozen magic at December’s Berthoud Snowfest & Colorado Snow Sculpting Competition.
• Wander the multi-hued striated canyons at Paint Mines Interpretive Park (Calhan).
• Tour the stunning Miramont and Glen Eyrie castles (Colorado Springs).
• Explore Ridgway, the charming mountain town where the Grammy Awards are made by hand and 1969’s “True Grit” was filmed.
• Warm up with spicy dishes and drinks from Colorado restaurants — think everything from hamburgers smothered in Pueblo green chiles to ghost-pepper-spiked hot cocoa. 
• Take in a sunrise on the eastern plains as the Last Chance Module Array casts artistic shadows on the prairie.
• Celebrate Women’s History Month (March) by learning about some of Colorado’s coolest feminists at Center for Colorado Women's History (Byers-Evans House Museum) (Denver).
• Find hidden speakeasies at B&GC (Denver), Social (Fort Collins) and The Bookcase & Barber (Durango).
• Get schooled in alpine skiing and snowboarding at powder havens across the state, including many that offer adaptive and accessible lessons.
• Layer up and wander the eye-catching Denver Zoo Lights or Denver Botanic Gardens Blossoms of Light.
• Whoop for your fave contestants at skijoring contests — where cowboys on horses pull skiers through snowy obstacle courses — in Leadville and Silverton.
• Sip over-the-top hot chocolate at Bird & Jim (Estes Park) or The Little Nell (Aspen).
• Pose for a photo on the mile-high step of the golden-domed Colorado State Capitol (Denver).
• Climb glacial-blue cliffs nestled in a natural gorge at the world-famous Ouray Ice Park.
• Tour the National Ice Core Lab, which houses ice cores from the glaciated regions of the world (Lakewood).
• Visit a living-history farm at Littleton Museum and say “hi” to the resident donkey.
• Get your hygge on with a spa day (massages, wraps and more) at a cozy mountain resort.
• Snap photos of the petrified wood stumps at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.
• Backcountry ski to a 10th Mountain Division Hut — and learn safety tips before you go!
• Ring in the Lunar New Year with the Colorado Springs Chinese Cultural Institute.
• Lace up some skates and glide on outdoor ice-skating rinks at Denver International Airport, Evergreen, Idaho Springs and Beaver Creek.
• Listen to the sounds of whinnies and hooves crunching through snow on a sleigh ride before tucking into meals, snacks and ciders.
• Toboggan down a frosty hill at The Meadows at Elk Camp (Snowmass) or Firecracker Hill (Telluride), or snow tube at resorts like Winter Park. 
• Hit that corduroy while learning to cross-country ski or snowshoe at one of our 20-plus Nordic centers, many of which offer adaptable lessons.
• Toss back some winter cheer on the world’s largest Shotski at Breckenridge Ullr Fest in December.
• Marvel at artifacts from the Ice Age at Wray Museum.
• Find inspiration in world-class art at A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art (Trinidad), Chapungu Sculpture Park (Loveland) and Museo de las Americas (Denver).
• Visit Santa’s workshop at North Pole, Colorado, at the base of Pikes Peak (Cascade).
• Devour holiday dishes like latkes from Latke Love (Littleton), peanut stew from African Grill and Bar (Lakewood) or tamales from Tamales from Heaven (Evans).
• Book a cozy winter cabin where you can soak in a hot tub while the snow falls, read next to a crackling fire or take in mountain views while you roast s'mores.
• Sip a whiskey warmup at distilleries like Rising Sun Distillery (Denver) and Marble Distilling Co. (Carbondale).
• Get in on one of Colorado’s weirdest festivals by “celebrating” the cryopreservation of Bredo Morstoel at Estes Park’s Frozen Dead Guy Days.
• Pull out your fanciest duds for an elegant afternoon of high tea at The Brown Palace Hotel & Spa (Denver) or The Queen's Parlour Tea Room at Miramont Castle (Manitou Springs).
• Pick up souvenirs emblazoned with our beloved Colorado “C” on it — maybe a beanie and some woolen socks?
• Embrace your inner penguin and support Special Olympics Colorado with polar plunges across the state.

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