Denver

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

We are taking our two grandsons (6 and 4) to Breckenridge for a week, the first of August. We will be flying into Denver around 8:00 PM on Thursday and need recommendations on where to stay Thursday and Friday nights and what to do in Denver. Also, what do we need to do to try to prevent high elevation sickness, since Breckenridge is around 9500 ft.?

[shopgirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shopgirl]

We live in Denver, well, north of Denver by about 8 miles, and have lived here all of our lives.

There are so many things to see in downtown Denver, especially if you love museums. My minor was in American history with a western emphasis, so I love the museums. We have some really great ones, including the Museum of Natural History with IMAX theater, the Denver Art Museum, the Colorado History Museum, etc. There is also the Molly Brown House that does tours daily and the old Governor's house, which they say is haunted.

A Six Flags park is a little west of downtown, but we just do not like the park. They took our beloved Elitch's from north Denver--Rick and I grew up within easy walking distance of Elitch's. We went there all the time as teenagers. Ellitch's had been there for decades, and Rick's grandfather was one of the carpenters that built the Wildcat roller coaster, so it had some sentiment for us. I could hear the kids screaming on the coasters from my house, it was so close. The new park is not a beautiful garden with trees and some rides, it is an industrial area with lots of concrete in and around the park. Maybe if you are big on steel roller coasters, this is the place, but we personally do not like it. The parking is $25.00, I believe. They also have some gangs that have made the place home, so there are some unsavory .

As far as hotels are concerned, the Graystone Castle is a Sheraton and it is north of town a bit. We have had many of our friends stay there and they really like it. But if you want to be close to downtown, there are lots of decent ones. If I stayed downtown, I would stay at the Marriott.

Rick and I go to the mountains when we are bored and want to do some sight-seeing. It's an hour's drive to Breck from our house and even Rick loves walking the streets of downtown Breck to shop and have lunch. It's good exercise and we love the atmosphere. We don't suffer the effects of altitude sickness, being from Denver.

[swilshire Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close swilshire]

Also, what do we need to do to try to prevent high elevation sickness, since Breckenridge is around 9500 ft.?

I don't know how to tell you to prevent it, but it can definitely be a problem. When we stayed in Breckenridge a couple of summers ago, DS6 got sick the very first night. We thought he'd caught the flu or something. We ask for recommendations for a doctor at the desk and they immediately suggested that it was probably the altitude. There was a clinic nearby that clearly got a lot of the cases, as they had oxygen available for us to borrow until we could get a delivery from a supplier later in the afternoon.

It was a real pain trying to keep him on the oxygen all the time, particularly while sleeping. His older brother also borrowed it for short periods from time to time when he was feeling the affects.

Sheila

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

Rocky Mountain National Park

Another option might be to go to Rocky Mountain National Park for a day. Are there places to stay there for a night or two during the season (Thursday and/or Friday nights)?

[swilshire Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close swilshire]

Another option might be to go to Rocky Mountain National Park for a day. Are there places to stay there for a night or two during the season (Thursday and/or Friday nights)?

We did this as a day trip from Breckenridge. Looped in the west end of the park and out the east. We didn't stop for hiking or anything, but other than that, did pretty much what we wanted to do along the way.

Sheila

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

Just outside of Denver heading west is the town of Georgetown. They have an old mining narrow gauge train that makes a loop between Georgetown and, I think, Leadville. It's a very nice historic ride along the loop. There is also a spot where you can get off the train and take a mine tour. The grandkids might find this a worthwhile event for an afternoon. Along the way you can also stop to see Buffalo Bills grave on Lookout Mountain. It's not that far off the highway and there is a small shop and museum up there plus, it provides a pretty cool look back towards Denver. Kids really seem to like this tourist trap of a spot. For that matter, we've enjoyed it the couple of times we've gone up to see it.

[shopgirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shopgirl]

I really enjoy a drive to Buffalo Bill's grave and it is fun to see the buffalo there. You could do that on your way back to Denver, since this is right off of I-70, just before getting down from the mountains.

You can stay in many different hotels in Estes Park, which is on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park. You would just drive north on I-25 to the highway that leads to Estes Park. The exit is one of the Loveland exits. I believe it actually has Estes Park on the exit sign.

We love Rocky Mountain National Park and try to get up there once a year. This is one drive I truly look forward to during mid-summer. It occasionally snows at the peak in July and there is always snow on the ground there. Pretty drive, lots of animals and some things to stop and see. I would stay in Estes Park those two nights, play putt putt, go shopping, hit some restaurants, then make the drive through the park and go the back way into Breck in the late part of the day. It's a lot of driving but well worth the time.

The problem with going to Estes Park is it is a very different part of the mountains and the drive will be LONG to get back to Breck.

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

Are there any good places to stay near the Airport, since we will be getting in late on Thursday and may want to stay close and then move for Friday night?

[readyalready Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close readyalready]

I would priceline a hotel near the airport after checking biddingfortravel.com and betterbidding.com for results, rates and reviews. Most hotels there are very new and would be fine for a night. You will have to drive 10-15 minutes for all of them and might want to decide if it is worth it to drive the extra 20-30 minutes to not have to move.

[shopgirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shopgirl]

There are some new ones on Tower Rd., very close to the airport entrance. The Marriott there is very nice, though it is one of the more basic ones. Our son stayed there with his wife and her family. Their flight to Hawaii was canceled, by the infamous United, so instead of going home ten miles for that one night of delay, they stayed in the hotel. They said they were in vacation mode and didn't want to go back home. I would rather stay at home another night than at a hotel! They have Marriott points.

Our son and his wife should have just gone home. They forgot things and had no car at the hotel or the airport, so I had to pick them up at the hotel so they could go to Target.

Does that seem odd to anyone else?

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

Once a parent, always a parent. Sounds like your son has a good Mother.

[shopgirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shopgirl]

That one is 30 and still needy, though he is a civil engineer. His wife can talk me into anything. She is the sweetest little thing.

[PigsDad Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PigsDad]

Also, what do we need to do to try to prevent high elevation sickness, since Breckenridge is around 9500 ft.?

The best thing you can do to prevent altitude sickness is to keep hydrated. You should drink even when you are not thirsty, and about twice the amount than you are used to drinking. I prefer drinking sports drinks when at altitude. Also, try not to exert yourself. At 10,000 ft, it takes a lot more energy to do even simple things like walking, etc.

Staying a night in Denver will help a bit to acclimate, as that is 5000 ft.

Good luck!
Kurt

[kapear Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close kapear]

The best thing you can do to prevent altitude sickness is to keep hydrated. You should drink even when you are not thirsty, and about twice the amount than you are used to drinking. I prefer drinking sports drinks when at altitude. Kurt

Ditto to the Sports Drinks.

Our 8 y.o. daughter has suffered from altitude sickness on several of our ski trips. She is now sickness free thanks to Gatorade. She started skiing with a camelback full of gatorade and wasn't sick at all this seasons (20+ days of skiing).

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

Are there any sugar free sport drinks? Need something for a diabetic.