Who doesn’t love a big birthday party complete with mountains, hikes, rivers, concerts, and festivals? Colorado is inviting you to celebrate with your friends, families, and neighbors. We’re going to focus on Summer as many families are trying to fill the days with kids home from school, hybrid working, and making the most without a lot of travel. If you map them all out, you can make a plan to hit as many as possible. Be sure to check the parking limits, costs associated with attending, if any. If you are active, or former military members, be sure to ask about discounts for those who are serving or have served. Did you know that national parks give lifetime free access to veterans? Just a couple of visits with your family a year can add up. Learn more on the National Park Service site.
Don’t think celebrating is limited to day hikes. There are some outstanding views and places to explore at night to give you a different perspective of our state. You can consider a drive-in movie as part of the “We dare you’s!” in this post.
There are options for activities in the list below for those with accessibility needs, too.
First, let’s cover some of the summer festivals.
The Denver Underground Music Showcase is August 27 – 29.
It features 100+ live bands, 12+ Broadway venues, 8+ blocks of Broadway.
Here’s the line-up. (https://www.undergroundmusicshowcase.com/lineup/)
Head into Fall with A Taste of Colorado (https://www.atasteofcolorado.com/ ) – the balance to all that State Fair food you ate the week before!
This event is September 4 – 6 with 50 food booths and more than 275 artisan vendors and six entertainment stages.
When was the last time you went to the Colorado State Fair? (https://coloradostatefair.com/ )
It’s in Pueblo from August 27 – September 6.
It’s the one time of year when gorging on fried food is practically a sport and Foam Fest is just a cover name for taste-testing Colorado’s craft beers. Rodeo fans and newbies alike can’t miss the best of the best as the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rolls through Pueblo. Buckin’ broncos, raging bulls, and barrel-racing cowgirls kick up dust under stadium lights at the rowdy Budweiser Rodeo Arena.
Concerts at the fair have featured Chris Janson, Foreigner, Huey Lewis & The News, and more.
Looking for more? Try thinking like a tourist. As Colorado residents, we are always asked by our visiting friends and family, what’s the best thing to do? Sometimes we give them directions, links and send them on their way. Time to rethink it and put yourself in the mindset of a tourist seeing our state infrequently, or even for the first time. Why do you love living here? Perhaps this list will jog your memory. Consider posting photos from these places #HBColorado We’d love to see how you celebrated!
Here’s the list to consider – we dare you to tackle at least 3 of them – courtesy of Colorado.com :
- Ascend into fresh alpine air on the Estes ParkAerial Tramway.
- Spend a sunny day tubing in Clear Creek Canyon (near Golden).
- Take in the colors and blooms at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens(Vail) or Chatfield Farms (Littleton)
- Go sand surfing or cruising in a special sand wheelchair at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (near Alamosa).
- Here’s a great GLOBAL bucket list item, cross the Continental Divide on Trail Ridge Road scenic byway in Rocky Mountain National Park.
- Hike part of the 500-mile-long Colorado Trail. Pick up Segment 1 in Waterton Canyon near Denver where the first 4 miles are a wide, well-packed natural surface with minimal elevation gain (about 40 feet per mile) and there’s even an accessible fishing pier.
- Have you ever seen ancient rock art on a twilight tour with the Ute Indian Museum(Montrose)?
- Ride the newly revamped Broadmoor Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway and snack on high-altitude doughnuts at the 14,115-foot summit of America’s Mountain (Manitou Springs).
- Stop and smell the roses at the Annual Flower Trial Garden (Fort Collins).
- Catch a show or run the steps at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre (Morrison).
- Ride an intricately painted antique horse on the Kit Carson County Carousel (Burlington).
- Treat yourself to some seasonal produce— from Palisade peaches and Olathe sweet corn to Pueblo chiles and Rocky Ford melons — at u-pick farms, roadside stands, and farmers’ markets across the state.
- View the strength, hear the sound of roaring cascades at Zapata Falls (Alamosa) or South Mineral Creek Falls (Durango).
- How cool is this option – book an athlete-guided tour and spot future medalists training at the S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center (Colorado Springs).
- Enjoy a week at one of the state’s many dude ranches.
- Stargaze at nine internationally designated Dark Sky Parks. Remember to bring your Wintergreen Lifesavers to turn it into a sparking party for all ages – just open your mouth and give them a crunch.
- If you like horses, cowboys and girls, rodeos, then it’s time you figured out which rodeos across the state. you’ll be going to.
- Consider a night away from your house. Keep it easy and interesting. you may have to get on a waitlist for cancellations, but it will be worth it in a hostel, chalet, glamping tent or even a mermaid’s cottage.
- Escape the heat and get a glimpse of snow in the Never Summer Wilderness.
- Drive on the highest paved road in North America — Mount Evans scenic byway— and wave “hello” to mountain goats as you go by.
- Enjoy the silence, aside from the roar of the flame as you take a postcard-worthy hot-air balloon journey followed by a Champagne toast, a centuries-old ballooning tradition.
- Get to know Native American culture and the diverse traditions and heritage of different tribal nations at a traditional powwow.
- Have you ever seen mountain plovers and burrowing owls on the Colorado Birding Trail?
- Check out the annual FIBArk Festival where kayakers, stand-up paddleboarders, and rafters compete in the mighty Arkansas River (Salida).
- Strike it rich at mine tours in historic gold-rush towns around the state.
- Perfect your stand-up paddleboard balance on rippling Big Soda Lake (Lakewood) or Horseshoe Reservoir (Fort Collins). Don’t forget your PFD!
- Looking for adaptive outdoors programs? Get ready to hike, bike, rock climb, fish, whitewater raft, and more with numerous organizations across the state. Scope out summer events and classes from Telluride Adaptive Outdoors, Adaptive Sports Center (Crested Butte), National Sports Center for the Disabled (Denver and Winter Park), Adaptive Adventures (Lakewood), and Adaptive Sports Association (Durango).
- Camp out at sites in all of Colorado’s colorful landscapes, from deserts and mountains to prairies and forests. There are some that don’t require a reservation. You can find some from the US Forest Service on ReserveAmerica. The rest can be found here.
- Canoe across the aptly named Shadow Mountain Lake(Granby).
- Cooldown up while whitewater rafting on nearly 20 different rivers.
- Explore the depths of the cavernous Black Canyon of the Gunnison (near Montrose).
- Drive-in movies bring back nostalgia. If you’ve never been, put on your PJs and don’t miss them this summer at Tru Vu Drive-in (Delta) or 88 Drive-In Theater (Henderson).
- Visit one of Colorado’s 42 state parks— each spectacular in its own way.
- Take a boat tour on the glassy water at Curecanti National Recreation Area (near Gunnison).
- Rip down Copper Mountain’s Rocky Mountain Coaster, the Alpine Coaster at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park (Glenwood Springs), or the new Mustang Mountain Coaster, opening in May 2021 (Estes Park).
- Take an explosively colorful hike in Crested Butte, Colorado’s wildflower capital.
