In August 2019, my family and I spent 10 days in Colorado. Together we created an itinerary to see the best of Colorado in only 10 days. There are so many great things to do and places to see in Colorado, so this does not cover everything, but these are some of best things to do if you are planning to stay in the Denver area.
Day 1: Arrive In Denver
If you fly into Denver International Airport, I recommend starting your trip by taking the train downtown to Union Station. If you are feeling hungry after your flight, there are plenty of great restaurants right outside of Union Station. We chose to stop for a late dinner at Thirsty Lion Gastro Pub. They have a late-night menu with lots of great deals on appetizers and meals. Some of the items my family tried and enjoyed are the bacon wrapped BBQ prawns, grilled burger sliders, spicy fried chicken sliders, and crispy calamari. After our meal we took the light rail into Lakewood which is where I would be staying for 8 of my 10 days in Colorado. Lakewood is a suburb of Denver located south west of the city center.
Day 2: Georgetown
For your first full day in Colorado take a short day trip to Georgetown. At 8530 feet in elevation, Georgetown is a small mountain town located about an hour from Denver. The most popular thing to do in Georgetown is to take the Georgetown Loop Railroad and tour the silver mines. If you arrive in town early, I recommend checking out the visitor’s center. Inside you will find a cute giftshop and lots of information on the history of Georgetown and the mountain wildlife. Once you arrive at the train station, there is another nice gift shop and plenty of great photo spots. At the train station you can overlook Clear Creek and see Devil’s Gate High Bridge. The Georgetown Loop Railroad offers 3 different mine tours and it is possible to ride the train without purchasing tickets to tour the mines.
We had tickets for the Georgetown Loop Railroad and the Lebanon Extension mine tour. Before reaching the silver mines, there is an approximately 30-minute train ride. The Lebanon extension mine tour goes more than 900 feet into the Leavenworth Mountain using the southwest Lebanon access tunnel. If you are planning to visit the mines, I highly recommend bringing a jacket since it is only 44 degrees inside. This tour takes approximately 2½ hours including the train ride.
After the train ride, I recommend spending the rest of the afternoon exploring all of the cute little shops in downtown Georgetown and having lunch. We chose to have lunch at Lucha Cantina before heading back to Denver. We enjoyed the nachos, buffalo burgers, and margaritas.
Day 3: Colorado Rockies Baseball Game
If you are a sports fan, I recommend spending one of your 10 days in Colorado at a Colorado Rockies baseball game at Coors Field. Before heading to the baseball game, enjoy a great breakfast at Lucille’s. Lucille’s is a New Orleans style restaurant with lots of great breakfast options. I always love to order some of their beignets to go with my breakfast. A beignet (the national donut of Louisiana) is a simple fried donut topped with powdered sugar. Lucille’s also has some amazing biscuits that come with most of their breakfast meals. Some of my family’s favorite dishes include the Eggs Rockefeller, Pain Perdu, Eggs Jennifer, and Eggs Pontchartrain. If it is within your budget, I highly recommend getting a suite. Our suite came fully stocked with food, drinks, and desserts. The suite also had an outside seating area which provided a great view of the field.
Day 4: Red Rocks Amphitheater and Evergreen
Even if you have never been to Colorado before you may have heard of Red Rocks Amphitheater. It is one of the many places considered a must see attraction when you are visiting Colorado. I would recommend walking down the stairs to see the stage area. There are also many different lookout points at the bottom. If you are interested in hiking there are many trails located at Red Rocks however, I have never been to any them so I can’t recommend a specific one to try. Inside the visitor’s center you will find the Red Rocks hall of fame which showcases all of the artists who have preformed at Red Rocks.
After a morning at Red Rocks, I recommend visiting the town of Evergreen. Evergreen is a small town located about 30 minutes away from Red Rocks with plenty of cute shops to explore and trails along Evergreen Lake. If you are feeling hungry, I recommend stopping for lunch at Cactus Jacks. This restaurant is very well known for its great burgers. Some of the burgers my family enjoyed are the vacation, airplane, and diner. I also enjoyed the pretzel bites and a mudslide.
Day 5: Rocky Mountains National Park
One thing you must do during your 10 days in Colorado is visit the Rocky Mountains. Rocky Mountain National Park is located about 2 hours away from Denver. Entrance into the National Park costs $25 per vehicle for the one-day pass. For our trip in the Rocky Mountains we chose to take Old Fall River Road, which is an unpaved one way road. Our first stop inside of the park was at the Alluvial Fan trail head. At this area you hike up alongside the Alluvial Fan Waterfall and get some great views. The next stop we made was at Chasm Falls. At this stop you can take the stairs down to view the waterfalls or hike the trails along the river. Our last stop before reaching the top of the mountains was at an unnamed area for lunch.
After lunch, we drove the rest of the way up to the top. During our drive we saw moose, elk, lots of wildflowers, and some pretty waterfalls. At the top of mountains, it is very cold and windy, so I recommend bringing a sweatshirt to wear. There are many great lookout points where you can see the snow fields and herds of elk.
If you are wanting to do even more hiking there was two different areas where you can hike even farther up the mountains for a better view. At the top of the mountain you will also find the trail ridge store which has lots of cute souvenirs, a café, and restrooms.
Day 5: Boulder
After a long day of hiking in the mountains, stop for dinner in Boulder. Boulder is right on the way back to Denver, so it is the perfect place to stop. While you are waiting for a table, I recommend exploring some of the shops in Boulder’s super cute downtown area. We ended up having dinner at Sforno Trattoria Romana. This is a super cute Italian restaurant with great food. My family enjoyed the avocado bruschetta, spaghetti carbonara, and pollo parmigiana. The inside is decorated so that you feel like you are sitting outside in Italy next to a fountain. It is so cute!
Day 6: Garden Of The Gods
For your last full day in Denver, take a quick day trip to the Garden of the Gods. This visitor and nature center is a registered national natural landmark located in Colorado Springs. Garden of the Gods contains a variety of sandstone rock formations with the option to explore on your own or with a guided tour group. Inside the visitor center there is a museum with history exhibits about the area.
Day 7: Vail
I recommend ending your 10 days in Colorado with a weekend in Vail. Located about 2 hours from Denver, Vail is a popular mountain town which is very well known for all of its ski resorts. Even though Vail is a ski town, it is very beautiful in the summer. Before the drive, stop for breakfast at Jelly Cafe. Some of my family’s favorites include the donuts, bacon pancakes, haco chili benedict, and sweet potato hash.
For our 2 nights in Vail we stayed at the Ritz Carlton and it was amazing. We had a beautiful room and experienced excellent service. There is a beautiful lounge area on the main level and a free shuttle service to take you to the village. If it fits in your budget, I highly recommend staying at the Ritz.
I highly recommend scheduling your visit to Vail on a Sunday so you have the opportunity to visit their farmers market. This is the largest farmers market in the state of Colorado and it is amazing. There are a lot of great things to buy and plenty of delicious food to eat while you explore the market. Two of my favorite vendors at the market are Green Elephant Juicery and Butterfly Outpost. If you are a sushi lover, I recommend spending your first night in Vail enjoying a great sushi dinner at Yama Sushi. Some of the rolls my family enjoyed are the hammer head roll, yen yen roll, rainbow roll, and spider roll. After a delicious dinner, stop at Sundae Ice Cream for dessert. The ice cream is really good, and you have the option to mx in at least three toppings.
Day 8: Vail
To start your morning in Vail, have a good breakfast at Big Bear Bistro. We tried the breakfast sandwich, the omelet, and the Alex breakfast. All of the food was good and reasonably priced.
If you will only be spending one full day in Vail, I recommend spending the afternoon exploring all the cute little shops in the village. For your second night in Vail, I highly recommend making reservations at Swiss Chalet. It is quite expensive, but the food is great. My family enjoyed the zwiebelsuppe, alpler cheese fondue, and chinoise meat fondue. The inside is super cute and decorated to make you feel like you are inside a European ski lodge. All of the waitstaff was actually from Europe so that made the experience feel even more authentic.
Day 9: Return To Denver
Before returning to Denver, have a quick lunch at Moe’s BBQ. This is a great little BBQ place with multiple locations in the Denver area and other parts of Colorado. Moe’s offers a variety of different sides and meat options which are all very tasty. My personal favorite is the pulled pork.
Day 10: Fly Home
Before flying home, stop for breakfast at Denver Biscuit Company. This is another one of my family’s favorite breakfast places in Denver. My personal favorite thing to order here is the Lola breakfast sandwich.
