My Colorado Bucket List


June 12, 2014

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I’ve lived in Colorado a total of seven years over two separate periods and, as I said to my friend the other night, I would seriously make the worst tour guide ever.

For some reason, I’ve just never gone out and explored Denver and Colorado like I have other places. So I’ve decided to adopt the tourist, explorer attitude and really see and experience Colorado.

I’ve pulled the following from some different websites as “things you must do” in Colorado and will work to check them off. Some of these I’ve already done when here before, but I left them because I may want to do them again! There’s no particular order to this list and I won’t be bummed if I don’t hit them all, but this is my guide for making the most of my time in this beautiful state.

  • Ice Skate on Evergreen Lake.
  • See the Jet Car Nationals at Bandimere Speedway.
  • Spend an evening at old fashioned Lakeside Amusement Park.
  • Visit Denver’s Botanical Gardens.
  • Spend a day at Waterworld.
  • Brave a kayak lesson at Confluence Park.
  • Go kart at the Grand Junction Motor Speedway.
  • Explore the most preserved ghost town in Colorado.
  • Ride the Amtrak California Zephyr train to Glenwood Springs.
  • Walk, bike, or take a jog on the Highline Canal through Greenwood Village.
  • Place a bet on your favorite horse at Arapahoe Park.
  • Hike through beautiful Castlewood Canyon.
  • Dirt bike Grand Junction and the western slope.
  • Take a trip to Bent’s Old Fort.
  • Visit the Great Sand Dunes National Park.
  • Drive the Grand Mesa & Colorado National Monument.
  • Take a trip to Chatfield State Park and lake in SW Denver.
  • Visit Mesa Verde National Park.
  • Be a spectator at any Broncos football game.
  • Enjoy a 3-Day weekend in Colorado Springs:  Pike’s Peak Cog Railway, Garden of the Gods, Many Museums, Old Colorado City, Cave of the Winds, U. S. Air Force Academy, Broadmoor Hotel, World Ice Arena, Sky Sox Baseball, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, and much more.
  • Attend a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
  • Tube down the Yampa River in Steamboat Springs.
  • Climb any Colorado 14er.
  • Do a day hike up to Devil’s Head overlook.
  • Denver Museum of Nature & Science and Gates Planetarium.
  • Spend an evening at the tables or slots in Central City and Blackhawk.
  • Do the free Coors Brewery Tour in Golden.
  • Do the Zoo Lights at the Denver Zoo.
  • Head to Cherry Creek State Park for an afternoon of rifle or shotgun shooting at the Family Shooting Center.
  • Peruse through the many shelves of the Tattered Cover Bookstore.
  • Attend a performance at the Arts Complex in Downtown Denver.
  • Attend a show at intimate and glamorous Paramount Theatre.
  • Take a free tour of the United States Mint in Denver.
  • Visit Byers-Evans House or the Molly Brown house.
  • Visit Ouray Colorado for its raw scenic beauty.
  • Take a ride over to the Colorado Railroad Museum.
  • Enjoy dinner at Casa Bonita.
  • Catch a Colorado Rockies game at Coors Field.
  • Head to a Colorado drive-in theatre.
  • Take a drive down Colorado’s Highway 83.
  • Spend a week at a Colorado Dude Ranch.
  • Tour the National Center For Atmospheric Research.
  • Drive Independence Pass to or from Aspen.
  • Spend a day at the Downtown Denver Aquarium.
  • Drive to Pueblo for the Colorado State Fair.
  • Climb REI’s giant 45′ rock climbing wall, The Pinnacle.
  • Visit the Royal Gorge in Canon City.
  • Ride the Narrow Gauge Train from Durango to Silverton.
  • Tour Dinosaur Ridge.
  • Take a stroll through the Santa Fe Art District on First Friday.
  • See one of the most popular Corn Maze’s in the country.
  • Ski, swim, and stay at the World Famous Hot Springs Pool in Glenwood Springs.
  • Enjoy an afternoon at the Denver Art Museum.
  • Go stand up paddle boarding somewhere awesome.


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