One of my favorite things to do is curate Colorado itineraries for friends and family when they come to visit. It started back in the ’90s, when my family moved here while I was in elementary school. I would send handwritten invitations back to Michigan, encouraging friends and relatives to come out. I’d promise them views of the majestic Rocky Mountains from a west-facing seat at our dinner table, and I’d tuck in a little nugget of fool’s gold I’d picked up from a mountain town gift shop to entice them West. (Hey, I heard gold drew a lot of people west in our state’s early days). My marketing slogan? “You can’t spell Colorado without ‘rad.’”
All these years later, I still love inviting people to visit — from relatives to friends I meet while traveling. There’s something about mapping out fun things to do and playing tourist in my own backyard alongside them that brings me a lot of joy. It’s especially fun in the fall and winter when there are so many fun holiday events.
If you’ve got your own guests coming in for the holiday season, here are some of my go-to building blocks for showing off Colorado this time of year.
Gabriel Torres makes up the different color candy that go into an apple pie candy canes at Hammond’s Candy Factory on Dec. 10, 2018 in Denver.
Tour Hammond’s Candy Factory
Colorado may be famous for craft beer and whiskey, but it also has its very own Christmastime Candyland.
For more than a century, Hammond’s Candies has been handcrafting hard candy in Denver, and today it remains the largest handmade candy factory in the United States.
Free 30-minute tours (advance reservations required at least 24 hours ahead of your visit) are the golden tickets that give visitors a behind-the-scenes look at how the magic happens. Each year, Hammond’s artisans produce more than 2 million gourmet candy canes in flavors ranging from classic peppermint to festive twists like nutmeg, caramel apple, sugarplum, and apple pie.
On the tour, you’ll watch candy makers knead, twist, and pull molten sugar until it shines like glossy dough, then shape it into colorful candies. Afterward, stock up on gourmet treats at the factory store — perfect for holiday gifting — including hot cocoa mixes, candy cane crunch chocolate bars, cinnamon-churro marshmallows, and, of course, plenty of those famous candy canes.
5735 Washington St., Denver; hammondscandies.com/pages/factory-tours-new
See A Holiday Drone Show
For the first time last year, Denver’s skies lit up with holiday cheer as drones performed nightly shows across the city. This year, the spectacle returns starting Nov. 21 and runs for 41 nights through New Year’s Eve. Each 15-minute performance features 600 drones (50% more than last year) soaring into formation to create iconic Denver scenes, a playful way for visitors to get to know the Mile High City’s landmarks and traditions.
Highlights from last year included the airport’s hulking Blue Mustang (best known as Blucifer to locals) and Union Station glowing in red and green holiday lights.
I caught the show a few times and found one of the best vantage points to be Sculpture Park in front of the Denver Performing Arts Complex. For an unmatched view, though, head to an open-air rooftop bar like 54thirty (elevation 5,430 feet) and take in the performance with some added elevation.
While the holiday drone show is a free nightly spectacle, some bars may be enacting a minimum spend on the nights of the shows. You’ll also want to get downtown early because the rooftop spots fill up fast.
Sculpture Park, 1736 Speer Blvd., Denver; denver.org/milehighholidays/drone-shows
Learn About Colorado’s Mining History in Georgetown
Want to give your guests a crash course in mountain town charm? Take a day trip to Georgetown. Just an hour’s drive away (if there’s no traffic), this little gem off of I-70 shows off stunning Victorian architecture, cute shops and has a scenic, narrated train ride that gives an overview of the town’s silver mining past. (Once nicknamed the “Silver Queen of Colorado,” Georgetown was a full-on boomtown in the late 1800s).
Hop aboard the train in the fall and you’ll see why our state earned the nickname Colorful Colorado. Themed rides include the Fall Colors Excursions and the “Pumpkin Fest Express.”
Later in the calendar, the experiences switch up: Santa’s Rocky Mountain Adventures brings views of snowy vistas and St. Nick himself, while Santa’s Lighted Forest trip is a nighttime ride with more than 300,000 twinkling lights along the tracks and cameos from Santa. After Christmas, the spirit shifts again with a Victorian holiday ride starring none other than Ebenezer Scrooge. (Purchase tickets in advance; events range in price but start around $34 for children ages 1 to 10 and $40 for adults).
Cap off the adventure with a cocktail at Bread Bar, a cozy bar tucked into an 1800s bread bakery in nearby Silver Plume, a living ghost town. And don’t skip a little shopping in Georgetown itself. Spots like Shoppe International are perfect for picking up unique Christmas ornaments.
georgetownlooprr.com
Ellie Kummer, 4, sits on the shoulder of her mother Laura Sparks as they walk through the decorated displays of light at the annual Blossoms of Light at the Denver Botanic Gardens. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
See the Lights at Denver Botanic Gardens
The Denver Botanic Gardens has made a name for itself as a year-round destination, with the Blossoms of Light turning the 24-acre oasis into a colorful winter wonderland.
Nearly every barren branch is wrapped in strings of LED lights and visitors can wander through the illuminated garden pathways with hot cocoa in hand. Now in its 40th year, Blossoms of Light runs from Nov. 21 to Jan. 11 (closed Nov. 27 and Dec. 25) with nightly hours from 4:30 to 9 p.m. One of my favorite spots for a family photo is The Woodland Mosaic, a charming green solarium with Art Deco features and white star lanterns. Tickets start at $22 for the general public and $18 for members.
If you’re hosting guests earlier in the season, head to the gardens’ Littleton location, Chatfield Farms, where the fall corn maze embraced a birds of prey theme this year.
1007 York St., Denver and 8500 W. Deer Creek Canyon Road, Littleton; botanicgardens.org
Take a Day Trip to Estes Park
Estes Park is another perfect spot for a daycation or overnight getaway, especially if you have guests in town.
In the fall, it transforms into a bona fide Halloween town. Elk are bugling, the colors are brilliant, and you can take them in from the newly reopened aerial tram. For those who consider spooky season the most wonderful time of the year, The Stanley Hotel looms large with its haunted reputation–often dubbed “Disneyland for Ghosts.” Parts of Estes Park also sit on a quartz and limestone mineral belt, which paranormal investigators say retains residual energy, making it an ideal hangout for lingering spirits. The Stanley offers several tours to hotel guests and daytrippers, from historical deep dives (standard prices start at $25) to creepier nighttime explorations and a popular one dedicated to “The Shining” (standard prices start at $30).
Horror author Stephen King was famously staying at The Stanley when he awoke from a vivid nightmare that sparked “The Shining.” While the film used Oregon’s Timberline Lodge for exterior shots, King’s “nightmare” Room 217 at the Stanley remains a favorite for ghost hunters.
Estes Park shines in winter, too. The charming downtown is lined with boutiques and candy shops, perfect for holiday shopping. And if December brings snow, grab a day pass to the YMCA of the Rockies ($29 for adults; $14 for kids 6–12; free for ages 5 and under) and spend the day sledding, ice skating, or snowshoeing.
stanleyhotel.com
Go Putt-Putt Golfing Amid Holiday Lights
Driving around and seeing holiday lights is always fun. But for a more interactive experience, you can go play putt-putt among the dazzling displays.
As a former Westminster resident, I can’t recommend this fun tradition enough: Adventure Golf & Raceway decks out its three courses in more than 100,000 lights. You’ll walk over rainbow-colored illuminated bridges, pose for photos with giant holiday trees, and toast s’mores and sip hot chocolate in between rounds of putt-putt.
Pro tip: Play the jungle-themed course, which arguably has the most epic hole in all of Colorado mini golf: You putt into a volcano, and if you line up your shot just right, the volcano will erupt with a flame.
Holiday Lights is open nightly from 5 to 9 p.m. (weather permitting) from Nov. 7 to Jan. 4. Tickets are $15.50 for ages 13-59; $11 for ages 4-12 and 60 and up; and ages 3 and under are free.
9650 Sheridan Blvd. Westminster; adventuregolfandraceway.com