Beautiful gardens in Vail!…read more The city does an amazing job with the upkeep of this gem of a place. It's well worth a visit or a simple stroll.

One of my favorite parts of today and absolutely free to roam!…read more Just a wonder botanical garden filled with so much life! I'm from Florida so I don't get to see a lot of the nature that is included here but the grounds were immaculate! Beautiful bridges with stepping stones that appeared they were made out of the mountains. Historical markers to truly show you the love that was put into this park!

Visited when I first moved to town about one year ago, so I'm very late on many of my reviews, but…read morestill a wonderful museum and staff.

We came in for the family Christmas and Hamill house did not disappoint. It is such a treat to…read moreexperience this small towns heritage and their traditions. I do wish that our kids had been a little older since I think it would have been more enjoyable to do the sing alongs and the reading of a night before Christmas. If you are planning on going I would say a kid 5-12 would be age appropriate for this event. If you happen to be in Georgetown for the Christmas market or are planning on doing the Christmas train I do highly recommend this!

Roadside America at its finest. Look this one up on Atlas Obscura to get the full history…read more Surrounding town is super cute, too.

I found this on road side america and since we were going to be in the area, we thought, why not…read morecheck it out. Bonus, the visitor center is next door and has lots of information! The history: Idaho Springs, Colorado In 1947, the Squirrel Gulch district of the town of Idaho Springs was awash in post-WWII patriotism. Unable to channel their energies rationally, they decided to rename themselves "Steve Canyon," as a tribute to the hero of a W.W.II Sunday comic strip. Two years later, their fervor unspent, they convinced the federal government to pay the Indiana Limestone Company $12,000 to carve a larger-than-life statue of their new namesake. It was shipped to Colorado and formally dedicated on July 8, 1950. Its plaque reads, in part, "The United States Treasury salutes Steve Canyon and through him, all American cartoon characters who serve the Nation." Cartoonist Milton Caniff, who created Steve Canyon, had absolutely nothing to do with any of this. But "in appreciation for his enthusiasm," Idaho Springs gave him a gold mine.

The employees are very nice, equipped with great knowledge. Our tour guide Toren was really fun and…read moreeducational! You would have never known she's only done a handful of tours and is new-ish touring with Argo Mill. The tour was very interesting and living in Colorado for 20+ years, I've always seen the red building driving by Idaho Springs but never thought they had tours available to check out. We panned for gold at the end and that was very fun to learn how to do that. All in all I'd recommend to support local and Idaho Springs to come check them out. The tour is not handicap friendly so if you have a wheel chair it would not be ideal to walk through the mill. Hard hat is for show with the tunnel visit but it was def a fun experience with photo opportunity.

The Argo Mine & Tunnel tour in Idaho Springs is such a unique and educational experience. The…read moreguided tour takes you deep into Colorado's gold mining history and really brings the story of the miners to life. We purchased our tickets on site at the tour location. Tours times fill up quickly and you can also book tours online. You start the tour by watching a video that gives you a history of the tunnel and mill. The Argo Mill and Tunnel became an international center of milling and tunneling innovation and served for many gold mines in Colorado. Construction of the Argo Tunnel began in 1893 and lasted 10 years until it reached Central City 4.2 miles away. The Argo Mill was a state of the art facility providing the latest technological advancements in milling and situated at the mouth of the mighty tunnel. On January 19th, 1943, a catastrophic flood in the tunnel caused the Argo Mill and Tunnel to cease operations. Then we loaded on a shuttle and took a short ride to the mouth of the Argo Tunnel. We start by picking up safety equipment including a helmet. Walking through the tunnel itself is like going back in time, it's cool, damp, and feels like stepping into another era. Then we moved to the Mill itself that had many original equipment items still on site. Our guide was knowledgeable, engaging, and shared so many interesting details about how the mine operated, the hardships miners faced, and how important the Argo was to Colorado's development. The guide explained each piece of machinery and the purpose along with an explanation for any missing equipment. You can tell he is passionate about preserving the history. The museum area is well done and adds great context after the tour. After the tour, perused the gift shop and got some great souvineers for 50% off! Highly recommend for families, visitors, or anyone looking to learn something new while exploring the mountains. It's a perfect stop if you're passing through Idaho Springs, especially if you enjoy history, geology, or unique local experiences.

FAC (Friday Afternoon Club) happens at the top of Vail Mountain during summer. Parking is free in…read morethe summer (park at Lionshead) and the gondola is free after 4:00pm on Fridays. The ride is beautiful with views of the Vail Valley and the Gore Range. At the top you are greeted with $2 beers and $3 burgers/hot dogs. Folks, things in Vail just don't get less expensive. The views from the top are great and you can walk out to the wedding deck for a great sunset view over the Holy Cross Wilderness. Live music is usually pretty good. Volleyball, horseshoes for older "kids" and bungee trampolines for younger kids. Family friendly, but still a great time for a group of grown up friends just trying to kick off a weekend in Vail. Heck, I'm a local and I even love it!

Fourth of July weekend with my Mom always has me making the rounds at new places in CO. If I knew…read moreBreckenridge was so close before I would be there every other weekend (no lie). With Denver enjoying a pretty decent heat wave, the BF suggested a trip up to Breckenridge, between the 30 degree drop in temperature and a great road trip, we couldn't resist. To our surprise there was an Art Festival in Breckenridge this weekend. It's a bit different then the one in Cherry Creek. A lot less crowded and I would say and more modern art if you ask me. Not as big as Cherry Creek, in my opinion I think the Breckenridge Art Festival is the perfect size. My Mom even found some art she decided to buy for her house back home. I fell in love with some great photography there as well and would love to buy some in the coming years for my house. With the weather being cooler and the crowds being easier to migrate through, the Breckenridge Art Festival is the better choice in CO. And if you don't find any art, there are a million cute boutiques to shop at as well.

I'm a huge fan of the summer art festivals around the state, especially in mountain locales. Out…read moreof all of them, the Breckenridge one is my favorite. It's grown quite a bit in the last few years and seems to attract artists that don't necessarily frequent the other festivals. Even if something isn't my taste, most of the art here is at least interesting to look at. The past couple of years, I've found items to take home. This year I bought a couple of pottery pieces at fantastic prices (I got a collector discount since I've purchased from that artist a few times before) and I spent out of my comfort zone to get an amazing mixed media piece that I absolutely fell in love with. If you like art and you like escaping to the mountains during the hot summer, I'd highly recommend this festival. Look for it on a weekend around July 4th each year.

i'm going out of my way to write this review because this was such a cool experience. I did the…read more"Mother Lode" combo, which includes the main main tour, plus an additional mine tour, which to reach it that requires a quarter mile hike up a trail, and gold panning (after several tries I only found one tiny gold flake, but I got something!). Definitely bring sunscreen for the second tour, as you will be sitting outside in the sun for a little bit. It's cool and refreshing inside the mines, and they're full of history, right down to the wooden shafts that still have numbers painted on them from the miners of 1800s. You will learn about mining history and how harrowing and challenging it was, and see the actual tools they used, and how techniques developed over time. You will see shafts and tunnels you cannot explore but remain from days of old that inspire the imagination. You will also hear some silly ghost stories, and even see how UV light illuminates the rocks and minerals in the mines. Interested in history, gold, geology, or mining? Even if you aren't, take this tour anyway! It's well worth it, and the guides do a great job.

We have been to Colorado many times and this remains one of our very favorite things to do! You…read more just can't beat panning for gold in a river stream knowing that you are actually going to find flecks of gold and we have every time! It is so much fun! This year we did the tour of the cave and it was super super interesting me as well and my kids really loved it :-) I did too! Lastly, the chipmunks. You could literally just go for the chipmunks lol! They are so super friendly and so much fun! We cannot recommend this place highly enough!

Children's museum in Breckinridge located behind Main Street. Such a cute place to let your littles…read morerun and burn off some energy! Lots of different activities: tot spot, experiment area, puppet show, acting stage, bear cave, construction zone, wind tunnel, mountain top medical center, bridge to fish off of, light lab and so much more. They sell snacks and drinks there too. You can come and go throughout the day. We took our 1 year old. She had so much fun! I think this place could be good for kids up to 8 yrs old ish.

Emma was amazing She was so welcoming and helpful. My…read morenieces, 5 and 9 years old had the best time at the Explorium. It was the perfect combination of hands on science, imaginative play and art. They both loved the helicopter. I feel like not many people know about this hidden gem.