Don’t Take These Classic Colorado Pursuits for Granted

Certain Centennial State activities may seem as permanent as the Rocky Mountains themselves, but as 2020 showed us, nothing is certain. As the world opens back up, check off some of these bucket-list items—with the ideal adventure buddy.

With Your Kid

• Show your kids how people watched movies before streaming or add a retro spark to date night at the classic-cool 88 Drive-In Theatre in Commerce City.
• Teach Junior that skiing isn’t the only way to get a winter adrenaline fix at Ruby Hill Park’s epic sledding slope.
• Let your little Oregon Trail fan pan for gold at Argo Mill & Tunnel in Idaho Springs.
• Visit North Pole, a kitschy amusement park at the foot of Pikes Peak that’s been celebrating Santa year-round since 1956.
• Stock up on everything you need to teach your kid or pals the craft you picked up in 2020 at Meininger Art Material, a 140-year Denver staple.

With Your Friends

• Play 18 at Red Sky Ranch & Golf Club, the rare private club that also welcomes resort guests. Views of Vail’s bowls will help you forget that missed putt.
• Get a taste of nostalgia at Golden’s 148-year-old Coors Brewery when tours reopen post-pandemic.
• Satisfy your Red Rocks Amphitheatre craving through Yoga On The Rocks, whose sunrise views have distracted attendees from the pain of chair pose for 10 seasons.
• Plunge from a 100-foot-tall tower and swing out over the 1,250-foot-deep Royal Gorge on the Royal Rush Skycoaster.

With Your Significant Other

• Have a spot of tea at the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse: Artists in Tajikistan handcrafted each detail before sending it over in 1988.
• Snuggle up in a horse-drawn carriage as an Irish Rose Drafts driver shares surprising tidbits about Denver during a tour of downtown.
• Take in a natural wonder, such as Aspen’s Maroon Bells, while you can (see: Hanging Lake’s close call with the Grizzly Creek Fire).

With Anyone

• Dine at the Fort restaurant in Morrison, which opened in 1963 and is built to look like a fur-trading post (try the bison burger).
• Punch your ticket for the 130-year-old Pikes Peak Cog Railway, reopening this May after a closure with new train cars, tracks, and a dining terrace at the summit.
• Order a cone from Little Man Ice Cream’s iconic milk jug after waiting in a line that wraps around its LoHi block.
• Learn what, say, naps and zombies have in common during the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver’s Mixed Taste lecture series.

We Asked Notable Coloradans…

What’s the first thing you’ll do when we finally return to normal?

“I miss getting all dolled up in a gown and red lipstick to see a show at the Denver Performing Art Complex. Much of the joy of live theater lies in the energy of sitting in a darkened room with other theatergoers and experiencing the show.”—Neyla Pekarek, former cellist for the Lumineers whose 2019 album Rattlesnake is being turned into a musical called Rattlesnake Kate

“I’m pumped to get back to some of the classic races in Colorado that we missed in 2020, such as the GoPro Mountain Games in Vail and Pikes Peak Ascent. Sharing time with my fellow athletes and having some laughs are things I await!” —Joseph Gray, winner of the 2016 World Mountain Running Championships

“The biggest thing for me is music. I miss a good punk show by an old band from the ’80s or early ’90s (or something new!) at the Mission or the Ogden. Right now, the close proximity of the pit and the breathing on each other isn’t conducive to a safe environment, but I’ll be there when it is!” —Gregg Deal, Denver Indigenous artist and activist