I need help planning our Colorado vacation!

[amorey]

DH and I are going out to Colorado at the end of the month for his college friend’s wedding. The wedding is in Greeley, and DH has some friends in Boulder. We are flying into Denver and will be there for 5 days and 4 nights. I don’t have anything booked yet but the plane tickets!

Does anyone know any good places to stay or fun things to do in the area? We are on a fairly tight budget. We’re willing to drive a little. I’d like to check out Rocky Mountain National Park and maybe go white water rafting. I’m so nervous we’ll be stuck in some Super 8 next to a freeway!

[katiadarling]

I just recently moved to Boulder, so I don't really know too much.. especially not anything about places to stay. But, for things to do, we LOVE to hike and there are so many places to go around here. My best friend just visited and we took her down to the Coors brewery in Golden. We also went rafting in Idaho Springs, which was awesome! Red Rocks is really cool and fun to visit. Rocky Mountain National Park is supposed to be great, but dogs aren't allowed, so we've never been (if we hike, the dog goes with).
Um.... I'm not sure what else, but it's a wonderful area with sooo much to do, I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding things to keep you occupied.

[amorey]

Thanks! Have you been to any good restaurants? DH is excited to eat on his vacation. :rolleyes:

Also, do you know anything about the Estes Park area? It looks really beautiful in the photos.

[emmjay]

I live in Denver - we moved here a year ago, so I'm still not completely familiar with all of Colorado. Estes Park is nice, and the Stanley Hotel (http://www.stanleyhotel.com/) is really gorgeous. The town of Estes Park is pretty similar to several other Rocky Mountain towns - spectacular setting surrounding a main street with shops selling fudge and ice cream and hokey souvenirs. They are cute little towns and they usually have nice restaurants for lunch, but I wouldn't plan on going to more than one. Estes Park is definitely worth it for the scenery and the Stanley Hotel alone.

Rocky Mountain NP is really beautiful and there are tons of hikes there. I am sure you can go rafting - we had a lot of rain/snow in the mountains this year so the rivers are still pretty full.

A great place to have a meal in Boulder is the Dushanbe Tea House (http://www.boulderteahouse.com/). Apparently Boulder is the sister city to Dushanbe, Tajikistan and the entire structure was hand carved by people in Dushanbe, then shipped over to Boulder and assembled. It's really stunning, and they have tons of different teas and delicious salads and light meals.

Are you going to be in Denver at all? If so I can probably give you some restaurant recommendations for here as well. Have fun!

ETA - I mean the Stanley Hotel is nice to look at and walk around, I wasn't suggesting you stay there (it's really expensive)

[amorey]

emmjay, yeah, I was thinking that Hotel was a little pricey... ;)

I would love some Denver resturant tips! We are flying in and out of Denver, so some lunch or early dinner spots there, or near the airport would be great!