My wife and I along with my 5 year old grandaughter are in the planning stages of making a trip to Colorado this June. We're planning on attending faire on Sunday of opening weekend. But I thought I would ask for some recommendations from some of you that live in the area:
Places to lodge that are local to the faire?
Places where discount tickets can be bought prior to hitting the front gate. I see from the Web Site that they list "front range King Soopers"? I assume that's a grocery store chain?
The must see things at your faire?
Places to lodge in the Estes Park area. My wife wants to stay there for 3-4 nights and she got some things on her to-do list already. I'm thinking some places close to the National Park, along a stream, nice hiking, good views, clean place to stay, etc........the usual stuff. Any suggestions? Doing a search on the web yields a very long list. Any suggestions that would help us shave that list down would be appreciated. ;D
I can tell you from our trip out there a couple years ago, Castle Rock is maybe 15-20 minutes north of the faire, and has several nice places right off I-25 at Meadows Parkway in Castle Rock. A great brew pub/restaurant within walking distance of hotels called Rockyard American Grill & Brewing Company.
Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs is pretty impressive, if you like rocks.
The Cat Show at CRF is a total must!
The first weekend is also 2 for 1 weekend too, there will be little vouchers at Wendy's. And King Soopers is easy to find in Castle Rock too.
Estes is pretty much the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park.
For things to do with the kiddo there is The Children's Museum in Denver if I remember right it is right off I25.
Merlin is correct: The place to stay in order to enjoy our Festival is Castle Rock. It is about 15 minutes North of the gate, with a number of hotels and eateries from which to choose. According to TripAdvisor, the pick of the litter is the Best Western. Your wife may be interested in the fact that it is situated across the parking lot from the largest outlet mall in the state. ;)
As Adriana Rose indicated, opening weekend is 2 for 1; you can pick up the coupons at Wendy's or King Sooper's, but there are generally patrons hanging around who will give you one for the asking.
Recommendations: (1) Our Festival is, literally, situated on the side of a mountain at over 6000 feet elevation. Weather conditions can be anything from 40 degrees and rainy to 100 degrees without a cloud in sight. Everything is up hill. Both ways! Come prepared. (2) Come early! Get there at or before 9:30 (canon is at 10AM) and you will not only get primo parking, you get to enjoy the gate show.
Norfolk - the way you hawk the gate show you would think you know someone who is in it :D
Quote from: Gauwyn of Bracknell on March 21, 2013, 05:56:53 AM
Norfolk - the way you hawk the gate show you would think you know someone who is in it :D
The Duchess and I are in the gate show only in the sense that someone sitting in the first row of a rock concert can be said to be "in it"!
Quote from: RenStarr on March 20, 2013, 12:01:50 PM
My wife and I along with my 5 year old grandaughter are in the planning stages of making a trip to Colorado this June. We're planning on attending faire on Sunday of opening weekend. But I thought I would ask for some recommendations from some of you that live in the area:
Places to lodge that are local to the faire?
Places where discount tickets can be bought prior to hitting the front gate. I see from the Web Site that they list "front range King Soopers"? I assume that's a grocery store chain?
The must see things at your faire?
Places to lodge in the Estes Park area. My wife wants to stay there for 3-4 nights and she got some things on her to-do list already. I'm thinking some places close to the National Park, along a stream, nice hiking, good views, clean place to stay, etc........the usual stuff. Any suggestions? Doing a search on the web yields a very long list. Any suggestions that would help us shave that list down would be appreciated. ;D
Estes is my backyard... well almost. I live less than 45 minutes east at the real entrance to RMNP You either go through Longmont or Loveland to get there.
Hiking... There are a lot of great spots to hike in the area. Be warned that in RMNP you will find crowds and that takes away from the experience. There is a great site called www.localhikes.com (http://www.localhikes.com) http://www.localhikes.com/MSA/MSA_2670.asp (http://www.localhikes.com/MSA/MSA_2670.asp) is the direct link to the area.
Ouzal Falls is pretty but the trail is often overly crowded. Bridal Veil just north of Estes Park is a nice easy hike and a pretty falls, Westcreek is harder, shorter and never busy with a pretty falls. Once again anything in Estes park will be busy that time of year
If you like beer, Loveland and Ft Collins are the spot to go. Grimms and Big beaver in Loveland with Grimms being the best. In Ft Collins, I know many speak of New Belgium but NB has gotten to big and the beers while good are not as good as some of the others. O'Dells is great but I'd recommend Pateros Creek http://www.pateroscreekbrewing.com/ (http://www.pateroscreekbrewing.com/)
If you like simple food The Wapiti in Estes is good as is the Big Horn. Both places you can get buffalo and at the Wapiti you can get Elk and even Rocky Mountain Oysters that are actually pretty good.
Loveland and Ft Collins both have nice small museums and the area is loaded with very nice bike trails.
Ft Collins has some great places to Eat like Taverna, Hu Hot, Rodizo (pricey), and the best steaks can be gotten in Loveland at The Black Steer
Places to stay. Estes will be very busy and expensive that time of year. The Stanley is the place to go but not cheap. Ypou can also get small places in Estes and now is the time to reserve them.
Hope this helps
My Lord Toki and I will miss you as we go on Saturdays.
Wendy's has BOGO coupons and King Soopers has $2.00 off
Lady Delaney is by far the expert here, so maybe she can clarify. When we go we have found hiking to be much less crowded if you go deep into the park toward Lake Grandby.
I've rented cabins from Pine Creek Cabins, the are in various locations around Estes. Not exactly cheap, but very nice.
http://eppinecreekcabins.com/ (http://eppinecreekcabins.com/)
Ian
Quote from: Gauwyn of Bracknell on March 21, 2013, 11:38:31 AM
Lady Delaney is by far the expert here, so maybe she can clarify. When we go we have found hiking to be much less crowded if you go deep into the park toward Lake Grandby.
Yes, fighting the traffic over Trail Ridge and hiking the back side can be nice. However... On the backside there is far far more beetle kill and this is a HUGE downer. the further over trail ridge towards Grandby the worse it gets. However I did stumble onto 2 bull moose on that side grazing in a huge meadow. As always keep your distance on all wild life. You will see idiots get so close the can touch the animal, this is illegal and you must keep your distance. Moose kill more people annually than bears or mountain lions. Elk can also injure you badly.
On many occasions Big horn sheep can be seen in the Big Thompson Canyon. Deer is abundant and elk can be. Mark yourself lucky to see wild turkeys, bears or mountain lions. Remember to never panic. If you see a bear, back away slowly talking softly (Nice Bear, Nice bear) and leave it be. if you see a mountain lion... make sure you make yourself look bigger. and if attacked. fight back, Big sticks, walking sticks can be your friend. Cats are curious but cowards.
The least crowding hikes happen outside RMNP and can be far more rewarding. Comanche Peaks is my favorite. It's easy, (well almost 200 yards incline then 1/2 mile decent to a pretty stream. 3 miles back is an old cabin and a huge meadow. 4 miles in RMNP. This trail is never very busy.
Cow Creek which leads to the Bridal Vail is a great hike and that one trail splits into 7. One is 4 miles taking the back route to gem Lake. The lake is more like a giant water catch and not a lake. You over look the backside of Estes. You can take the front route but be warned, this trail can be a killer. 2 miles of steep switch backs. the back route at Cow Creek is 4 miles and easy and peaceful with no crowds. Cow creek also leads to Lawn Lake which is the lake that had a damn burst in 1982 that created the Elluvial Fan falls.
As always take lot's of water, more water than you will need. Covering for the head, sun screen, rain gear, good shoes, snacks (Jerky, nuts, energy bars, even an apple or peach).
I hike northern Colorado a lot during the nice seasons (Starting in April and going to Oct normally and have been planning Snow shoeing but snow has been missing to do good snow shoeing.
None of this is meant to scare you, just prepare you as many people that come to the state are not prepared. Being at 10,000 feet, you will bake like a hot dog over an open fire and you need to drink tons of water
Most regulars hit the parking lot around 9:00 so they are up front, i recomend this for several reasons. One if you have to go to the car at anytime during the day you are right out the front and only gate, yes weather changes you could be 40 and rain or 100 and hot as all hell, also if you bring gatorade and such you can run to the car to get that. Two when the faire day is done you don't have a long walk or have to wait for the bus to take you to the back 40 to get to the car.
Wendy's will have 2 for one coupons for opening weekend. They open the ticket booths at faire at 9:00 and they have enough the lines never get to full.
Castle rock is the best place to stay for faire you are 15 minutes from faire, you have plenty of places to eat, you have the outlet malls right there and if you want to go to a bigger mall Park Meadows is just 15 minutes or less north of their.
Estes park i always enjoy the Stanley Hotel but can be pricey and haunted, they have a resturant with great food in the hotel and its haunted. Oh did i mention the stanley is haunted.
Hmm other than that i don't think i can say anything that hasn't been said besides come by the big cat show and say hi to me, i will be standing off to the side making sure dumb people stay back from the cats.
Oh remember
Sun Screen
Water
If you drink alchohol drink lots of water you will get drunk faster then at sea level.
Thanks for the feedback folks. We'll be scanning all of our options and putting together some solid plans over the next month. Looking forward to seeing CRF!! The big cat show sounds interesting.
Queston: How are they at the front gate about flask's, bota bags, etc......? I'm used to TRF and Sherwood where folks go thru with all kinds of stuff hanging off themselves and their belts and nothing is ever said. Only time I've ever been hasled bout that kinda stuff was at Scarby one year. Girl insisted that I take my flask (in a small bag on my belt) back to my car or poor the contents out.
Gonna read up on the Stanley Hotel also. Being haunted would be cool with me and a bit of adventure, but Lady B (wife) would reject that idea for sure. No need to even ask about that.
The cat show is a blast. We will have two white tigers again this year, even though they are still cubs they will be about 180 pounds.
Yay big kitties ;D
180 pounds?!?! Cubs my...er, um...
Merlin they will only be about 11 months old
The trip plans are coming together. Actually we're going to be going a week earlier than what I thought, so we're planning on being there on Saturday for opening day! Looking forward to seeing CRF and what it has to offer, as well as shaking a few hands from those of you here on RF. ;D
The Duchess and I are delighted to hear it, RenStarr, and we are looking very much forward to welcoming you to Larkspurshire. We are confident that you will find a great deal to your liking in our little village.
As I have previously mentioned, His Majesty keeps us well occupied during a typical festival day, but we do hope you will flag us down long enough to introduce yourself and your companions.
To that end, you will find our likeness here:
http://www.slickpic.com/u/DanielHammond/ColoradoRenaissanceFestival/photo#2709157 (http://www.slickpic.com/u/DanielHammond/ColoradoRenaissanceFestival/photo#2709157)
In the interim, safe travels to you and yours.
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
http://www.pygmypony.net/SFRF10/SFRF10-8/images/100_4909_jpg.jpg (http://www.pygmypony.net/SFRF10/SFRF10-8/images/100_4909_jpg.jpg)
Norfolk, here is a link to a photo that was taken of me (glasses on) and one of my faire buddies Teach from the first season at Sherwood. Thought I should post something since I haven't put anything on my profile. I'll be looking for you and the Duchess.
Grammercy, RenStarr! We will be on the lookout for you. Will you be wearing the same outfit?
RenStarr, check for Norfolk and his bride on the parapets as the gates prepare to open! I hope you get together. You are both quite cordial chaps!
Quote from: Merlin the Elder on April 04, 2013, 06:47:58 PM
RenStarr, check for Norfolk and his bride on the parapets as the gates prepare to open! I hope you get together. You are both quite cordial chaps!
Merlin, you are very kind.
Quote from: Norfolk on April 04, 2013, 01:38:27 PM
Grammercy, RenStarr! We will be on the lookout for you. Will you be wearing the same outfit?
Norfolk, I'll be on the lookout for you also. Wearing: these days........black kilt, crimson shirt, black leather flat hat.
Quote from: Merlin the Elder on April 04, 2013, 06:47:58 PM
RenStarr, check for Norfolk and his bride on the parapets as the gates prepare to open! I hope you get together. You are both quite cordial chaps!
Merlin, thanks for the kind words.
RenStarr, make sure you check the date of opening on the CoRF website. It seems that the date that was published on this forum was a week off. Just a heads up.
Quote from: Merlin the Elder on April 05, 2013, 03:54:19 PM
RenStarr, make sure you check the date of opening on the CoRF website. It seems that the date that was published on this forum was a week off. Just a heads up.
.
Merlin, I saw that post about the dates being off on this forum. I was looking at the CRF web site. I'm planning on opening cannon on the 15th.
Good deal! Beautiful faire, lots of nice people, one arse, and uphill all the way...
Sorry to be late to this conversation, but I live in Estes. Delaney has about the right of it--it is very expensive to stay here in the summer but there are some decently priced places you can find. Avoid the Stanley except for a tour. Crowded, rooms are small, and grossly overpriced for that time of year. You'd do much better staying at one of the cabins in the area or even out at the YMCA as they have some very nice cabins and houses to rent for reasonable prices--especially if you have a little one staying with you. Assuming you haven't already made your reservations I'd be happy to supply you with a list of some of the cheaper places in town. Also be warned that the road from the Beaver Meadows RMNP entrance to Bear Lake is undergoing serious construction right now and will only be accessible by shuttle bus during the summer, which makes it, in my opinion, not worth the trip. We have been avoiding our favorite spots for a year now because the traffic just makes it no fun. Go to the Moraine Park entrance instead. Let me know if you need information on anywhere else in town!
Oh yes, and be warned that parking downtown is a right monster in the summer unless you manage to find a spot before oh, say, 9am. My advice would be to park at the Visitor Center at the corner of Highway 36/34 as there are usually spots there to be found and the walk to downtown is not very long. There is usually a shuttle bus that ferries people from the Stanley Fairgrounds to downtown as well. Otherwise there are a few other lots (such as the post office) that offer 3 hour parking and are usually not terribly full. The parking police here are very strict though and they will nab you if you are in a 3 hour lot for more than 3 hours.
There are also some neat things in Colorado Springs, south of the faire. Many of them are great for quick-hits, if you will, and you might be able to cram a few things in to one day (Seven Falls and the Cave of the Winds have been hits when my family and friends visit). Garden of the Gods is beautiful, and during the week it isn't too crowded. There are also easy hikes in the park. Sadly, some of my favorite local trails remain closed due to the fire last summer, and the burn scar is still obvious.
I hope to meet you and your family when you visit! If I'm at faire, I'll be working at the journals booth near the mermaid fountain.
Zoe: We've already made a reservation at a place on the Thompson river, Brynwood is the name of the place. Cabin, pool for our granddaughter, close to RMNP, on the river, etc. Some of the things we were wanting. We'll be there during the week, so hopefully the traffic in the park won't be to bad. Thanks for the response! Got any good suggestions on local brew pubs? I believe someone already posted about one (I'll need to back track the thread and make notes).
Blushing: I'll make it a point to stop by and say hello. I remember chatting with you for a few minutes at TRF a couple of years back at a RF meet n greet around midday. You invited me to make rendezvous that was at CFR the following year. Well I couldn't make it happen then, but we're stopping in for opening day since we're going to be in the area. So here's an invite from me, try to attend Sherwood at sometime in the near future. Opening weekend is always a good time. We get to see that Merlin fellow on opening weekend when he and his lovely spouse conduct their own mini invasion.
I've been trying to get to Sherwood ... weather there and bronchitis on my end kepty me home two years ago. This year, I was contending with a bad knee injury. I'm attending Sherwood next year, or I might be kidnapped ...
I also forgot to mention the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. It's a hilly zoo with lots to offer - I LOVE feeding the giraffes! The new Encounter Africa exhibit is set to open soon, as well.
And Merlin and his bride are awesome.
Quote from: Blushing on April 07, 2013, 09:49:33 PM
I've been trying to get to Sherwood ... weather there and bronchitis on my end kepty me home two years ago. This year, I was contending with a bad knee injury. I'm attending Sherwood next year, or I might be kidnapped ...
I also forgot to mention the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. It's a hilly zoo with lots to offer - I LOVE feeding the giraffes! The new Encounter Africa exhibit is set to open soon, as well.
And Merlin and his bride are awesome.
Now who's blushing... The brewpub I mentioned earlier is in Castle Rock... Rockyard American Grill and Brewing Company, right off the Interstate on Castleton Rd.
Quote from: RenStarr on April 07, 2013, 06:28:06 PM
Zoe: We've already made a reservation at a place on the Thompson river, Brynwood is the name of the place. Cabin, pool for our granddaughter, close to RMNP, on the river, etc. Some of the things we were wanting. We'll be there during the week, so hopefully the traffic in the park won't be to bad. Thanks for the response! Got any good suggestions on local brew pubs? I believe someone already posted about one (I'll need to back track the thread and make notes).
One can hope on the traffic. Your best bet is to get up there as early as possible. The Bear Lake road closes to personal cars at 8am so you're forced to take the shuttle up there pretty much no matter what. There aren't a ton of "pubs" in town per se, but the Estes Park Brewery is a good stop for some good brews. Otherwise you'll be looking at some restaurants that have decent beer selections--Smokin' Dave's BBQ is one of our favorites, it's on highway 36 on the west side of town and has a good beer selection as well as some amazing BBQ, and the Rocky Mountain Inn (Better known to locals as the Rock Inn), also on the west side of town nearing the Park, has good drinks but the food is a little on the pricy side, although their pizzas are excellent. They also have live music most nights of the week in the summer.
As a Beer lover... I'd avoid Estes Brewery. To me they have 1 maybe 2 good beers and are not even sub-par to other local beers.
As Stephanie said many of the places do serve local beer but it's better to get it from a brewery if you can.
Loveland has 3 Breweries. Grimms is Top Notch and b far WAY better than New Belgium that every one talks about. new Belgium used to be good but has gotten to big and when you brew to much beer you start getting the Bud/Coors syndrome... not good beer. Big Beaver Brewey in Loveland I have yet to try but I hear good things. he 3rd brewery is downtown and I've yet to try it.
In Ft Collins Pateros Creek is THE place to go. They do not serve the heavy coffee flavor, burned tasting, juniper berry flavor beers that Estes brews, or New Belgium and O'Dells brew. There beers are smooth... very smooth. O'Dells is good with a nice pub. They usually have 15+ beers n tap. New Belgium which I mentioned is always the place everyone says to go, but trust a beer lover, it is not the best but still way better than Estes and still far far better than most other local beers.
Longmont has Left Hand... another not so good beer IMHO. Between Boulder and Longmont there are 5 or 6. In Loveland and Ft Collins there are 15+
All personal taste, of course. I happen to love New Belgium, but to each his own. The brewery tours there are pretty cool (and free, last I knew) and way more in depth than O'Dell's tour. Prepare to spend about 90 minutes in there. Lots of free samples!
Quote from: Zoë on April 09, 2013, 04:39:34 PM
All personal taste, of course. I happen to love New Belgium, but to each his own. The brewery tours there are pretty cool (and free, last I knew) and way more in depth than O'Dell's tour. Prepare to spend about 90 minutes in there. Lots of free samples!
NB no longer does free samples in the tap room, they now charge like everyone else. That stopped late summer last year. You do get free samples IF you can get in the tour but you get that at Coors and Bud as well. Most are booked months ahead of time. Just looking all of April and May are filled on Friday and Saturdays. Weekdays you can get in.
And Yes it is a matter of taste but most in Loveland and Ft Collins while we like NB... do not like NB as much as the smaller places. NB is typically visited by the college NONE beer lovers that love beer but not the fine stuff like drinking Fine wine or good wine, or cheap wine or cheaper wine. One thing with NB is they love to make sour beer now or smoked beer or IPA. They have their main stays like Fat Tire and Sunshine Wheat, Cuttroat porter etc but beer produced in mass losses a lot, any brewer of worth can tell you that.
The time is near.............as in tomorrow morning!! Getting in the truck and heading out early. Stopping in the Texas panhandle area then on to CO. Looking forward to getting away, seeing the central CO area, and attending CRF on opening Saturday. ;D
Travel safely, Lad! Hope you have a wonderful time!
Quote from: Merlin the Elder on June 07, 2013, 08:22:33 PM
Travel safely, Lad! Hope you have a wonderful time!
Merlin, thanks for well wishes, I know we're gonna have a great time!
In CO now, Littleton area for tonight. Gonna visit with some friends this evening. Drove by Larkspur exit earlier, we're dialed in on the exit for next Saturday. Tomorrow we're off to Estes park till next Friday morning. Looking forward to opening day and spending the day in the shire at Larkspur! Look at my pic (earlier in this thread), and say hello if any of you all see me first. I'll be be looking for some of you all.
If you get a chance, take a drive through the Garden of the Gods. It doesn't take you far out of your way, and has some beautiful sights! It's just outside of Colorado Springs.
Quote from: Merlin the Elder on June 10, 2013, 06:19:57 AM
If you get a chance, take a drive through the Garden of the Gods. It doesn't take you far out of your way, and has some beautiful sights! It's just outside of Colorado Springs.
Did that yesterday. Really amazing sights indeed! The height and color of those rocks are very unique.
Welcome to CO, RenStarr. Enjoy Estes Park. Mrs. Wheatie was just up there this weekend for the wool market. I'd like to say she came home with three bags full. But it seems more like 10. See you in Larkspurshire this coming weekend.
Huzzah! I'd say stop into the Starbucks and say hi to the hubby, but he's at a different store this week. He and I will be at faire on Sunday.
Back home now, and back in the Texas heat. :P
But our week in CO was fantastic! Spent four days/nights in Estes Park and had a great time. Rocky Mtn Nat Park was amazing. Saw lots of elk, some mule deer, even some big horn sheep! The sights in the park were great!
Then we ended the week at CRF on opening Sat. We didn't a good time, we had a GREAT time!! We were totally impressed with CRF. Met some really nice folks, saw some really good shows, and site itself is fantastic. Our granddaughter kept us busy moving along and around every corner there was something she wanted to do, look at, or buy. We both know that we'll be coming back!
Norfolk, it a pleasure meeting both you and the Duchess. I hope we are able to see you at Sherwood some day in the future.
Blushing, we did stop by the journals booth but didn't see you.
For everyone else, thanks for you advice/responses given prior to our trip.
Well met and I hope our paths cross at some point in the future.
RenStarr
RenStarr,
T'was entirely the pleasure of the Duchess and myself to meet you and yours! We cannot tell thee what a pleasure 'tis that you found Larkspurshire worth the journey.
We very much hope to see you again.
Norfolk