Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2008 - (Page 31) Photography (clockwise): Mountain Goat atop Mount Evans ©Jack Olson; Ho-down near Crested Butte ©Denise Chambers/Weaver; Royal Gorge Railroad ©Mark Greksa; Tubing at Copper Mountain ©Copper Mountain 4. All Aboard! Hop on one of the state’s famous narrow or standard gauge railroads for an engineering treat, and see Colorado’s mountains, canyons and historic towns from a new point of view. See page 62 for more information. Train enthusiasts will also enjoy the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, where more than 100 historic locomotives are displayed on 14 acres. pull you back to the top. Tubing slopes are solely dedicated to tubers, so there’s no worry of crossing paths with skiers or snowboarders. When the ski lifts close for the day, some mountain resorts open a stretch of their gentler slopes for some night-tubing action. Reunions Rocky Mountain Weddings Toss the bouquet on a mountaintop, tie the knot from horseback and spend the next day cuddling in a hot spring or gazing out from a hot-air balloon. Plan your perfect Colorado wedding and stunning ceremony at one of the state’s many romantic “I do” spots. Your wedding party will thank you for sharing your special day while giving them an exciting Colorado getaway. Bonus: The bride and groom automatically gain a reason to return each year for a romantic anniversary. Family Reunions to Rave About Start a family tradition that everyone will look forward to. With ample lodging and plenty of wide-open space for your family to stretch out, be themselves and bond, Colorado is a naturally accommodating reunion destination. Riverside cabins with wooden porch swings for the grandparents, fly-fishing trips and, amazing golf courses for the sporty ones, and antiquing and farmers markets for the shoppers in the family Colorado holds a grab bag of activities for every generation. Weddings and 7. Best of the Old West Experience the Old West at one of Colorado’s accommodating dude ranches. Take a family tour of the once-thriving forts and trading posts, or pan for remnants of the gold rush in a historic mining town. For a taste of the rough-and-tough Wild West, head to Buckskin Joe Frontier Town near Cañon City where rustic buildings and gunfights fill the dusty streets of this reconstructed town. Mining tours and streamside gold panning opportunities are available throughout Colorado. Some tours even include rides on “trammers” — an authentic train of ore carts that rides rails deep into the mine — or elevator rides that send you 1,000 feet down a vertical mine shaft. MORE ONLINE! For more family-fun 5. Home-Team Excitement Blessed with professional hockey, basketball, soccer, baseball and football teams, not to mention a handful of outstanding college squads, Colorado is known as a sports-crazed state. Paint the kids orange and blue for a Broncos game, cheer on Carmelo Anthony of the Nuggets or root for the Rockies from “the Rockpile” seats in center field. Snow sportslovers can watch potential Olympian alpine skiers practice in Steamboat Springs or catch the popular ESPN Winter X Games in Aspen each year. 6. Tube the Rockies Head to Copper Mountain, Keystone, Breckenridge or the Fraser tubing hill to rent rubber inner tubes and race your family down a snow-packed hillside. Laughs and squeals — from kids and adults — are sure to follow you down the mountain. No snow maneuvering skills are required, and automated lifts ideas, such as mushing with sled dogs and stargazing during meteor showers, visit www.colorado.com/familyfun. 1-800-Colorado | www.colorado.com 31 http://www.colorado.com/familyfun http://www.colorado.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.