What to do in and around Denver

[Deleted]

My brother is getting married in Denver this summer and neither H or I have ever been to Colorado before.  We figured we might stay a few extra days after the wedding and make a vacation out of it.  Any recs on what to do/where to stay in Denver (brides family offered to host us but we would rather get a hotel)? The surrounding area? We wouldn't be opposed to renting a car.

ETA: Typo; We WOULDN'T be opposed to renting a car.

[sharknado]

pandce.proboards.com/thread/407344/denver-area-cepers

[Deleted]

[SugarKane]

Going to the top of Mt Evans is a must do for me.

[pagas]

Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs

[zoomzoom]

Red Rocks! I've always wanted to see a concert there. It's supposed to be amazing.

[Marmee]

I thought this was actually full of good suggestions/advice.

mobile.nytimes.com/2015/01/25/travel/what-to-do-in-denver.html?smid=fb-share&_r=1&referrer=

[prettyinpearls]

My cousin was married in Denver several years ago and we rented a condo in Estes Park and stayed there for a few days after her wedding. It was amazing.

[amberlyrose]

Jan 22, 2015 12:09:58 GMT -5 Marmee said:

I thought this was actually full of good suggestions/advice.

mobile.nytimes.com/2015/01/25/travel/what-to-do-in-denver.html?smid=fb-share&_r=1&referrer=

This is a really great list.

The other things are:
Denver Zoo
Denver Mint
Catch a Rockies or Colorado Rapids game (I can get discount Rapids tix) 
Spend an afternoon in Golden or Evergreen hiking, drinking beer or wine over lunch

[sharknado]

What do you guys like to do?
Be active?
Food and drink?
Culture?

[waffletime]

Jan 22, 2015 11:59:57 GMT -5 pagas said:

Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs

Second both of these. Although climbing up Pikes Peak was the worst. And we went in march so five minutes after we made it to the top it started to snow and we went straight back down. I wanted to cry.

[Deleted]

Jan 22, 2015 11:59:12 GMT -5 Les Paul said:

There are fun towns along the I-70 corridor west of Denver. Breckenridge, Frisco, Copper, Keystone. Rent bicycles and ride from the summit of Vail Pass down to Copper. Ride the Alpine Slide at Breck. Hike Mount Quandary if you want to experience a relatively easy 14,000 foot peak. Go south to Colorado Springs and ride the cog railway up Pikes Peak. Summer is off-season, and you can find reasonable rentals on VRBO if you want to stay in a ski town.

Agree.  Frisco is a great location to stay.  Close to a lot of Les Paul other suggested locations.  I don't know if you would think about the mint, but if you are, better start looking for reservations online now!  The tickets are hard to get.  Reservations are mandatory.  

[keyslover]

We rented a condo in Silverthorne. Location was great. We had trial heads steps from our condo and were close to Frisco and Georgetown.

[keyslover]

Jan 22, 2015 12:01:56 GMT -5 zoomzoom said:

Red Rocks! I've always wanted to see a concert there. It's supposed to be amazing.

We saw Tom Petty there. Amazing!

[jennysmitten]

I would definitely rent a car. We stay a week in Silverthorne every summer and usually spend a few days in Denver beforehand. I always shop the outlets in Silverthorne, we usually spend a day in Breck walking around, we trout fish and explore the mountain towns. We also like to hit up the breweries and spend a good deal of our time eating a drinking in different areas of Denver.

[nahoku]

We love the Estes Park area, it's not too bad a drive from Denver. In between Denver and EP is Boulder, which is a fun little town.

When we were in Denver for a wedding a few years ago, we stayed in the Cherry Creek area. It was nice enough but we were a little farther out and weren't within walking distance of anything, really, except for a Target across the street We did a day trip to Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park. We walked around Red Rocks Amphitheater (no concerts but still cool to see), stopped in Golden and went to Buffalo Bill's grave and museum.

There are lots of good breweries out there, so hoping to check some of those out when we go back next summer.

[lexxasaurus]

Jan 22, 2015 12:01:56 GMT -5 zoomzoom said:

Red Rocks! I've always wanted to see a concert there. It's supposed to be amazing.

It is phenomenal! I highly recommend catching a show if they have one you like.

The zoo and aquarium are fun, I like Pearl Street Mall in Boulder (probably because last time I went to Lush and then wandered out to a Chinese pole act, yay!) And there are endless outdoor activities if that's what you're into. Great places for hiking, climbing, etc.

Oh and @kjewell you could always come visit me! Haha.

[Deleted]

Jan 22, 2015 13:10:07 GMT -5 lexxasaurus said:

Jan 22, 2015 12:01:56 GMT -5 zoomzoom said:

Red Rocks! I've always wanted to see a concert there. It's supposed to be amazing.

It is phenomenal! I highly recommend catching a show if they have one you like.

The zoo and aquarium are fun, I like Pearl Street Mall in Boulder (probably because last time I went to Lush and then wandered out to a Chinese pole act, yay!) And there are endless outdoor activities if that's what you're into. Great places for hiking, climbing, etc.

Oh and @kjewell you could always come visit me! Haha.

H just adjusted to the idea that I have local 'internet friends', If I start now I might be able to ease him in to the fact that I have them all over the country too!