popmom Posted May 31, 2023 Share Posted May 31, 2023 (edited) dd17's best childhood friend moved to Colorado several years ago. (We are in Alabama.) They want to see each other this summer. This friend used to come here every summer to stay with her dad, but he moved out of state a couple of years ago... So they are missing each other. Our trip is planned for end of July. Bff lives in Broomfield. Dd and I have never been to Colorado, but we don't have time to plan the "trip of a lifetime". Dd will stay with her friend, and dh and I would like to find a hotel nearby. If you have suggestions for some things to do in the Denver area... good restaurants? I'm a foodie. best guides to the national park??? I know that dd and her bestie will want to do their own thing for the week mostly, but I am sure we will get together at times. I love her bestie like my own child, so I'm as excited to see her as dd is. 🙂 I have Marriott points. I found a Residence Inn in the area that gets good reviews. Trying to keep the costs to a minimum. Bff's mom is from that area originally, so I'm sure I could ask her: but she and I have never really "clicked". I don't want to be a bother. She probably doesn't even know we will be in town while dd is visiting. She asked her daughter (bff) to invite my dd the week she is going out of the country. 😕 Clearly bff's mom doesn't think of my dd the same way I think of hers. I have thoughts on that, but that's for another thread. 😉 They will be bffs forever despite her. Anyway... I am excited for the last minute adventure. Oh--dd and I will be driving. We LOVE roadtrips. So there will be a couple of nights in St Louis on the way--if y'all have any suggestions on that. Dh may drive with us or may get a flight out to meet us if he can't take enough time off. Edited May 31, 2023 by popmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halftime Hope Posted May 31, 2023 Share Posted May 31, 2023 Here's what came up for Denver in the "restaurants" thread: My Denver friend says: TAG Burger Bar. D’Corazan if you like Mexican. Osteria Marco for Italian. Mizuna is French and a bit fancy but delicious, she says. Wild Ginger for Thai. I think it was @kathyl who got that info for us. Many thanks to her and to all who posted! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted May 31, 2023 Share Posted May 31, 2023 This is peak season for Rocky Mountain National Park. Due to a record number of visitors the past few years, and overworked staff, they now require timed entry tickets. There is no general admission at the moment. So even if you have a park pass, you cannot enter without a timed, entry ticket which tells you when you can arrive, and when you must leave. Even with those, it is a 30-45 minute wait to get in so it is tricky. You will need to go online to see if they even have any available. Some parks with timed entry requirements are already sold out for the season. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted May 31, 2023 Share Posted May 31, 2023 St Louis has Gateway Arch National Park. There is a nice visitor center, a museum of the Arch some nice walkways, not really hiking just nice walks, and an old courthouse it commemorates the Louisiana Purchase, the slavery debate, and the Dred Scott Case. It doesn't take more than two hours to do unless you want to ride to the arch, and that would require advance tickets. Currently, it is entrance fee free if memory serves, but you will need to confirm that. There are also river cruises available on the area, and the jazz is great of you like that sort of thing. Jazz St. Louis Club is fun. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted May 31, 2023 Share Posted May 31, 2023 State and National Parks as day trips from Denver: Dinosaur Ridge -- see fossilized Dino tracks, less than 30 minutes west of DenverCity of Golden: North Table MountainTrail -- 24 miles of walking and hiking trails just to the northeast of DenverWilliam Frederick Hayden Park -- about 30 minutes west of DenverRocky Mountain National Park -- just under 2 hours north and west of Denver; you need to sign up for a timed entrance ticketGarden of the Gods -- in Colorado Springs, about 75 minutes south of DenverA book resource:Walking Denver: 32 Tours of the Mile-High City's Best Urban Trails, Historic Architecture, and Cultural Highlights 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popmom Posted May 31, 2023 Author Share Posted May 31, 2023 4 hours ago, Faith-manor said: This is peak season for Rocky Mountain National Park. Due to a record number of visitors the past few years, and overworked staff, they now require timed entry tickets. There is no general admission at the moment. So even if you have a park pass, you cannot enter without a timed, entry ticket which tells you when you can arrive, and when you must leave. Even with those, it is a 30-45 minute wait to get in so it is tricky. You will need to go online to see if they even have any available. Some parks with timed entry requirements are already sold out for the season. yeah, I figured. I'm not sure it will be worth it. I am going to look into some of the state parks. Maybe they won't be as crowded??? I would love to check it off the "bucket list" but it's not super important to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scholastica Posted May 31, 2023 Share Posted May 31, 2023 The Missouri Botanical Gardens are a piece of paradise in the city. Website here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted June 1, 2023 Share Posted June 1, 2023 Even if Rocky Mountain National Park is not available I would suggest going WEST from Denver to the mountains-- The drive to Estes Park is beautiful-- lots of places to stop along the way for views... Estes Park itself has lots of fun shops... DD and I drove from Ft Collins (where she goes to college) to Estes Park just to get ice cream one day-- so fun! We also LOVE Boulder--- fun shopping area plus scenic drive. Both of these are a short drive from Denver. Denver is FLAT-- you wont see mountains on your drive until you get there-- then just look West-- cant miss them but they are in the distance. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popmom Posted June 14, 2023 Author Share Posted June 14, 2023 18 hours ago, RafaelSteely said: How was it? Don't forget to share pictures 🙂 Trip is planned for later in July. I finally got reservations with my points at that Marriott property. Marriott’s website is such a headache. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 (edited) Oooh, fun! I agree that driving west of Denver can be beautiful. Estes Park is fantastic. And, I particularly love SW CO, though you don’t need to head all the way to the SW corner to enjoy it. The San Juans are gorgeous mountains, if you head that way. Maybe you’d also be interested in seeing Red Rocks, even if you don’t see a show there? It’s pretty cool. Also, Meow Wolf — immersive art exhibit — has a Denver location. I posted about that in another thread recently. Hope you have a blast! We can wave at each other! We will be out that way for 3-4 weeks starting the end of July, though not in CO till beginning of Aug. Edited June 14, 2023 by Spryte 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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