You’d think my choice for Colorado’s best-kept secret would be a far-flung destination but I have been absolutely amazed how few locals know about Chautauqua’s charms. Located at the base of the Flatirons in Boulder, this National Historic Landmark has rental cottages that are surrounded on three sides with open space that includes 48 miles of hiking trails and thousands of acres of natural lands begging to be explored.

I had been living in Colorado less than a year when I hiked Chautauqua’s Enchanted-Mesa Trail with my daughter and I was, well, enchanted. After my hike, I explored the grounds and was smitten by the Dining Hall’s throwback-to yesteryear patio and the 110-year-old Chautauqua Auditorium, which hosts films, lectures and an entire series dedicated to children. The workshops include Young People’s Concerts (ages 3-7), Family Fun Concerts (ages 4-8), Classically Kids Workshops (ages 7-11), and Masterclasses for Emerging Musicians (ages 13-18). Be sure to enter to win 15 passes to the Young People’s Concert for you and your friends.

When I saw their quaint and affordable cottages, I vowed to my 6-month-old baby, “Someday, we will stay here.”

Five years later, we finally did.

Chautauqua was my family’s first leg in our Tour de Colorado. Amidst much fanfare, we loaded up the car, buckled in the kids and started the ignition. Or at least we tried to: the car was dead. After jump-starting the battery, we drove to Boulder. The next drama occurred when the blaring car alarm decided not to turn off and so we made a grand (and loud) entrance at Chautauqua. Our ultimate resolution to silence the beast was to unplug the horn fuse and let the car battery run out.

Pity us not. There are worse things than getting stranded in Colorado’s best-kept secret.

About Chautauqua

I’m not a big history buff and have been known to fall asleep faster than a narcoleptic when watching the History Channel. But Chautauqua fascinates me. In the 1920s, almost 200 Chautauqua assemblies dotted rural America. Each summer, they brought culture in the form of concerts and classes in what became the country’s first mass experience with 30 million people in attendance. Colorado’s Chautauqua is one of the only remaining assemblies and we were thrilled when they offered to host us for one night.

This historic district has 60 cottages for rent, including their oldest that was built in 1899. The cottages are unassuming on the outside but are quaintly restored on the inside. They are perfect for families and offer studio, 1-, 2-, or 3-bedroom rentals. Don’t expect modern amenities like TVs or DVDs. With Chautauqua’s many activities, we did not even have time to acknowledge their absence.

Upon arrival, the kids zoomed down the hill-side slide at the playground and played hide-and-seek in the adjacent wooded grove. We basked in the midday sun and watched the flowers dance in the breeze at the Centennial Garden. We strolled down a lane of celery-green trees to the on-site Ranger’s Station and learned about Chautauqua’s wildlife.

That evening, we dunked basketballs and played tennis at the courts behind our cottage. We ate on the Dining Hall’s outdoor patio, absorbing the dazzling views and fragrance of fine cuisine. Prior to retiring for the evening, we watched the sun dip behind the Flatirons’ dramatic uplifts as we hiked Bluebell Road. We attempted to capture the fleeting magic with a family photo in a meadow.

Chautauqua was a quick weekend getaway of beauty, bonding, amusement and appreciation.

On second thought, maybe I’ll just keep it my little secret after all….

Also visit:

The Boulder Farmer’s Market on Saturdays. This isn’t just any farmer’s market—it is an outdoor extravaganza with a cornucopia of organic food, eccentricities, live entertainment and fun. My kids loved the booths (read: tasty samples), chatting with the farmers and the face-painting tent.

Be sure to take a walk along the Boulder Creek Trail and take a short walk to Pearl Street Mall to shop, play in the spray fountains, eat and watch the street performers.

For more information about Chautauqua, go to www.chautauqua.com.

Chautauqua video journal. (And no, I am not a valley girl as my “like totally rad” commentary would infer.)

Note: This post originally ran at Mile High Mamas on June 17, 2009. Most services were complimentary or discounted.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog

During my family’s Tour de Colorado, we have visited many perfect places but have never had the perfect day.

You parents know what I’m talking about: when the destination’s private universe comes to life and the children do not beat each other to a pulp.

I had the perfect day in Crested Butte, my choice for Colorado’s best mountain festivals for families. It had the potential to be a nightmare. My husband could not join us until partway through the trip, leaving me to endure a 4.5-hour drive from Denver with two young children but all went smoothly.

When we arrived at the idyllic mountain resort, we checked into our perfect accommodations: The Lodge at Mountaineer Square. The perfection was not just the beautiful rooms and rooftop pool but also location, location, location. Situated at the base of Mt. Crested Butte, we were in the very pulse of the resort with their free Wednesday evening concert series. After grabbing some burgers off the grill, the kids joined the masses of rugrats rolling down the hill while this mama sat back and relished the hallucinatory montage of wildflowers, mountains and melodies.

It was there that I coined their new tagline: Crested Butte—It is Not Ugly Here.

I just know I have a lucrative future in marketing.

A Festival-Loving Town

The Crested Butte Music Festival (CBMF)

Most mountain towns have music festivals but I love the Crested Butte Music Festival because it brings world-class musicians, singers and dancers to one of the nation’s most stunning mountain hamlets. Celebrating its 12th season, the CBMF’s children and adult programs are geared to music and movement under the careful guidance of renowned Artistic Director Alexander Scheirle.

My kids attended the free Divine Family Young People’s Concert that is held on Saturdays in July. Designed for ages 4-12, this is a fun chance for the younger set to experience dance, music and fun in a fast-paced hour of music, opera or dance.

That evening, my husband and I attended Bluegrass in the Barn with musical jammers, The Infamous Stringdusters. It was not pretentious in the least—the concert was, indeed, in a barn. The rain started pounding, mist penetrated our mountain milieu and the ambiance was electric. My husband—though not a fan of bluegrass—declared that “If the Grateful Dead played bluegrass, they’d be called The Infamous Stringdusters.”

This is his way of saying he had a really, really great time.

The Crested Butte Wildflower Festival

It is only befitting that “The Wildflower Capital of Colorado” has a festival dedicated unto its glories. With the fuchsia pinks, sunny yellows and majestic purples of the lupines, Aspen sunflowers and mule’s ears, you will think you crawled onto a Monet canvas of mad, extravagant colors.

The Wildflower Festival serves up a huge array of clinics for adults and children that range from walks with a knowledgeable local guide through the low open meadows of Rustler’s Pass to photography workshops, horseback rides, yoga classes in a meadow, garden tours and even an ice cream party.

My children and I opted for a wagon ride to Peanut Lake with horse friends Billy Bob Bill and Bob. We made our way past the Wood Walk, a portion of an extensive network of trails perfect for little hikers. Our guide pointed out Mount Emmons a.k.a. Red Lady, a much-heralded mountain whose development is at the center of a heated molybdenum mine dispute.

We loped past Crested Butte’s famous landmark, the Gronk, which is nothing more than a mysterious hunk of concrete. Our reward was cobalt-blue Peanut Lake and the glorious Paradise Divide mountain range as the backdrop.

Oh, and there may have been a few [thousand] wildflowers along the way.

Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory’s Nature Camp

Sure, there are oodles of children’s camps out there but how many are conjoined with the nation’s most renowned high-altitude field station with the top students and researchers from around the world?

The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory is located in Gothic, a 4-mile drive from Crested Butte and a stone’s throw away from paradise a.k.a. the Gunnison National Forest and Continental Divide. While Hadley was at camp, my son Bode and I hiked to Judd Falls, one of many epic hikes in the area with commanding views of Mount Gothic.

My daughter Hadley’s Nature Camp experience was the highlight of her trip because these aren’t your average camp counselors. They are dedicated professionals who—in just two hours—gave her an in-depth look at our fascinating natural world through games, hikes, crafts and scavenger hunts.

The Nature Camps sell out fast and rest assured, we will be first in line next year.

Other Family Fun

Adventure Park—Be sure to check out the Adventure Park at the base of Mt. Crested Butte that includes a 28-foot Climbing Pinnacle, bungee trampolines and a state-of-the-art skating rink made from Super-Glide® synthetic ice. I was a bit wary of the latter (being a purist who grew up skating on Canada’s frozen tundra) but was delighted that the slower synthetic ice proved to be a better teaching ground for my novice Canadian/American half-breeds.

Playgrounds—My kids fell in love with the Crested Butte Town Park, centrally located in town with tennis, baseball, volleyball, pavilion, Center for the Arts, a fort and giant sandbox.

My love affair was with the Ted Scheske Park on Gothic Road. This park offers such amenities as a Total Fitness Trail, tennis courts, volleyball and The Mountain Garden, venue for a large number of weddings. When you witness the unparalleled vistas of Snodgrass Mountain and the Continental Divide you will understand why.

Also, be sure to bike or stroll along the recreation path that extends three miles from Crested Butte to Mountain Crested Butte. Not to be missed will be The Trailhead, a 5,000-square foot Children’s Discovery Museum and Arts Center that will be opening in 2010.

No “Buts” About Checking out “The Butte”

Take time to stroll around Crested Butte. This quirky, multi-hued town is a National Historic District, played host to outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and has a two-story outhouse.

It doesn’t get any cooler than that.

Toy store Pooh’s Corner delighted my kids for an hour, while the bevy of shops kept me entertained for an afternoon. For breakfast, you must have Izzy’s breakfast burrito with Indian spices. Dine creek-side but expect a long wait on the weekends. The Secret Stash pizzeria redefines eclectic with decor showcasing the owner’s world travels. Service is friendly, the kitchen is slow but Asher’s Pie (with a BBQ sauce and chipotle base, Canadian bacon, and grilled chicken) made it worth it.

Our favorite dining experience was at django’s restaurant & wine bar in Mountaineer Square, currently rated Crested Butte’s No. 1 restaurant on TripAdvisor. We enjoyed live music on the outdoor patio as we devoured small plates of artistic food such as the gnocchi in a light lemon cream sauce and my favorite (that will surely shock my mother): crispy Brussels Sprouts with apples, crème fraîche, apple cider reduction, pistachios and a dash of heaven.

Video Journal:

For additional information, go to The Crested Butte Music Festival, The Wildflower Festival and Gunnison-Crested Butte Chamber.

Note: This article was originally published at Mile High Mamas on July 20, 2009. Most services were complimentary or discounted.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog

Confession: I’m not a horse lover but there is something almost enchanting about a dude ranch. It’s the fabled Western experience come to life with unsullied ranchland, campfire sing-alongs, yer very own fishing hole and, of course, cowboys in chaps.

Devil’s Thumb Ranch has it all and was my choice for Best Dude Ranch for families on our Tour de Colorado. Located 65 miles west of Denver just outside of Winter Park, this award-winning, environmentally-friendly resort and spa has a rustically upscale 52-room main lodge and 16 luxury rental cabins with a full roster of activities for cowfolk both old and young.

My husband Jamie stayed behind for work, during which time he witnessed a tornado uproot our yard in Denver. My children and I had a very different view: 5,000 acres of jade-green horse-dotted meadows flanked by the Continental Divide.

I won.

Home Away From Home on the Range

From Pack-and-Plays in the rooms to Cabin Creek Stables’ popular pony rides, Devil’s Thumb Ranch caters to kids. My little city slickers were anxious to rendezvous with the animals so we ventured out early. We were greeted with a scene out of a Western movie: a fully-loaded barn, twanging country music, a small petting zoo of farm animals and a cowboy named “Garth.”

You just can’t make this stuff up.

Garth gave us an entertaining commentary on the area as we loped around the property on our wagon ride. According to local lore, Native Americans named Devil’s Thumb – a rocky outcropping that towers high above the Ranch. As legend goes, after the warring Ute and Arapahoe tribes settled their differences in the Ranch Creek Valley, they buried the devil, but left his thumb exposed to remind them of the evils of war.

This was the extent of our Cabin Creek Stables experience but we could have stayed entertained for a week…and many families do. The stable offers half-day and full-day horseback rides, sunrise or sunset rides, cattle rides, a meadow lunch in the wagon, dinner wagon rides, a Little Cowpokes Day at the Ranch and a Kids Barn BBQ.

Activities Abound

As the storm raged back home, my children and I splashed around in Rachel’s Pool, a heated indoor entry/outdoor pool with killer views of the Divide. We played air hockey, foosball and pin bowling in the non-electronic game room in the main lodge. We watched Mulan II in the 37-seat theater, played a variety of board games in the cozy library and even worked out in the state-of-the-art Fitness Center.

The main thing Devil’s Thumb Ranch is really lacking is on-site childcare services. Since I was a single mom for the weekend, I was remiss I was not able to enjoy the 12,000-square-foot Ranch Creek Spa.

By 8 p.m., we were famished so stumbled into Heck’s Tavern, the more family-friendly of the two on-site restaurants. My body screamed for red meat. I quickly scanned the menu, saw only one such offering and ordered it. Now, I’ve had many reactions from waiters over the years but never one like this: he high-fived me.

“Did I miss something?” I queried.

“You ordered our signature 32-oz rib-eye steak. I’m impressed.”

“32 ounces? How big is that?”

He gestured something approximately the broad side of a barn.

I hesitated. Then my stomach growled. “I’ll take it.”

When in Rome on the Ranch, do as the ranchers do.

Spellbound by the Devil

Our final night, we dined on Heck Tavern’s outdoor patio adjacent to the crackling fire pit. While the kids raced around the pasture, I watched the sun slip behind the Divide, briefly setting Devil’s Thumb aflame. We took a small chunk out of the 20 miles of trails at dusk, meandering through the meadow to Upper and Lower Ponds. We launched rocks into Ranch Creek, identified wildflowers, stalked horses and, upon reaching them, Hadley professed to know how to “Speak Horse.”

Such a comfort to know I gave birth to The Horse Whisperer.

I couldn’t tell you what she divulged to her foal friends but I strongly suspect it was along the lines of “Psssssst. We’ll be back.”

I couldn’t agree with her more.

Note: This article was originally published at Mile High Mamas on August 9, 2009. Most services were complimentary or discounted.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog