GREAT Colorado Getaways - Front Range - EnCompass Magazine Online

Great Colorado Getaways

Summer in Colorado seems to offer something for everyone: from remote campgrounds to busy cities, from the tundra of 14,000 feet to the sunny vistas of the prairies, from ancient ruins to modern art and everything in between.

The problem, of course, is finding a way to see and do it all. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, there are exactly 15 weekends—15 precious opportunities to grab your family or friends, escape from the workaday world and remind yourself why Colorado is such a great place to live.

To help stimulate your thinking about where you want to go, what you want to see and do, we've divided the following feature article into three sections: Front Range, Mountains and Western Slope. Each section was written by a Colorado travel writer and contains numerous ideas for your summertime explorations.

These ideas should be considered a mere starting point for finding your own great weekend getaway in Colorado—the state that seems to have it all.

For even more ideas, see Great Getaways from the 2006 and 2005 issues, online at www.encompassmag.com/weekends.

Front Range

Photo: Boulder CVB

By Lori Midson

Colorado's Front Range communities hold the bulk of the state's population, so there's no shortage of things to do on a summer day. Some of our picks are well-known excursions, while others may surprise you, whether your preference is peaceful relaxation or riveting adventure.

Boulder

A free-spirited, friendly and refreshingly unfussy attitude pervades the collegiate town of Boulder, a vibrant community where bohemian boutiques and alluring art galleries mingle with summer farmers' markets and eccentric street entertainment. Rooftop bars, java joints, superb chef-driven restaurants, independently owned bookstores and imperial homes pepper the tree-lined avenues.

In the 1850s, Boulder was barely there—a lone lob of land with a population of 324 before Colorado's gold rush brought an influx of intrepid explorers. Today, this remarkably beautiful enclave at the base of the jagged Flatirons trumpets more than 100,000 residents-plus an additional 30,000 University of Colorado students.

Summer is prime time for catching a concert at Chautauqua Community House, kayaking the rapids of Boulder Creek, hiking or biking Boulder Canyon, boating on Boulder Reservoir or scaling a rock wall in Eldorado Canyon. The city lays claim to 30,000 acres of parks and greenways and more than 200 miles of hiking, biking, jogging and cycling trails.

One of summer's biggest draws is meandering along Pearl Street Mall, a pedestrian promenade with eclectic street performers from jugglers to trapeze artists. Nationally acclaimed restaurants such as Frasca Food & Wine, The Kitchen Café, Black Cat and L'Atelier beguile foodniks, and independent shops such as Into the Wind (a terrific kite emporium) and Peppercorn (home furnishings and kitchen paraphernalia) beckon with their unique wares.

The Leanin' Tree Museum of Western Art has one of the largest and most impressive private assemblages of Rocky Mountain art in the nation. Ensure that your visit includes a stroll through the outdoor sculpture garden with its collection of 20 riveting pieces.

For the inside track on tea, the free guided tour of Celestial Seasonings—the nation's largest herbal tea manufacturer—is not to be missed. Meander through the factory floor, herb garden and the blissfully fragrant Mint Room, where mind-clearing sniffs of potent peppermint waft through the air. Tea lovers should also visit the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse—a gift to the city created by more than 40 artisans in far-off Tajikistan, and the only authentic Tajik teahouse in the Western Hemisphere.

Information: Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau, www.bouldercoloradousa.com, 303-442-2911.

Manitou Springs

The mystical allure of Manitou Springs—the groovy smaller sibling to Colorado Springs—began more than 150 years ago. The Arapahoe, Cheyenne, Kiowa and Ute Indians drank from the town's mineral springs, believing these were sacred waters that cleared the mind and cured physical ailments. The springs, combined with the area's massive rock formations and crisp mountain air, vaulted Manitou Springs to a tourist destination that continues to draw throngs of visitors to soak up the town's kitschy magnetism.

Nestling at the base of Pikes Peak, Manitou Springs is steeped in Victorian charm. Starburst-hued dwellings reminiscent of gingerbread houses showcase painstaking restoration, and Manitou Avenue, the town's main drag, is freckled with quirky shops, sidewalk cafes and art galleries. It's here that you'll encounter one of the country's best remaining penny arcades, a nostalgic 1930s timepiece with automated fortune tellers, pinball machines, cotton candy and saltwater taffy.

The best way to experience the scenery is to hop aboard the famous Cog Railway, which chugs to the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak. From the mountain's pinnacle you can revel in far-reaching views of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, the Collegiate peaks, the Rocky Mountains and the eastern plains. A short drive from downtown, the Garden of the Gods is another must-do scenic experience.

Manitou's funky downtown bewitches with its whimsical cluster of shops with names like SpiritQuest, Whispering Winds, Safron and Poppy Seed. Restaurants such as Blue Vervain, Mona Lisa and the celebrated Craftwood Inn are all notable nosheries worth a culinary immersion.

Perhaps the most idyllic way to spend a summer day in Manitou is kicking back with the locals in Soda Park, a rollicking playground for kids and adults alike. Throughout the summer season, the greenway's free weekend concerts fill the mountain air with song, most notably in August, when the folksy Silver Jubilee Annual Mountain Music Festival takes center stage.

If, like the Native Americans, you want to reap the town's renowned health benefits, bring a bottle and take time for a "springabout," a self-guided walking tour to drink from the various curative springs that put Manitou on the map.

If the town itself doesn't work its magic, it's quite possible that the mineral-laden waters will.

Information: www.manitousprings.org, 800-642-2567.

Antiquing the Front Range

From scouring the shelves of Denver's sophisticated antique emporiums to foraging in Fort Collins, the Front Range is a treasure trove of vogue.

Whatever you collect, you're bound to find it at Eron Johnson Antiques, a cavernous den in Denver's South Broadway antiques district that specializes in coveted museum-quality pieces.

Meanwhile, out on the plains, Parrish Galleries in Brush is a delightfully musty antique palace where Depression glass is the draw, while Sterling's Antique Furniture Marketplace & Flea Market peddles a cornucopia of American and European antique furniture circa 1800.

In Fort Collins, hunt for gems at Oldies-N-Goodies, an impossibly cluttered shop brimming with wonderments like a 1950s carousel.

Rocky Mountain Arsenal

Photo: US Fish & Wildlife Service

The Rocky Mountain Arsenal's dramatic transformation from former chemical weapons manufacturing plant to burgeoning wildlife habitat is one of the most compelling success stories of environmental restoration in Colorado.

Just 20 years ago, the Arsenal's 17,000 acres of wetlands and shortgrass, lakes and trails were rife with contamination. A monumental clean-up effort began in 1987, thanks to a wintering roost of bald eagles that caught the attention of visiting biologists. Today the wide open prairie land is also home to white pelicans, bison, mule deer, burrowing owls, hawks and coyotes. A new visitor's center displays interactive exhibits. Catch-and-release lake fishing is a popular pastime, and two-hour wildlife viewing tours via an open-air trolley are conducted on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Information: www.fws.gov/rockymountainarsenal, 303-289-0232.

Benson Sculpture Garden Park

While Loveland may be best known for its Valentine's Day postage mark, this arresting lakeside town, 50 miles north of Denver, is quickly gaining ground as a pounding heart of art. For proof, look no further than Benson Sculpture Garden Park, a grassy park strewn with 100 magnificent sculptures that run the gamut from a trio of polar bears and a stern Shakespeare to frolicking seals and a pack of wolves. In August, more than 200 renowned sculptors from around the world will converge on the park grounds for Loveland's annual Sculpture in the Park, a two-day juried competition open to the public.

Information: www.sculptureinthepark.org, 970-663-2940.

Confluence Park

There's nothing that shouts summer like fresh air concerts in the park, paddling and playing in a creek and picnicking on the green. Denver's Confluence Park, an expansive belt of greenway at the nexus of Cherry Creek and the South Platte River, is the consummate Shangri-la in which to experience all that and more.

Photo Brian Gadbery / CTO

Here, amid leafy trees and blossoming botanicals, visitors can kayak the rapids of the South Platte river, embark on a Venetian gondola ride that glides along the rippling waters of Cherry Creek, or share a picnic with friends while catching a free event. The Greenway Foundation hosts free jazz concerts every Thursday evening in July, and outdoor family movies every Wednesday in August.

Information: www.greenwayfoundation.org, 303-455-7109.

Lori Midson is a Denver-based freelance writer.