Anyone in Colorado?

I'm trying to find somewhere in driving distance for us to go at the end of July. Thought maybe the Colorado Springs or Estes Park areas. Any suggestions on hotels? My kids love to swim, and I love to sit by the pool, so a heated outdoor or an indoor pool would be a must.

I'm open to ideas. We're in Kansas, just went to Kansas City, are burned out on Branson (the horror!), and want something not too expensive, but fun.

i live 45 minutes from estes park. as far as hotels, i've never spent the night up there so i don't know. lol i would say anything would be nice, all of estes park is gorgeous! be sure to go up to the stanley hotel (where the shining was filmed) its super pretty. amazing views. i dunno how old your kids are either but i hear the tour they do is super fun! you can also do loads of horseback riding, random outdoor stuff and walking around their adorable downtown whilst eating homemade ice cream. do some google and have a blast. colorado springs is pretty cool too. i live 2 hours from the springs so i've never vacationed there either but i do know that iT'z family food and fun is AMAZING!!

eta: there is so much to do in colorado springs like lynnette said. i'm a doofus. in any case, either place would be fun with your kids.

MissKim said:

burned out on Branson (the horror!)

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i grew up in springfield. lol branson is good times.

We were just in Branson this past weekend. The girls (and I) LOOOVED it.

In defense of Branson, I should add that we've been to Branson five times in the last 18 months, and spent over a month total there. I have some great friends that live there, and I miss them, but I'm sort of in the mood to do something different, since we've done everything in Branson. Twice.

I live in Colorado Springs and with kids, I'd probably pick it over Estes Park. Estes Park is beautiful, especially with Rocky Mountain National Park, but I think there's more variety of activities to do in Colorado Springs: the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak. The Royal Gorge isn't too far from here either.

As far as hotels, I know more about the south end of town which is where I'd recommend staying. At I-25 and Circle Dr there's quite a few hotels. We stayed at the Residence Inn when we moved here but there's also a bunch of others there as well. Circle is just one exit south of where you'd come into town on 24 so it would be easy to get to and it puts you close to where most of the activities are.

I don't have suggestions for hotels since I don't live there anymore, but...

I'm going to be in Colorado the end of July, too!! Estes Park is 45 minutes from my parent's house! If you end up there...we really have to try and meet up!

We're doing Colorado Springs for our family vacation this year too! :thumbup: We're planning to go sometime in August. We're planning to do the zoo, Pike's Peak and Garden of the Gods.

Like Lynette said, Colorado Springs is a better bet if you're headed there with younger kids. Estes Park is amazing, but not tons to do with kids if you're going to be there more than a day or so.

If you do end up in the spings, make a stop at the North Pole and also be sure to hit the Garden of the Gods.

Colorado Springs is so beautiful. You'll love it.

eta: I'm just 20 mins from Lizzy and have lived here all my life. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions, although Lynette is the person to talk to about the springs.