The Colorado Takeover!

A Mother & Daughter Take on Colorado

Three weeks ago during a phone conversation with my mother, she told me she wanted to go on a vacation. I was excited, assuming she wanted to travel in the next month or two. After a couple of minutes into our conversation, she told me she would like to travel in two weeks! I talk to my mother every day, so I was thinking “really ma, you could have mentioned this weeks ago”? I asked her where she wanted to travel, what she wanted to do, etc., and her response was “Just plan it!” What she may not have known is that this is a travel consultant’s dream!

So the journey for the perfect fall getaway began. Some of our choices were Seattle, Napa Valley, and Denver. We settled on the Mile High city because we could travel to multiple destinations on one trip.

DAY ONE

We arrived in Denver on a beautiful Friday morning and caught the A-line (RTD train) from the airport to downtown. Riding the train to the historic Union Station allowed us to save on transportation fare and get a mini tour of the city.

Travel Tip #1: The A-line runs daily from 4:12am - 1:27am from the Denver airport to Union Station. Travelers can catch the train for only $10.50 compared to a $35 or more Uber ride.

Once arriving at Union Station, we caught an Uber to Enterprise Car Rental in Five Points. You may be wondering, why did we not rent a car from the airport? A 4 DAY CAR RENTAL WAS $800 FROM THE AIRPORT, which is ridiculous! After our trip, we understood the reason for the high prices, but ain’t nobody got time for that! I found an Enterprise close to our hotel for $120, saving us $680! Now that’s more like it!

We decided to stay in Denver because it was the most centrally located city to the other destinations we planned to visit. Our hotel was at the marvelous Le Meridian, located in downtown Denver with one of the best rooftop bars (i.e. 54Thirty) in the city. The wait time can be up to 2 hours for 54Thirty because of the remarkable views, so we decided to visit as soon as they opened.

Travel Tip #2: If you stay at the Le Meridian hotel, park at the parking lot next to the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company to save $25 a night on parking.

Next we headed to 16th Street Mall for dinner, located one block from our hotel. The mile-long pedestrian promenade is filled with restaurants, shops, and attractions. It’s perfect for walking and enjoying the city; however, if you don’t want to walk, the MallRide free shuttle travels up and down 16th street stopping on every corner.

DAY TWO

Day two started early at 6:00am as we headed south to Colorado Springs and Calhan. The scenic mountain drive to Colorado Springs only takes an hour from Denver. Once arriving in Colorado Springs we headed to the Garden of the Gods.

The Garden of the Gods is a beautiful park with 300 sandstone rock formations and over 21 miles of trails. The views were BREATHTAKING. We drove the Jupiter Way Loop for an aerial view of the park and walked the Central Garden trail to get up close to the highest rock formations.

Travel Tip #3: Arrive at the Garden of the Gods when it opens at 5:00am to enjoy the park with the least amount of people and catch the sunrise.

After exploring the formations we headed northeast to Paint Mines Park in Calhan. Paint Mines Park is a hidden gem in Colorado as the formations make you feel like you are on another planet. It is named for its colorful clays caused by oxidized iron compounds that the American Indians used to make paint. Again, we were left breathless by this hidden gem.

DAY THREE

Heading west to Georgetown and Breckenridge, day three was another early morning for us. We thought our ride to Colorado Springs was scenic, however driving west of Denver was stunning. Driving through the mountains during sunrise was the perfect way to start our morning. Colorado has mountains after mountains and they are massive! I grew up in Tennessee, and the Rocky Mountains of Colorado made Lookout Mountain look like a hill.

In Georgetown, we climbed aboard one of Colorado's historic three-feet narrow gauge railroad - the Georgetown Loop Railroad. The 1 hour and 15 minute train ride took us high over the Devils Gate Bridge and through the Rocky Mountains and Clear Creek Valley. If you don’t like hiking, this is a perfect way to see some of the famous Rocky Mountains!

Travel Tip #4: Dress warm! Between the temperature dropping and wind chill, you don’t want to get caught in Georgetown or Breckenridge in the wrong attire, as we did.

Once the tour ended we continued west to Breckenridge and it started snowing! *Alexa play Let It Snow by Boyz II Men* Yes, it was B E A U T I F U L! Just know the next time we travel to a ski town, we will have a driver. The temperature started dropping every minute as the snowfall increased. From Georgetown to Breckenridge the temperature dropped from 42 to 28 degrees Fahrenheit. As two women from the south, we almost turned around; however, a Colorado native insured us this was nothing to worry about, so we continued on our way.

Breckenridge, Breckenridge, Breckenridge! Covered with pure white snow, we had never seen a place so resplendent. This day was special because snow was not in the forecast and to see the mountains covered in snow was amazing. We parked on Main Street, the main strip in Breckenridge, and grabbed hot chocolate and lunch.

After lunch, we explored Main Street which includes a mixture of restaurants, stores, and ski rentals. Next, we caught the Black Line express at Breckenridge Station to get a glimpse of the ski lodges and peaks. Riding to the peaks inspired us to start planning our next family trip to Breckenridge, because we knew we had to go back!.

Travel Tip #5: Traffic is heavy on the weekends leaving Breckenridge starting around noon. I suggest leaving Breckenridge after 5pm to avoid a lot of the traffic. Also leave Breckenridge the same way you came. The GPS is a great resource but it can have you in the middle of nowhere. With the snow and sun setting you do not want to get caught in the mountains at night, so learn from us and stick to the route you know.

DAY FOUR

Day two and three were bustling with activities and we returned to Denver late due to the unexpected snow so we planned a chill day for our last day. To see Denver, we booked a 2.5 hour ultimate urban Denver city tour in an etuk. The etuk picked us from our hotel and drove us around the Mile-high city in an unique fashion.

Some of the tour highlights include Civic Center Park, Downtown Core, Golden Triangle (Main Arts District), Larimer Square (Denver’s Oldest Block), Union Station, LoHi and LoDo Neighborhoods, Sports Stadiums, RiNo Neighborhood and Street Murals, and Central Market Stop. We enjoyed John, our driver/tour guide, as he stopped at many of the locations and let us explore and take pictures. He also added additional stops which had beautiful views of the city.

Travel Tip #6: Always take a tour of your travel destination. Look for unique tours, like an etuk ride, for a two-for-one experience.

We ended our trip by exploring the restaurants and shops at Larimer Square and savoring one last view of the city at 54Thirty.

Although our trip was packed, there are so many other cities and attractions to explore in Colorado such as:

And More!

Have we convinced you to visit Colorado? If so, we would love to plan your trip!

Let's Plan Your Trip!