Colorado Adventures: Budget Friendly Activities during our First Visit
We FINALLY visited Colorado! A place and state that we had planned to visit last year.
Quick recap! Last year, we had planned to visit Colorado for our 3rd Wedding Anniversary and it didn’t happen due to a snowstorm. So we hopped in the car and traveled to New Mexico. The trip turned out to be great, but the feeling of visiting Colorado lingered. We had this unfinished desire to still travel there soon. It all worked at the end. Ivan’s cousin moved to Colorado, so instead of paying for an AIRBNB which we would of done last year, he was gracious enough to let us stay with him. We did not know what to expect - except for how beautiful we knew Colorado would be. We didn’t have an agenda this time, as we had last year. I guess you can say I didn’t want to plan and get myself hyped up in case it “didn’t happen” once again. Although we didn’t have a plan, we still had a budget.
I have become THAT person. In whatever we do, purchase, or especially in travel…I have a budget. I can’t remember when I flipped this switch but I’m glad for this habit. I used to spend A LOT on things. With no budget in mind, and as I’ve gotten older, the question I ask myself is “why haven’t I had a budget this whole time”? With that being said, I knew that anything we did, I wanted to manage our budget wisely. Once again it all worked out, and today I’m sharing with you the activities we did to explore Colorado without breaking the bank! (In No Particular order)
Officers Gulch Pond- Colorado
Activities
Cheeseman Park
This place is so beautiful! Cheesman Park is located in central Denver, southeast of downtown. The 80 acres of park land are planted with 1,880 trees from 57 different species. Cool fact- Cheesman Park was actually Prospect Hill Cemetery! The cemetary converted to a park in 1907, and was originally named for the US Congress who gave permission to change the cemetery to a park in honor of Denver pioneer Walter Cheeseman whose family donated the funds pavilion located on the eastern side of the park. (Wikipedia, Cheeseman Park)
Cheeseman Park- Colorado
Denver Botanic Gardens
Located only walking distance from Cheeseman Park is where you will find the Denver Botanic Gardens. It’s only $15 per adult to enter. Although I don’t have a green thumb i enjoy strolling through gardens to see plants. There were a lot of plants that I had never seen before, likely because they thrive in the Colorado Environment versus Texas. Similarly, there are probably plants that do better in Texas weather than in other states. These 18 gardens that are designed to showcase plants provide season-long color and texture. It was nice to roam the garden and view the different garden themes.
Denver Botanic Gardens- Colorado
Union Station
What drew us to Union station was the historic look of this landmark. The renovated 1914 train station is home to 10 chef-owned restaurants and bars and boutiques. We enjoyed walking around and dining in for lunch.
Vail Village
When we visited the weather was quite warm and there was no snow in sight. However Vail Village located in Vail, Colorado, is still a great place to visit. While our time there, we walked around as the location has a german/Sweden feel. We stopped by a local pub, had lunch and spent our afternoon at Vail Village. This area is surrounded by nature and mountains, and I’m sure looks gorgeous when it snows!
Red Rocks Amphitheater- Colorado
Officers Gulch Pond (great pitstop on the way to Vail!)
On the way to Vail, we took a pit stop at this beautiful scenic spot, Officers Gulch Pond. There was also a trail, but considering we still had half an hour to go, we took some time to take in the view. it was so serene and quiet. Scenic most definitely with clear (but cold) waters. It was definitely a lovely sight to see!
Red Rocks Amphitheater
I had never heard of a concert venue right smack in the middle of boulders until I visit Red Rocks Amphitheater! There is so much to learn about this theatre but some cool facts are: it sits 6,450 feet above sea level, is a unique transitional zone where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains. Red Rocks Amphitheater is the only naturally-occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheater in the world!
The Shops in Morrisson, Colorado
Before heading to the Red Rocks Amphitheater, we stopped and had lunch in this little town. We also got to look around the strip. I love looking at local shops, so this place was a great spot to stop before heading to our next place!
Eateries
Pablo’s Coffee (various locations)
The Red Lion (Vail Village)
Rooftop Tavern (Morrisson, CO)
White Pie (Denver, CO)
Linger (Denver- we sat rooftop and they have various food options!)
Thirsty LionGastropub (Union Station- not local- didn’t realize this until after)
Have you visited Colorado before? I hope this blog post encourages you to visit!
