- Thanks to mammoth ski resorts like Vail, Breckenridge, Winter Park and others, Colorado is a huge draw for families looking for the ideal ski vacation. Family fun abounds at most ski resorts, which offer ski lessons for kids and adults, plenty of bunny slopes, and extras like ice skating and snow tubing. The resort of Breckenridge is a very family-friendly ski resort with many easy and intermediate runs. It also provides many amenities in its surrounding town, including groceries, a plethora of restaurants and boutique shopping. Families can locate condos or cabins for rent from rental agencies such as Breckenridge Resort Managers or Ski Country Resorts & Sports.
- For some, Colorado hearkens the image of a sprawling mountain meadow dotted with wildflowers, with horses galloping in the distance. This image can become reality during a family vacation to a dude ranch, complete with trail rides and cowboy grub. Several ranches in Colorado provide the ranch experience in a family-friendly atmosphere, including the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch near Rocky Mountain National Park. The ranch, named by Frommer's as the "Best Family Vacation" in their Colorado guidebook, offers bed and breakfast service to families throughout the summer months, or to scheduled groups throughout the year. Guests stay in one of the unique cabins and bunk houses on the property. Guests also go on cattle drives and hay rides.
- Some will tell you that you can't go to Colorado without hiking a fourteener -- that is, a peak of more than 14,000 feet. If that doesn't seem feasible with the kids, take them on a summer camping trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, at the foot of those glorious peaks. The area surrounding Estes Park is an ideal location for a family vacation. Campgrounds, guest houses and recreation activities abound, including white water rafting, fishing, hiking and mountain biking. When you get tired of all the exercise, take a drive up one of the stunning scenic drives in the park, including the trail road, the highest continuous paved road in the United States.
- The city of Denver also has its allure for the ideal Colorado family vacation. The giant amusement park and water park, Elitch Gardens, lies almost on top of downtown Denver. The water park features at least 10 river-run and tube water slides and a wave pool. The amusement park features thrill-seeking rides like the XLR8R, touted to be the highest free-fall swing in the state, and the 200-foot Tower of Doom. For a weekend family vacation, stay in a hotel just blocks away in downtown Denver and hit the park for several days in a row.
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