My Favorite Colorado Recommendations

When I moved to Colorado in the early 1980s, I expected it to be temporary.

“It’s just for a few years,” I promised my mother back home in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Welp, it turns out a few years became a lifetime!

I fell in love with Colorado almost immediately, with its history, its people, and its charm. We still think it’s the most beautiful state in the country, no matter the season. But there’s something particularly special about Colorado in the summertime.

The days are long, the nights are cool, and there’s no shortage of reasons to get outside. So, whether you’re lucky enough to call this place home or you’re just visiting, here are a few of our favorite ways to enjoy a Colorado summer.

Get Outside

Sometimes the best thing you can do is simply go for a hike or walk.

Between 43 state parks, 13 national parks and monuments, and 39,000 miles of hiking trails, Colorado gives us plenty of great places to do it.

If you’re looking for a more casual walk, two of our favorites are the Riverwalk in Pueblo and the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. There’s no better way to appreciate this state than getting outside and exploring it on foot.

Listen To Live Music

There’s something magical about live music under the stars, and Colorado has some of the best venues around.

We’re lucky to have Red Rocks, the greatest natural music venue in the world, right in our backyard. Another one of our favorites is the Mishawaka, or “The Mish,” along the Poudre River outside Fort Collins.

This May, my friend Ketch Secor invited me up there to perform with Old Crow Medicine Show. My banjo skills were a little rusty, but The Mish certainly wasn’t.

Onstage at The Mish with Old Crow Medicine Show, trying not to ruin Ketch Secor’s beautiful rendition of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land.”

Soak in the Hot Springs

As a former geologist, I have a particular affinity for Colorado’s natural hot springs.

These geological wonders are one of the great perks of living in a state shaped by mountains, volcanoes, and millions of years of geological activity. From Glenwood Springs to Salida to Steamboat Springs, there are plenty of places to spend the day soaking in the incredible scenery.

Taste Colorado

My days tending bar at the Wynkoop in Denver are long behind me, but we still love visiting breweries across the state.

Colorado’s craft beer scene has become part of our culture, and some of the most interesting places aren’t necessarily the most well known. The Post Brewing Company in Lafayette, for example, transformed an old VFW building into a gathering place where you can enjoy good Colorado beer and a good meal. We also recently visited Down Valley Brewing in New Castle and loved how they converted a 1950s Texaco gas station into a uniquely cool space.

Colorado’s food scene is also unmatched. Palisade peaches (the annual Peach Festival is coming up later this month). Olathe sweet corn. Rocky Ford cantaloupe. Farmers markets, roadside stands, and restaurants serving locally grown food.

One of the places we can’t wait to visit again soon is Maria Empanada. We recently got to spend time with their founder Lorena Cantarovici in D.C., where we talked about her journey starting a business as an immigrant.

Check out my conversation with Lorena here.

Summer is the perfect excuse to get out and taste everything that Colorado has to offer.

Ride the Rails

My three-year-old son, Jack, likes trains. Luckily for him, and for me, Colorado has some spectacular ones.

The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad carries passengers 64 miles through a landscape with two billion years of geological history, from ancient volcanic fields to glacial deposits. Then there’s the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, which offers an unforgettable trip through some of the most beautiful scenery in the country, the Rocky Mountains.

You can tell yourself, “It’s for the kids.” But we all know the adults have just as much fun, if not more.

Go Explore

There you have it, a few of our favorite ways to spend summer in Colorado. But the truth is, wherever you wander, you really can’t go wrong.

Pick a place you haven’t visited. Take a walk. Enjoy some live music. Eat some good food. Between the brutal winter and wildfires, local businesses that depend on tourism have had a rough stretch. We need to show up for them.

So get outside. Explore somewhere new. And support our communities along the way.

This August, we have plans to visit the I-70 Mountain Corridor, southwestern Colorado, and the Eastern Plains.

We hope to see you out there!