The Blue Star Colorado Springs is a great restaurant that you should try to visit on your next trip to the Springs for an unforgettable meal experience.
This restaurant opened in the summer of 1995 and has three dining areas, each with a different ambience. It is upscale and you can order food from almost any type in the world. There is a great selection of soups, salads, and main courses made by award winning chefs. Not to mention the delightful desserts...
You can order a steak, a burger, seafood, pasta, chicken, turkey, duck, ham, tuna, veal, or gator meat and then finish your meal off with sweets like ice cream or sorbet made right there, bananas foster cheesecake, blueberry panna cotta, creme brulee, or chocolate patee with dark chocolate truffles and chocolate ganache. How great does that sound?
If you are on a budget, this is probably not the place for you. The prices are not cheap, but they are not terribly expensive, either. One person can eat dinner for between $18 and $30. There are no kid's choices on the menu and my kids would not eat the food they offer, but adults will enjoy the delicious variety of food served here. So, if you are traveling with younger children, save this restaurant for a time when you don't have the kids.
They are located at 1645 S. Tejon St. You can make reservations online to make sure you get in at the time you would like to eat. There is a vast selection of wine, which is what the Blue Star Colorado Springs is best known for. You can even arrange to eat in the wine cellar. Bon appetite!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Old Colorado City
Old Colorado City is a wonderful place to shop and sightsee in Colorado Springs. There are all sorts of great shops to explore.
There are restaurants, galleries, jewelry stores, hotels, and 42 specialty shops where you can find almost anything from toys and clothing to rocks and fossils.
This shopping mecca is also known as Old Town in Colorado Springs. Old Town is on West Colorado Avenue. Take I-25 over to W. Uintah Street and then head west to N. 21st Street. Turn South on N. 21st and then turn west on West Colorado Avenue and drive down just a few blocks. Park and get out of your car and walk along the street, visiting each shop that catches your interest.
There are several free public parking lots along the way so you do not have to pay for parking.
Old Town extends from 24th Street up to 28th Street on both sides of W. Colorado Avenue. Allow at least a half day to shop and explore. Eat lunch there and just have fun. My kids loved going there, especially when we went into toy shops and rock and fossil shops. There is something for everyone.
Old Colorado City was once the capitol of the Colorado Territory back in 1861. To celebrate this, each May, Territory Days are held. For 2009, the dates are May 23, 24, and 25. This is a huge street festival with food, music, arts and crafts and a big parade.
Up to 140,000 visitors attend this annual Memorial Day weekend event, depending on how the weather cooperates. Sometimes, the thunderstorms prevent some of the festivities.
Events include mechanical bull riding, trampolines, a rock climbing wall, balloon art and face painting for the kids, gold panning, gun fighting demonstrations, and lots of shopping.
Pets are not allowed during Territory Days so please do not attempt to bring them. They will not be let in. If you are traveling with your pet, please find a kennel to let them stay in for the day. Your pet will be much happier in a kennel than staying alone in a hot car.
There are restaurants, galleries, jewelry stores, hotels, and 42 specialty shops where you can find almost anything from toys and clothing to rocks and fossils.
This shopping mecca is also known as Old Town in Colorado Springs. Old Town is on West Colorado Avenue. Take I-25 over to W. Uintah Street and then head west to N. 21st Street. Turn South on N. 21st and then turn west on West Colorado Avenue and drive down just a few blocks. Park and get out of your car and walk along the street, visiting each shop that catches your interest.
There are several free public parking lots along the way so you do not have to pay for parking.
Old Town extends from 24th Street up to 28th Street on both sides of W. Colorado Avenue. Allow at least a half day to shop and explore. Eat lunch there and just have fun. My kids loved going there, especially when we went into toy shops and rock and fossil shops. There is something for everyone.
Old Colorado City was once the capitol of the Colorado Territory back in 1861. To celebrate this, each May, Territory Days are held. For 2009, the dates are May 23, 24, and 25. This is a huge street festival with food, music, arts and crafts and a big parade.
Up to 140,000 visitors attend this annual Memorial Day weekend event, depending on how the weather cooperates. Sometimes, the thunderstorms prevent some of the festivities.
Events include mechanical bull riding, trampolines, a rock climbing wall, balloon art and face painting for the kids, gold panning, gun fighting demonstrations, and lots of shopping.
Pets are not allowed during Territory Days so please do not attempt to bring them. They will not be let in. If you are traveling with your pet, please find a kennel to let them stay in for the day. Your pet will be much happier in a kennel than staying alone in a hot car.
Citadel Mall Colorado Springs
This mall is right off of North Academy Boulevard. The actual address is 750 Citadel Drive East. You can see the mall from N. Academy. It is a good-sized, all-under-one-roof shopping mall and our children enjoyed going to see the fountains when they were little. They loved watching the water. I think what they really wanted was to get in them and pick up all of the coins!
Above, the Disney Store had a special day with Tigger at this mall while we were there. This was our first Disney Store experience and my boys, Andrew and Matthew, loved meeting Tigger!
There is a good variety of stores and restaurants there. Yes, restaurants not in the food court, like Ruby Tuesday and Villa Pizza. Even a Hooter's. Department stores and specialty stores abound so you should be able to find something for everyone on your list.
They have a nice food court, a Starbucks, and a Rocky Mountain chocolate factory. (What more could you want?)
Department stores include JCPenney, Macy's, Dillard's, and Burlington. No Sears anymore, but it was there when we lived there because we bought furniture, a dishwasher, and tools from Sears while we lived there.
They have several hair and nail salons, and if your glasses break while you are on vacation, they have a Lenscrafters where you can get new ones in about an hour. This is where I used to buy my glasses when we lived in Colorado Springs.
There is plenty of parking, except at Christmas, but that is true of any mall at Christmastime. Citadel Mall has grown since we have last been there. They now have about 170 stores and shops.
Colorado Springs also has Chapel Hills Mall with 150 stores.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park is close to Estes Park, Colorado and may be the prettiest of all the parks in Colorado.
There are things to do at this park all year long. Hike and bike, fish and swim, camp, ride horses. This is a family-friendly park with lots of activities for the kids to enjoy.
In winter, you can play in the snow, cross-country ski, go for a snowshoe walk, go sledding, or ride a snowmobile.
Your kids will love the wildlife. They will see bighorn sheep, Abert's squirrels, beavers, cougars, black bears, mule deer, moose, elk, marmots, bats, pikas, and a variety of birds, insects, toads, and butterflies.
This park has 355 miles of hiking trails. Due to the elevations, which range from 7,500 to over 12,000 feet, you should be in good physical condition. Eat healthy meals, get plenty of sleep, and make sure you drink plenty of water, especially while you are out on the trails.
The weather can change quickly from a sunny summer morning to a heavy afternoon thunderstorm.
The scenery throughout this park is spectacular from the mountains to the 150 lakes, not to mention the 450 miles of streams. If you like photography, you will have a blast taking photos of all of the beauty.
Reservations for camping should definitely be made as the camp sites fill up all summer long. Cabins and even hotels in Estes Park stay full during the summer so make reservations many months in advance. From Denver, take Route 34 or 36 through Estes Park.
There are things to do at this park all year long. Hike and bike, fish and swim, camp, ride horses. This is a family-friendly park with lots of activities for the kids to enjoy.
In winter, you can play in the snow, cross-country ski, go for a snowshoe walk, go sledding, or ride a snowmobile.
Your kids will love the wildlife. They will see bighorn sheep, Abert's squirrels, beavers, cougars, black bears, mule deer, moose, elk, marmots, bats, pikas, and a variety of birds, insects, toads, and butterflies.
This park has 355 miles of hiking trails. Due to the elevations, which range from 7,500 to over 12,000 feet, you should be in good physical condition. Eat healthy meals, get plenty of sleep, and make sure you drink plenty of water, especially while you are out on the trails.
The weather can change quickly from a sunny summer morning to a heavy afternoon thunderstorm.
The scenery throughout this park is spectacular from the mountains to the 150 lakes, not to mention the 450 miles of streams. If you like photography, you will have a blast taking photos of all of the beauty.
Reservations for camping should definitely be made as the camp sites fill up all summer long. Cabins and even hotels in Estes Park stay full during the summer so make reservations many months in advance. From Denver, take Route 34 or 36 through Estes Park.
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park has 600 Pueblo cliff dwellings and there are over 4,000 archaeological digs. The people lived here on this "green table" from 600 A.D. until about 1300 A.D. Today, you can visit their homes and the other buildings they left behind. This is a fascinating place if you enjoy seeing how people lived long ago.
There are guided tours or you can hike on designated park trails. You cannot enter a cliff dwelling unless you are accompanied by a park ranger. Pets are not allowed on park trails.
Almost all of the park trails are steep and strenuous. Make sure you are wearing proper foot wear--no flip-flops or sandals. There are eight hiking trails. This park is probably better for families with older children.
You can also go bird watching, look at plantlife, or check out local wildlife and photograph the animals,such as mule deer, black bears, owls, lizards, squirrels, coyotes, cottontail rabbits, and jackrabbits.
Look at the nighttime sky with a telescope. Because it is so dark, you can clearly see the stars, unlike in the city.
In the winter, you can go cross-country skiing.
There are guided tours or you can hike on designated park trails. You cannot enter a cliff dwelling unless you are accompanied by a park ranger. Pets are not allowed on park trails.
Almost all of the park trails are steep and strenuous. Make sure you are wearing proper foot wear--no flip-flops or sandals. There are eight hiking trails. This park is probably better for families with older children.
You can also go bird watching, look at plantlife, or check out local wildlife and photograph the animals,such as mule deer, black bears, owls, lizards, squirrels, coyotes, cottontail rabbits, and jackrabbits.
Look at the nighttime sky with a telescope. Because it is so dark, you can clearly see the stars, unlike in the city.
In the winter, you can go cross-country skiing.
This park is about one hour away from Cortez, Colorado if you go east on Highway 160. If you are coming from Durango, Colorado, head west on Highway 160.
McInnis Canyons NCA
McInnis Canyons NCA or National Conservation Area is ten miles west from Grand Junction and is actually in Colorado and in Utah.
There are a lot of hiking trails here. They are Devils Canyon, Jones Canyon, Knowles Canyon, Pollock Bench, Rabbits Ear, Rattlesnake Arches, and Trail Through Time.
You can go camping at Rabbit Valley and Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness.
Go boating on the Colorado River in Loma, Colorado and in Westwater, Utah. Great fishing is here as well.
Your family can go mountain biking at Kokopelli's Trail Horsethief Bench, Lions, Mary's, Rustler's, Steve's, Troy Built Loops, and Rabbit Valley. Take your 4 wheel drive into Rabbit Valley.
Explore an active dinosaur quarry at the Trail Through Time.
Photograph wildlife which includes antelope, birds,owls, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, desert big horn sheep, deer, and elk. Early mornings and in the evenings are the best times for this.
There are a lot of hiking trails here. They are Devils Canyon, Jones Canyon, Knowles Canyon, Pollock Bench, Rabbits Ear, Rattlesnake Arches, and Trail Through Time.
You can go camping at Rabbit Valley and Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness.
Go boating on the Colorado River in Loma, Colorado and in Westwater, Utah. Great fishing is here as well.
Your family can go mountain biking at Kokopelli's Trail Horsethief Bench, Lions, Mary's, Rustler's, Steve's, Troy Built Loops, and Rabbit Valley. Take your 4 wheel drive into Rabbit Valley.
Explore an active dinosaur quarry at the Trail Through Time.
Photograph wildlife which includes antelope, birds,owls, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, desert big horn sheep, deer, and elk. Early mornings and in the evenings are the best times for this.
Hovenweep National Monument
Hovenweep National Monument is an area on the Colorado/Utah border with Pueblo housing from the 1200s to 1300s.
About 10,000 years ago, nomadic people would pass through the area, hunting and gathering food during the harvest season each year. Around 900 A.D., they settled here and began farming and building homes and other buildings. Then, mysteriously, around 1300 A.D., they left. The buildings they left behind are what make up this national monument for about 20 miles, along mesas and canyons in both Colorado and Utah.
There is a visitor center to give you an orientation. There are also some guided tours, but feel free to hike the area on your own to see all of the dwellings.
Near the visitor center, there is a camping area with 30 camp sites. They do not accept reservations, but are rarely full. The camp sites have no water or electricity hookups. They are for tents with tent pads, fire grills, and picnic tables, but a few of the sites can accommodate RVs 36 feet long or less. There are flushing toilets and running water nearby. No showers. The going rate as of March 2009 is $10 per night.
The main activity other than photography is hiking to see and explore the ruins left by the nomadic people who are ancestors of the Zuni, Hopi, and Pueblo people. The main trail by the visitor center is paved, but most are not.
From either Colorado or Utah, take Highway 191. The visitor center is near Cortez, Colorado.
About 10,000 years ago, nomadic people would pass through the area, hunting and gathering food during the harvest season each year. Around 900 A.D., they settled here and began farming and building homes and other buildings. Then, mysteriously, around 1300 A.D., they left. The buildings they left behind are what make up this national monument for about 20 miles, along mesas and canyons in both Colorado and Utah.
There is a visitor center to give you an orientation. There are also some guided tours, but feel free to hike the area on your own to see all of the dwellings.
Near the visitor center, there is a camping area with 30 camp sites. They do not accept reservations, but are rarely full. The camp sites have no water or electricity hookups. They are for tents with tent pads, fire grills, and picnic tables, but a few of the sites can accommodate RVs 36 feet long or less. There are flushing toilets and running water nearby. No showers. The going rate as of March 2009 is $10 per night.
The main activity other than photography is hiking to see and explore the ruins left by the nomadic people who are ancestors of the Zuni, Hopi, and Pueblo people. The main trail by the visitor center is paved, but most are not.
From either Colorado or Utah, take Highway 191. The visitor center is near Cortez, Colorado.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)