Where To Go: Colorado Explorations

With school starting up again soon (check out my Back To School post for those details!), there isn't much more time to get out and explore Colorful Colorado! Therefore, I went ahead and found the BEST Colorado day trips for you!

· Georgetown, 42 miles from Denver: Located west of Denver, Georgetown is a delightful Victorian village set in a spectacular mountain valley with 200 restored buildings from the 1870s. The main street has shops and restaurants, and many of the old homes have been turned into antique stores. The Georgetown Loop Railroad operates in the summer months with narrow-gauge steam locomotives curling down a mountain ledge, at one point crossing over a 90-foot-high (27 m) trestle.

· Lariat Loop Scenic & Historic Byway, 27 miles from Denver: The Lariat Loop is a 40-mile scenic circle in the foothills west of Denver, Colorado connecting the communities of Golden, Morrison, Lookout Mountain, and Evergreen. On the Loop, motorists encounter more than a dozen enchanting historical attractions, including the Colorado Railroad Museum, Boettcher Mansion, Lookout Mountain Nature Center, Mother Cabrini Shrine and The Fort Restaurant.

· Wild Animal Santuary, 30 miles from Denver: Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My! Visit this 320-acre rescue and educational facility, located just 30 miles outside of Denver, where more than 300 large carnivores roam free. The Wild Animal Sanctuary is one of the only places in America where you can see lion prides and groups of other carnivores living in natural habitats.

· Royal Gorge & Canon City, 130 miles from Denver: Royal Gorge Bridge & Park is the world's largest suspension bridge, spanning the Arkansas River at a height of 956 feet (320 m). Admission includes an aerial tram trip and several rides and attractions. The Royal Gorge Route Railroad is a 24-mile round trip train ride through the base of Royal Gorge on a route that has been called the "most arresting scenic site in all of American railroading." Rafting on the Arkansas River is conducted by numerous companies offering rafting and kayaking on one of the best stretches of river in the state.