Colorado in August questions...

[fivi2]

Dreaming of summer vacations at this point, and Denver is usually an inexpensive direct flight (we are in TX). Where in CO would you go for a week in August with 5.5 yo twins?

We would probably either want to stay in one place and do a couple short day trips, or split between two places - not much more driving around. I have never been to CO, but thought it would be nice to escape the Texas heat. We like a mix of outdoorsy things (light hikes), swimming, and hands on type kids activities (nature centers, museums, etc), and relaxing! We prefer renting a cabin or condo or at least a suite type hotel.

Thoughts so far based on reading:

Denver/Estes Park
Colorado Springs
one of the ski towns (which one?) (probably split with Denver)

I would love to do Durango/Ouray/Silverton, but I think it would be too far from Denver.

We may end up somewhere else, but I like to do preliminary research and then discuss options with dh. San Diego is probably the biggest contender right now, but I want to look at CO options! (So I guess the follow up question is San Diego v. any of these CO options!) (Anaheim and a so cal beach split isn't totally out of the question either... and I would love to do the Black Hills, but can't figure out how to get there... so indecisive).

TIA!

[twindad]

Our twins (5.5 yrs old) loved Colorado Springs this past summer. They had a blast at The North Pole http://www.santas-colo.com/. All of the rides were perfect for them, even though we thought a lot of them were going to be lame. Watch for discount coupons... you usually can save quite a bit off of regular prices. I would advise going early... it usually rains in the afternoon during the summer months.

There are lots of easy, fun hikes around Co Springs too.

My brother lives in the Denver area, so we usually make day trips to Co Springs - it is an easy drive - about an hour and a half or so. My girls loved the Denver Zoo and the public swimming pools in many communities are very nice (with splash pads, water slides, etc) and open to non-residents for a slightly higher price.

HTH

[egoldber]

Keystone is perfect! It has exactly what you want, very family friendly and lots of suites and condos.

http://www.keystoneresort.com/

[resipsaloquitur]

One of my fav CO towns is Breckenridge. There are a lot of fun summer activities for kids.

I've done the Black Hills but not much going on for anyone under 60.

[fivi2]

Thanks for the advice I will look into the suggestion!