22 Best Things to Do in Colorado

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Cliff Palace and Balcony House are ancient cliff dwellings that the ancestral Pueblo Indians inhabited in the 12th and 13th centuries. Located in Mesa Verde National Park, both are World Heritage Sites and National Monuments. Balcony House had forty-five rooms and two kivas (ovens), and it can only be accessed on ranger-guided tours. Tour participants must climb a thirty-two foot ladder and then crawl through a twelve-foot tunnel to access Balcony House.

Its original dwellers would have climbed the rock face using narrow toeholds; its limited accessibility made it easy to defend against intruders. Cliff Palace was constructed in the cliff face with sandstone blocks, mortar, and wooden beams. It once had over 150 rooms and 25 kivas and was probably used for ceremonial purposes. As with Balcony House, Cliff Palace is only accessible on a ranger-guided tour.

Mesa Verde, Colorado 81330, Phone: 970-529-4465

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In 1882, a rail line between the mining town of Silverton, Colorado and the railroad town of Durango was opened in order to transport gold and silver. Three feet wide, the narrow coal-fired steam engines originally carried ore, miners, cowboys, and settlers, and it now transports visitors on an original train on the very same line.

The forty-five mile trip takes four and a half hours to ride, as it is still coal-fired, and winds along narrow mountain paths and in and out of canyons. Historic narration is available on the trains for interested tourists. Both the Silverton and Durango ends of the line have railroad museums; the Durango Museum contains artifacts pertaining to the history of railroading, and the Silverton Museum displays a Baldwin Locomotive from 1902 in the original 1882 Depot.

479 Main Avenue, Durango, Colorado 81301, Phone: 970-247-2733

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The Denver Botanic Gardens have the perfect combination of gardens displaying the best of western North America’s plant life and gardens created to mirror settings from around the world. Over twenty-four acres, the gardens highlight drought-resistant native western flora and adapted plants that work well in the western climate.

They also have ornamental displays of perennial favorites: daylilies, roses, and irises. The Mordecai Children’s Garden encourages hands-on exploration of soil and water and has stroller parking, picnic tables, and year-round programing. There are many gardens dedicated to the serenity of Japanese strolling gardens and bonsai, a South African garden with hardy plants from their steppe region, and a greenhouse overflowing with tropical and subtropical flowers.

1007 York Street, Denver, Colorado 80206, Phone: 720-865-3501

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Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is dedicated to conservation, captive breeding of endangered species, and comprehensive animal care. It aims to give every visitor an experience that will last them a lifetime. Founded in 1926, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is, as the name implies, on the slope of a mountain, affording both visitors and animals fabulous views, though it requires stout walking shoes and a degree of physical fitness.

With over 750 animals of 170 species, the zoo is world-class, and contains the largest herd of reticulated giraffes in any zoo anywhere. A special feature of the zoo is the fact they allow visitors to hand-feed the giraffes, which are very tame. Hoping to inspire conservation action, the zoo has thoughtfully housed all of its animals in as natural an environment as possible so that visitors can understand the needs of each animal of each species.

4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Road, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80806, Phone: 719-633-9925

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The Annual Flower Trial Garden is a devoted horticultural research garden on the campus of Fort Collins' Colorado State University, open to the public throughout the year near the campus' Center for the Arts. The garden strives to serve as a trial space for the performance of annual plant cultivars in the region's high-altitude Rocky Mountain environmental conditions, with primary annual plantings on display between late May and mid-October. Plant varieties are grouped by genus and arranged by color, with more than 1,000 different cultivars typically on display each year. In addition to the main annual showcase, the garden also presented an annual pansy display, which is planted in fall and on display through the early spring. Perennials cultivated by the garden are also on display year-round across the street from the garden facility.

1401 Remington St, Fort Collins, CO 80523, Phone: (970) 491-7179

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The Telluride/Mountain Village Gondola is the only free ride of its kind in the United States. Opened in 1996, it is both public transportation between the two towns, and a ski, snowboard, and mountain bike lift for visitors and residents wishing to use the ski runs.

The thirteen-minute trip from Telluride to Mountain Village or vice versa lasts thirteen minutes and gives dramatic all-round views of the San Juan Mountains. The gondolas are wheelchair accessible, have ski, snowboard, and bike racks. Blankets are provided at each station for your comfort during the winter season.

301 W. San Juan Avenue, Telluride, Colorado 81435, Phone: 877-358-7122

© Denver Museum of Nature & Science

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science began with one man, Edwin Carter, who in 1868 moved to a one-room cabin high in the Rocky Mountains and singlehandedly amassed the largest collection of Colorado fauna in existence. In 1908, the museum in Denver formally opened, and it made world headlines when in 1926 museum researchers found fossil proof that North America was inhabited over 10,000 years ago.

Today, the museum is a center for education, research, and tourism. It is centered on family experiences and holds permanent collections and rotating exhibits. Displays of and about dinosaurs, robots, space, weather, and expert docents give every visitor a memorable trip, and the planetarium and the IMAX theater have revolving shows and delight all ages. An innovative children’s center is perfect for visits with young children.

2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, Colorado 80205, Phone: 303-370-6000

© Tread of Pioneers Museum

Tread of Pioneers Museum is a regional Colorado history museum housed within Steamboat Springs' historic 1901 Zimmerman House. Permanent exhibits and artifacts are showcased within the renovated Queen Anne-style home, including pieces from the museum's extensive firearms collection and a replica chuckwagon from the region's pioneer days. Visitors can also view exhibits on the region's indigenous history, skiing industry, agriculture, and infamous Wild West outlaws such as Harry Tracy of Butch Cassidy's Hole in the Wall Gang. Read more & Admission

800 Oak St, Steamboat Springs, CO 80477, Phone: 970- 879-2214

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Bishop Castle is an incredible feat of one man’s desire to singlehandedly build a fortress in the midst of the San Ysabel National Forest. Jim Bishop purchased the land in 1959 and began building his castle after he got married in 1967. He wanted to build a simple stone cabin for himself and his bride, but he never stopped building, and now the castle is a huge masterwork of turrets, crenellations, arches, and an enormous steam-producing dragon built from stainless steel plates.

It is a place of wonder, especially considering that Jim Bishop himself has laid every stone and worked every piece of wrought iron. Bishop Castle is open every day, and admission is always free, although there is a donation box if you wish to contribute. Construction is ongoing and not sealed off; parents are advised to keep a close eye on their youngsters while at the castle.

12705 Colorado Rte. 165, Rye, Colorado 81069, Phone: 719-564-4366

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In twenty-five acres of Colorado, more gold has been mined than in all of Alaska and California combined. The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine was at the heart of Colorado’s gold mining industry, and this tour takes visitors into mine shafts and tunnels that have been worked since 1889. An elevator ferries visitors 1,000 feet below the earth, and it is not for the claustrophobic.

Once inside the mine, former miners and descendants of miners give excellent guided tours lasting approximately 45 minutes, teaching visitors about gold mine conditions, showing them a century’s worth of mining equipment, and displaying a vein of gold ore still running through the tunnels. Above ground there is a gift shop and a seasonal diner.

9388 Hwy. 67, Cripple Creek, Colorado 80813, Phone: 719-689-2466

© The National Museum of World War II Aviation

The National Museum of World War II Aviation in Colorado Springs focuses on education, primarily in helping visitors and K-12 students understand the role of aviation in the Second World War and how it shaped our world. The museum has twenty-two flyable aircraft in a hangar adjacent to both the Colorado Springs airport and Peterson AFB. In a second hangar visitors can watch volunteers restore World War II planes.

Two-hour tours are docent-led, and each guide gives his or her perspective on the importance of World War II aviation. The museum’s aircraft includes a P38 Lightning, a B25 Mitchell, a Fairchild PT-19, a Beechcraft Model 18, and a Grumman F7F Tigercat.

775 Aviation Way, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80916, Phone: 719-637-7559

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William F. Cody, aka “Buffalo Bill,” was a skilled bison hunter, a scout for the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars, and a world-famous showman who performed Wild West shows across the United States, in Europe, and in front of Queen Victoria, who was fascinated by him. The small museum outside of Golden, Colorado looks at Buffalo Bill’s life from its beginning in Iowa Territory in 1846.

A former Pony Express rider, William F. Cody became the most famous man in America for a time, and the museum recalls the hype and the reality of his life. Up on a hillside, Buffalo Bill Cody’s gravesite overlooks the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. The museum has a gift shop and a small café, while the grounds have picnic areas.

987 ½ Lookout Mountain Road, Golden, Colorado 80401, Phone: 303-526-0744

© Museum of the Mountain West

The Museum of the Mountain West is the result of a lifetime of collecting artifacts relating to Old West history by Richard E. Fike, a historical archeologist and a specialist in embossed medicine bottles. As a child, Pike set up museums in his parents’ home, and as an adult he collected everything he could find, including buildings.

The museum is set in a number of accurately built and preserved historical settings, including a church, a saloon, several residences, a dentist’s office, a railroad depot, a school, and a dry goods store. Visitors are permitted to (gently!) handle the artifacts within the museum, and skilled docents tell the tales of life in the Old West.

68169 E. Miami Road, Montrose, Colorado 81401, Phone: 970-240-3400

© Molly Brown House Museum

Margaret “Molly” Brown is famed for surviving the sinking of the Titanic, but the woman was so much more than that. Born in Hannibal, Missouri in 1867, Margaret Tobin Brown was a socialite, philanthropist, and activist who tirelessly pursued rights for women, workers, and children, passionately believing in universal education and literacy. She helped to establish the first juvenile court in the United States and ran for Senate, albeit unsuccessfully.

The Molly Brown House Museum is set in her home in Denver, and it has vast collections of artifacts belonging to her and her family, along with items relating to her circumstances and time period. Expert docents lead forty-five minute guided tours that begin in the home’s carriage house; educational programs are available on- and off-site.

1340 Pennsylvania Street, Denver, Colorado 80203, Phone: 303-832-4092

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Located fifteen minutes north of Denver, the Butterfly Pavilion and Insect Center is a popular family destination filled with invertebrates, which are creatures without backbones. More than 1,600 butterflies flit magically through the tropical forest zone of the pavilion, hatching from cocoons and drinking nectar from flowers.

Visitors can stroke sea stars and horseshoe crabs in the sea life touch zone, hold Rosie the tarantula, stroll on the outdoor nature trail, and watch bees while learning how vital they are to the future of the planet. The Butterfly Pavilion and Insect Center have educational programs for all ages, from young children to seniors, and a gift shop filled with interesting items.

6752 W. 104th Avenue, Westminster, Colorado 80020, Phone: 303-469-5441

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Opera Colorado is Denver's premiere world-class opera company, presenting fine opera performances each season since 1981 at the city's Ellie Caulkins Opera House. The company mounts two full-scale opera performances each season in November and May, focusing on classics such as Verdi's La Traviata and Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. An annual winter chamber performance is also presented, highlighting a new or contemporary opera work in a more intimate theater setting. Other performances throughout the year include recitals, panel discussions, and artist meet-and-greet events. Educational programming at the company reaches more than 45,000 participants each year, including in-school outreach programming. Opera guests can enjoy on-site dining at Kevin Taylor's at the Opera House, with bar drinks and snacks offered within the theater's lobby spaces before shows and during intermissions.

4121 S Navajo St ste 100, Englewood, CO 80110, Phone: 303-468-2030

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Hovenweep National Monument, run by the National Park Service, contains six prehistoric villages built in the Pueblo area between 1200 and 1300 A.D. Balanced on the rims of canyons or perched precariously on boulders, the dwellings are viewable from a two-mile hiking trail through a small canyon.

The multi-tower buildings are still well preserved after eight hundred years, and seeing them is worth driving to the remote location on the Colorado/Utah border. Dogs are welcome on the hiking trails. The Square Tower Group has a small interpretative center, and rangers are available throughout the park to answer questions and give guidance. Hovenweep has a primitive 31-site campground that fills up on a first-come, first-served basis.

McElmo Route, Cortez, Colorado 81321, Phone: 970-562-4282

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Elitch Gardens is a theme park and water park in the middle of Denver. It is a park that all can enjoy; there are thrill rides and other attractions that are geared to families and small children. You can also find a large selection of wild metal roller coasters, experiences that drop riders from a great height, and a huge Ferris wheel.

Kids will enjoy the carousel and trips in airplanes and trains that entertain without being frightening. Island Kingdom Water Park is a huge wet playground within Elitch Gardens with a whole assortment of water slides, including ones with enormous drops, and others that hurtle you at high speed. For families and children there are a lazy river, a wave pool, and slides geared to small tykes.

2000 Elitches Circle, Denver, Colorado 80204, Phone: 303-595-4386

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In 1833, brothers William and Charles Bent and Ceran St. Vrain built a trading post on the Santa Fe Trail that led from Missouri to Mexico. The fort was built to enable fur trade between settlers, travelers, and the Arapaho and Cheyenne Indians, who came peacefully to exchange buffalo robes for other goods.

Bent’s Old Fort had an important secondary role as the only permanent settlement on the Santa Fe Trail, and it was a godsend for travelers and soldiers who could stop for repairs, replenish their supplies, and enjoy good food, water, and company. Disaster and disease closed the fort in 1849; reconstruction began in 1876, and guided tours of the fort are a must for families and history buffs.

35110 Highway 194 East, La Junta, Colorado 81050, Phone: 719-383-5010

© Benson Park Sculpture Garden

The Benson Park Sculpture Garden rests on ten acres of land in the heart of Loveland, Colorado. There are 148 permanent sculptures on display, representing almost every medium, and the pieces have been gathered from around the world. Beautifully landscaped and set around charming water features, the garden has wide paved walkways that facilitate wheelchairs and strollers.

On the second weekend of every August, the Benson Park Sculpture Garden hosts Sculpture in the Park, which is the largest sculpture display and sale in North America. There is ample nearby parking, public restrooms, and picnic areas scattered throughout the park. Admission is free, and the park is open all day year-round.

1125 W 29th St, Loveland, CO 80538, Phone: 970-663-2940