Denver, one of the nation’s capitals for microbrew beers, also has a burgeoning wine industry. Although most of the state’s vineyards are on the Western Slope, more than a dozen wineries operate tasting rooms in the Denver area where visitors can sample award-winning vintages. And note this: You can buy wine from wineries on Sundays, when Colorado liquor stores are closed. So take a wine tour in the Denver…
You’ve hiked wickedly steep terrain through the Colorado National Monument’s remote canyons. You’ve rewarded yourself with visits to a dozen wineries, drinking enough tastes to fill a few bottles. It’s Sunday and you’re still in Grand Junction. Now what? Though many downtown businesses are closed on Sundays, Main Street can still be the perfect spot for a lazy day. Even in winter, the weather here is milder than in…
“Look, Mommy – a radish!” I beam with pride as my toddler excitedly points to the stack of pink-hued veggies on the table and correctly shouts the name. It’s Saturday morning and we’re wandering between tents at the Cherry Creek Farmers’ Market. For years I’ve enjoyed frequenting the various markets around town. I’d saunter through, comparing quality, chatting with the product owners, and maybe taking a few moments to…
In summer, walk along the Blue River bike path in downtown Breckenridge, Colorado, and you’ll likely spot outdoor sculpture faster than you can find the first T-shirt shop. Impressive, considering the amount of cotton housed in the shops along Main Street. “Sculpture on the Blue,” a summer seasonal exhibit of massive art along the Blue River, includes pieces on loan as well as items in the town’s permanent collection.…
At resorts and ski areas in Colorado, and across the country, lift operators make the chairs go ‘round. So don’t duck the ropes and don’t grumble when they ask for your pass on an icy day. Just smile, help your kids on the lift and be happy that you don’t have to hike up the hill. Joshua Felix, a lift operator at Copper Mountain who skied 72 days last…
Remember the old Charlie Daniels song, “Uneasy Rider”? A longhair on a road trip to Los Angeles has a flat tire and chances into a redneck bar called the “Dew Drop Inn.” Of course, he’d tucked his hair up under his hat, but you’ll recall that big fella with the green teeth made him tip his hat to a lady and suddenly he was about to die. In a…
Home to rugged terrain and peaceful scenery, Colorado’s foothills are the ideal destination for many pursuits. And breakfast or brunch at a great local eatery is the perfect complement to both an intense mountain workout and a leisurely day of sightseeing. Whether you’re looking to fuel up, cool down or chill out, these breakfast spots have what you want where you want it — in the serene foothills just…
The British Bulldog is one of the few bars where you’ll see people drinking coffee from one hand and beer from the other — the coffee because it’s not quite 8 o’clock in the morning and the beer because there’s soccer on TV. Oh, and because it’s free. When I pushed open the front door of The British Bulldog one Saturday morning I felt as if I was back…
It’s mid-morning on a Tuesday when I find myself succumbing to another Lucile’s lure. A buttermilk biscuit, to be precise, coupled with an oversized mug of foamy house made Chai. I’ve been a fixture at the Creole joint for three days running, plunking myself down at the bar and making myself fat on butter, beignets, grits, cornbread and buttermilk biscuits. Fletcher Richards — svelte, handsome and attired in a…
Somehow it’s become entrenched in American cultural mythology that if life deals you a savage blow, you simply have to move to the mountains and your girlfriend comes back and your dog gets more handsome. The fact of the matter is that life above 9,000 feet in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains isn’t always that elegant. Take the other night, for instance. At 3 a.m., my wife shook me awake to…