COME TO LIFE / Beyond Denver foot climbing wall, zip and jump from a 42-foot plat-form or choose to free-fall from a 75-foot platform). There’s also the pedes-trian-friendly downtown, galleries, golf courses, bistros, coffee houses, a new green space along the South Platte River and Ecclesia Market and a new food hall in a former church. Castle Rock has year-round hiking and biking trails and spectacular views from on top of The Rock — the historic namesake for the community. Stop into the visitor center for ideas on exploring the area and beyond. Drive: 35 minutes 3 EVERGREEN Acres of forest and open space surround this vibrant downtown, lined with galleries, boutiques, patio cafes and bistros. The foothills community boasts miles of hiking and biking trails, plus Evergreen Lake is packed with ice skaters each win-ter and hosts a summer concert series. For a bit of history of the area, Hiwan Heritage Park holds an 1893 log lodge that’s now a museum with original and historic furnishings as well as American Indian artwork. Drive: 40 minutes 4 AURORA Seek out nine beautiful golf courses, three gor-geous reservoirs, unique r museums, U-picks, brewer-ies, shopping at South-lands, Aurora Fox Arts Center in the Cultural Arts District and much more. Check out the Stanley Marketplace, a collection of independently owned places to eat, drink, shop and play. Make plans to visit the Colorado Freedom Memorial. Con-structed of glass panels that reflect Colorado’s beautiful scenery, it holds the names of more than 6,000 Coloradans killed or missing in action in all wars and all branches of service. Take a driving tour of the Story Line, passing by farms, historic homesteads, schoolhouses and other landmarks that make it hard to believe you’re in the state’s third-largest city. Download the audio guide: AuroraGov.org/ StoryLine . Aurora is just minutes away from Den-ver International Airport by car, as well as RTD’s R Line lightrail. Drive: 25 minutes 5 LITTLETON This tree-lined downtown somehow combines the sophistication of a relaxed urban center packed with local eats and unique boutiques with small-town charm — and, of course, plenty of craft wineries, distilleries and breweries, including Breckenridge Brewery’s massive campus with Continued on page 106. Denver is an excellent hub for exploring the state beyond the city limits. 1 LAKEWOOD RTD Commuter Rail-connected Lakewood makes a good homebase between Denver and the mountains. Many take advantage of a few close-to-civilization camp-grounds. For more civilized fare: The Lakewood Cultural Center hosts performances and events in pedestrian-friendly Belmar, which is home to shops and restaurants. (Colorado Mills Mall is also a hub for metro-area retail action.) 40 West Arts is the city’s Certified Colo-rado Creative District. Two new ways to experience it: The new 40W ArtLine, a 4-mile walking/bike path with interactive art, murals and large installations all along the way; and 40W Art Crawls, with First Friday art walks as well as three large-scale art events each year. Drive: 15 minutes 2 CASTLE ROCK The Outlets at Castle Rock and upscale Promenade at Castle Rock are big draws, along with The Barn’s antique and specialty shops, 44 miles of trails, the year-round Castle Rock Zip Line Tours and Epic Adventure Tower at P. S. Miller Park (where you scale a 40-@xianye6 3 9 104 / 1-800-COLORADO CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: CITY OF GOLDEN; EVERGREEN, INSTAGRAM/@XIANYE6; CENTRAL CITY, EFRAÍN M. PADRÓ. DENVER DAY TRIPS COLORADO
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2020: Page 104
