Things To Do
We are excited to see you in Colorado for our wedding! We have listed here some of our favorite things to do in the area to give you some ideas for your downtime.
Estes Park
A beautiful hotel in Estes Park that was the inspiration for Stephen King’s ‘The Shining’. You can tour the hotel and learn about the history of the building as well as go “ghost hunting”.
Rocky Mountain is very popular these days and requires a “timed entry” during peak hours. If going during peak hours is important to you, timed reservation slots open on May 1 at 8 a.m. MDT (2 pm GMT). More information can be found here.
Bear Lake is the most accessible hiking trail in the park and also the most popular.
Driving on Trail Ridge Road is a great way to get scenic views of the mountains without having to hike.
Longmont (32 miles from Estes Park)
Longmont is where we live. We have listed a few suggestions below of some of our favorite things to do:
McIntosh Lake is a 3.5 mile loop around our local reservoir. It is a nice, fairly level path with play areas along the way. It has a beautiful view of Long’s Peak which is the same mountain you can also see from the reception venue.
Main street is the heart of downtown Longmont and has a variety of restaurants and shops to explore.
We suggest you stop by Sweet Cow for ice cream before walking around. You can also stop by Roosevelt Community Park right next to Sweet Cow to walk through the rose garden.
Interested in cider? Stop by St. Vrain Cidery to try local ciders.
For tacos and beer, we recommend Wibby Brewing and Summit Tacos. Wibby Brewing is where we had our first date and we love pairing a trip to Wibby with some delicious tacos around the corner.
Longmont Museum has both traveling and permanent exhibits. It is a nice way to spend some time indoors, especially for young families.
Boulder (36 miles from Estes Park)
Pearl Street Mall is a pedestrian walking mall with lots of restaurants and shops. The heart of downtown Boulder featuring shopping, restaurants, bars, and street performers.
Chautauqua Park is a family friendly park in Boulder with multiple hiking trails for different levels and abilities.
Check out more information about hikes and the free summer shuttle.
If you aren’t interested in hiking, the dining hall there is delicious and sits at the bottom of the flatirons for some great views. https://www.chautauqua.com/dining/
Lafayette (46 miles from Estes Park)
Acreage is our favorite cidery in the area. It has great cider, food, and an incredible view of the mountains. It has a large outdoor space for kids to run around. Most importantly, Acreage is where Chase proposed to Victoria last year. <3
Denver (60 miles from Estes Park)
Meow Wolf Denver is a fun way to spend some times indoors. It is a large interactive art exhibit in a warehouse. There is lots to do and explore! We really enjoyed our visit here.
Children’s Museum of Denver was recommended to us as a fun children’s museum.
There are lots of great breweries in the area but our favorite is the Bierstadt Lager Bierhalle. It has great beer, snacks, and giant lawn games to play (adults only).
Love baseball? The Colorado Rockies are playing on Sunday June 22 at home at Coors Field. There are lots of restaurants around there we enjoy when we go to Denver. We also love staying at The Rally Hotel for a “stay-cation” which is right across the street from the stadium and walking distance to lots of delicious restaurants.