Colorado vacation without hiking?

[athena1277]

We want to take a vacation this summer before oldest dd goes to college in the fall.  We wanted to go to NYC, but since they are just now starting to reopen, we decided to go somewhere else.  Someone suggested Colorado.  None of us have ever been there.  Dh can do some walking or short hikes, but has some knee problems that prevent him from all day walking (like you would at amusement parks).  Littlest is 5yo, so she can’t as much either.  I don’t want to have to do tons of driving to get to each place we want to visit.  We were looking a little at the Pikes Peak area, but would consider another area if there’s more to do that we can all do together.  I want this to be a really great trip, so please share all your suggestions.

[theelfqueen]

Well I'm in Colorado Springs - Garden of the Gods calls for very little hiking (you CAN do more but you can see a lot on short walks and from the car). There's a lovely Living History Farm just outside Garden of the Gods (Rock Ledge Ranch). Starting in May the Cog railway to the top of Pikes Peak will begin running again, its pricey but a great way to experience the Peak (don't do it the day you arrive, altitude sickness is not a joke). Of course, come see me at the National Museum of World War II Aviation. The brand new Olympic/Parolympic Museum.  We have a great brewery culture in CO.  There's the Royal Gorge not far afield. Beautiful mountains, great rock formations, some great museums... Loads to see. A great place to vacation. 

[Spryte]

Someplace you can rent a jeep and go jeeping?  Durango?  Silverton area? It’s been a long time, but we used to love Durango, Ouray, Telluride, Silverton and areas.  Lots of people didn’t hike (though we did), and there were jeep rentals and some fun ghost towns to visit.

[City Mouse]

Colorado Springs has a nice but pricey zoo. 
 

[theelfqueen]

There are ATV and UTV rentals out around Buena Vista ... and there is of course White Water Rafting nearby too.

[KungFuPanda]

1 hour ago, athena1277 said:

We want to take a vacation this summer before oldest dd goes to college in the fall.  We wanted to go to NYC, but since they are just now starting to reopen, we decided to go somewhere else.  Someone suggested Colorado.  None of us have ever been there.  Dh can do some walking or short hikes, but has some knee problems that prevent him from all day walking (like you would at amusement parks).  Littlest is 5yo, so she can’t as much either.  I don’t want to have to do tons of driving to get to each place we want to visit.  We were looking a little at the Pikes Peak area, but would consider another area if there’s more to do that we can all do together.  I want this to be a really great trip, so please share all your suggestions.

Scenic train ride?

 

[theelfqueen]

Durango has a lovely train. The train at the bottom of the Royal Gorge is great and as I mentioned before the Cog Railway to the top of Pikes Peak. There's a cute tourist train in Cripple Creek (mountain gambling town near Colorado Springs - great views on the drive) .

[whitestavern]

We stayed at a dude ranch in Estes Park and went horseback riding. It was a small part of a larger trip (mostly hiking). We heard the Denver Mint was pretty cool, but we didn't realize you needed advanced reservations. Mesa Verde was awesome. Some parts might be harder to access for someone with knee problems, but you could see enough to make it worthwhile. Agree with PP on Garden of the Gods. 

[Terabith]

It's been a long time since I lived in Colorado, but there's a ton of great stuff to do that doesn't involve hiking.  The Denver Mint and the Denver Zoo are great.  The Coors factory tour is genuinely really interesting.  There's a Celestial Seasonings factory in Boulder that's great.  Pike's Peak and such are really nice and don't require hiking, although there are certainly lots of hiking options.  Garden of the Gods is great.  

[Lori D.]

I've visited several places in CO -- most require a lot of driving to get from one venue to the next, or have attractions that are more adult-oriented. So I vote Colorado Springs, which definitely has a lot of great stuff to do for (young) kids as well as adults, and doesn't require tons of hiking or driving.

One other thing not mentioned by other posters -- the Manitou Springs Penny Arcade! It is halfway between the base of Pike's Peak where the cog railway station is, and the town of Colorado Springs. Super fun -- loads of classic arcade games, pinball machines, skeeball, and racing games.

BTW -- Denver is only 1.5 to 2 hour drive from Colorado Springs, so you could do BOTH cities, spending a few days in each, and have plenty to do.

Edited May 11, 2021 by Lori D.

[Laura Corin]

Husband's family used to go to the YMCA of the Rockies. FIL would look at the view and handle the grill, MIL would play tennis, adult children hiked or fished, grandchildren joined the offered activities on site.  It worked well.

[Carol in Cal.]

I wonder whether the Coors factory is still there and still doing tours.  It’s been ages since I saw it but it was kind of neat.

[TravelingChris]

I can only hike a small distance (about 1 mile at most) due to my autoimmune diseases but have had great fun in Colorado.  Yes, YMCA in Estes Park is great.  There are lots of activities for walkers and non walkers.  It is next to Rocky Mountain National Park and that drive is fantastic.  There are a number of places to stop with just a little bit of walking.

[GailV]

12 hours ago, theelfqueen said:

Well I'm in Colorado Springs - Garden of the Gods calls for very little hiking (you CAN do more but you can see a lot on short walks and from the car). There's a lovely Living History Farm just outside Garden of the Gods (Rock Ledge Ranch). Starting in May the Cog railway to the top of Pikes Peak will begin running again, its pricey but a great way to experience the Peak (don't do it the day you arrive, altitude sickness is not a joke). Of course, come see me at the National Museum of World War II Aviation. The brand new Olympic/Parolympic Museum.  We have a great brewery culture in CO.  There's the Royal Gorge not far afield. Beautiful mountains, great rock formations, some great museums... Loads to see. A great place to vacation. 

Dh had just mentioned going to Colorado Springs this summer and I was wondering what the heck to do there since he can't walk very far or very well.  This is fantastic.

Well, the entire thread is fantastic.  I love the idea of the train rides. 

OTOH, he worked in Brewing Process Development at AB (even went to Seibels) and neither of us drink beer or have anything else to do with it these days, so the brewery and microbrewery ideas could be ... weird.  And by "weird" I mean "you should be thanking us for not showing up and talking your ears off about things only a ChemE who worked in brewery would care about."