Labor Day weekend is one of the best weekends of the year! Not only is it a three day weekend (for most) but it’s the weekend that symbolizes the transition into fall. Pools are closing, football season in starting, and the ever so famous Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back in your local Starbucks. With a three day weekend like that.. it’s the perfect time to celebrate and spend some quality time with family!
Aside from the obvious zoo/aquarium/museum trip, I’ve come up with a list of my top 10 things to do this upcoming Labor Day weekend in Colorado. If you aren’t in Colorado, I hope this will still give you some good ideas! If you have more ideas or fun spots to go, please comment below!
1. Go Hiking! My top spots:
- -Fort Collins, CO- Horsetooth Rock- There are a couple hikes you can do here, one is easier and takes you to the base of a waterfall, the other takes a couple hours and takes you to Horsetooth Rock and overlooks the beautiful town of Fort Collins, Colorado! We did this one back in college all the time! –>
- Franktown, Colorado- Castlewood Canyon- A couple of different trails through the canyon and along a creek. Pack a lunch, bring the pups, and have fun!
- Castle Rock, CO- Hike Castle Rock!
- If you’re feeling REALLY adventurous you can climb a 14er, Colorado is FULL of them! Here’s some of the top choices
2. Go Camping-
There are SO many spots in Colorado to go camping! A few of my favorites are:
- -Red Feather Lakes, Northwest of Fort Collins, Colorado– There are reservable sites as well as dispersed camping sites you can find on your own. Here’s a picture of one of our favorite sites we found off-roading near one of the lakes!
- –Ouray, Colorado- especially fun for 4-wheeling! My family recently went and had a blast-If you don’t have an off roading vehicle they have rentals available!-Rocky Mountain National Park around Estes Park– one of our favorite towns to visit. There is so much to do and lots of good food! There are campsites available in Rocky Mountain National Park or cabin rentals in town.
3. Go Fishing-
Colorado is full of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs to fish in. My favorites are:
- Red Feather Lakes, Northwest of Fort Collins. There are tons of fishing spots! We caught so many on our camping trip to Red Feather!
- My brothers, Cody and Derek, are pretty expert level when if comes to fishing in my opinion! They suggest Poudre Canyonin Fort Collins, Colorado &Chessman Canyonnear Deckers, Colorado -They know their stuff obviously… I mean look at these fish! They aren’t just lucky.. this is an every time thing. Sorry Jordan… puts our baby fish to shame 😂
– There’s also 11 Mile Reservoir in Lake George, Colorado (also great camping!)
-Closer in town you can always head to Cherry Creek Reservoir, Chatfield Reservoir, Aurora Reservoir just to name a few!
4. Go for a Bike Ride and Have a Picnic at a Park
-Cheap and easy option! Head to traillink.com to find a bike path near you! Especially in the Denver area, there are so many that take you into state parks or into the city of Denver. Our favorite is a trail that goes right into Cherry Creek State Park. You can pack a lunch and enjoy the view!
5. Go to a Sporting Event!
– The Colorado Rockies play the San Fransisco Giants Monday September 3rd at 1:10 Pm. Get your tickets here!
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-The Rocky Mountain Showdown! Friday, August 31st at 7:30. A Colorado favorite- CU Buffs vs CSU Rams! GO RAMS!
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6. Have a Fantasy Football Draft Party
-Fantasy Football is such a fun way to get together with friends and family and compete throughout the NFL season. Jordan and I get to participate in two draft parties this weekend and both Live drafts (as opposed to online) If you’ve never done a live draft- I highly suggest it- WAY more fun and interactive! All you need is a group of friends, some good food and drinks and a Live Draft Board like this one. You can get yours in TWO DAYS with this one from Amazon Prime.
7. Host a Wine Tasting Party or Visit a Winery or Brewery!
One of my all time favorites! If you’ve read Wine Tasting From Scratch you’re already an expert…if not click here to find out more!
One of our favorite things to do is visit breweries and taste local beers! Our favorites are:
- New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado
- Odell Brewing CompanyFort Collins, Colorado ** Both of these have amazing patios and free tours
- Breckenridge Brewery, located in Breckenridge & Littleton CO
– Coors Brewery Tour
-Dry Dock BreweryAurora, CO
Click here for more Denver Breweries!
8. Utilize the Facebook Events Page!
There are so many fun events around you that I bet you have no idea about! It’s so easy to find, on your Facebook, click Events, then under “Find Events” click “This Weekend”
Some examples that pop up on mine are:
- A Taste of Colorado –Saturday-Monday
- Dwight Yoakum & Cassadee Pope- Sunday @ Denver Civic Park
- Broncos 7K Sunday- Sunday
- Labor Day Weekend Fireworks at Elitch Gardens
Give it a look! There are so many concerts, food and drink festivals and more.
9. Castle Rock Adventure Park
– I recently went to an adventure park while at a Bachelorette Party in Nashville. While there we did an adventure tower and had SO MUCH FUN! I had no idea there was one right here in Colorado! The one in Castle Rock has an incredible adventure tower as well as zip lining! When you’re done you can head into Downtown Castle Rock to shop some local shops and then a bite to eat!
Click Here for the Adventure Park
10. Explore Colorado & Manitou Springs
There is so much to do in Colorado & Manitou Springs this weekend!
– Saturday- Monday there’s a Balloon Festival called “Labor Day Lift Off.” You can go to special events at 7AM each day for the Lift Off or at 7:30PM for the night time “glow.”
-Stay the night at The Great Wolf Lodge- it has an indoor water park, kids bowling alley, adventure park, story time and much more!
– Hike the Incline at Manitou Springs– A Colorado Must! Get there early, pack LOTS of water and sunscreen, and prepare to CLIMB! You will be so amazed by the view at the top
– When you’re done climbing head down to Manitou Springs for a bite to eat and to check out their amazing old school Penny Arcade. It’s a blast and so unique!
There you have it! My top 10 ways to spend some quality time with your family this long three day weekend! Please don’t spend this time on your couch watching TV in your house- there is SO MUCH TO DO in this great state of Colorado!! Get out and do it! Your time is precious and you’re blessed with a whole extra 24 hours this weekend! How are you going to spend it!?
Drop a comment below to share! ⬇️