colorado family travel
Top 20 places to see fall foliage in Colorado
Denver has one of the longest periods of fall colors of any city in the country. That’s because there are five different climate zones within a two-hour drive of downtown Denver. Pick your elevation and you can find yourself at the height of fall colors for more than two months, from mid-September to mid-November. Our friends at VISITDENVER.com have shared their favorite destinations for leaf peeping and scenic drives just minutes from The Mile High City. If you’re looking to make a weekend of it, check-out these fabulous Colorado Vacation Rentals. Adjust your Altitude Aspen trees in Colorado grow from 6,500 to 10,500 feet in elevation. Although many factors make leaves turn color, as a general rule, the higher the elevation, the sooner the leaves turn gold. That...
Colorado Family Travel: 20+ Best Winter Vacation Ideas
Sure, Colorado has world-class skiing but we’ve rounded up all kinds of Colorado’s best winter vacation ideas for families! Be sure to share your favorites with us as well. -AJ Front Range Frosty Frolics & The Wild Side of Christmas in Colorado Fort Collins I can’t begin to tell you how much this college community and town offers, and for most of us, it’s barely an hour’s drive. For day activities, the Museum of Discovery provides hands on learning, interactive exhibits and fun—please note the awesome picture of myself in the tornado tunnel! In the Otterbox Digital Dome there is a holiday themed film Let it Snow: A Holiday Musical Journey. Each day, Old Town Square will be filled with the music of Santa’s concertina and harmonica, and in the quieter moments, ...
10 of the best places to camp with kids in Colorado
Updated April 2022 A few months when I was researching a new place to go camping this summer, I was stressed out. I have lived in Colorado for 12 years and the possibilities for outdoor explorations are limitless, making the process overwhelming. So, I put it out there to the experts (you!) and received some fantastic recommendations of where to camp. My criteria is it needed to be approximately two hours from Denver, in the mountains, preferably near water and gorgeous. That isn’t too much to ask in a fabulous state like Colorado, right? Also, don’t miss Camping Colorado: A Comprehensive Guide to Hundreds of Campgrounds. Colorado’s Best Camping for Families Turquoise Lake. With a name like Turquoise Lake you know this recreational area near Leadville has got to be ...
Day Trip: Nederland Fun and the Carousel of Happiness
“I’m going to ride the zebra!” yells one daughter from the back seat as we buckle in for our 30-minute drive to the Carousel of Happiness, just up the canyon in Nederland. “I want the mermaid!” cries a smaller voice. “No, the gorilla!” Such is the anticipation as we twist our way toward one of Colorado’s most whimsical, fantastical and affordable attractions. The backstory of the Carousel of Happiness, which opened in 2010, is pretty well known by now — Scott Harrison, a Vietnam veteran from Nederland, obtained a classic carousel frame and motor, then spent 26 years carving 50 animals. The people of Nederland chipped in, raising $700,000 and creating a nonprofit volunteer organization to house and run the Carousel. Four years later, the Carou...
Colorado’s Top 20 Family Vacation Ideas for 2014
If there’s anything we love at Mile High Mamas, it is family travel. Living in Colorado, you don’t need to go far to experience world-class destinations in our own backyard. We have rounded up 20 of our top family vacation ideas for spending summer 2014 in Colorado. -Amber Johnson and Julie Bielenberg Aspen/Snowmass It may be summertime but Snowmass has returned to the Ice Age with the Snowmass Ice Age Discovery Center that features the most significant Ice Age ecosystem find in Colorado history (and it’s free). Touch a mastodon tooth, marvel at a half-sized 6-foot Wooden Mammoth Skeleton, do a dig of your own or a daily hike. Visit the Snowmass Rodeo on Wednesday nights (June 11- August 20) and sign your kids up for the Calf Scramble and Mutton Busting. Every Thursday (June 19...
Colorado Travel: Breckenridge’s Best Winter Activities for Families and My Adventure of a Lifetime!
My husband and I dream of owning a cabin someday and Breckenridge has long been at the top of our list. Only a 1.5-hour drive from Denver (I-70 traffic snares notwithstanding) this authentic mining town has everything I love: a world-class ski resort, the Blue River (a tributary of the raging Colorado River), an idyllic Main Street, gourmet dining, glittering boutiques, endless hiking possibilities and it is part of an 80-mile network of paved, motorized bike paths that connect other Summit County resorts like Dillon, Keystone, Copper Mountain and Vail. We have spent long, languid summer and fall days in Breck but here’s my confession: we have never been there once the snow flies. And if you love winter like I do, you know that Breckenridge is one of Colorado’s best famil...
