Colorado Offers Festive Holiday Events and Travel Packages Starting at Just $64.50 Per Night

As the weather changes and glimpses of the hol­i­day sea­son begin to appear, cre­ate mem­o­ries that will last a life­time with a win­ter escape to Colorado. Perfectly groomed ski slopes, free lift tick­ets and fun-filled train rides to the North Pole are just a cou­ple rea­sons to plan a win­ter vaca­tion in Colorado. Now through the New Year, trav­el­ers head­ing to this win­ter won­der­land can take advan­tage of a mul­ti­tude of holiday-inspired pack­ages and events. Below are just some of the ways to cel­e­brate the hol­i­days in Colorado this year. For a com­plete list of travel pack­ages, vaca­tion val­ues, itin­er­aries and more, visit www.colorado.com.

Give Thanks at the Westin Riverfront

Stay at the Westin Riverfront in Avon from November 23 — November 28 and enjoy the Family Thanksgiving pack­age. The pack­age includes lodg­ing in a stu­dio suite, Thanksgiving din­ner for four (two adults, two chil­dren), com­pli­men­tary park­ing, one hour fam­ily photo sit­ting (don’t for­get the dog, the hotel is dog-friendly!) and reg­is­tra­tion in the 2nd Annual Riverfront Turkey Trot. Rates start at $229 per night. A three-night min­i­mum stay is required. For addi­tional details or to make a reser­va­tion visit www.westinriverfrontavon.com or call 866–949-1616.

Ski Free at Steamboat

Book three nights lodg­ing in Steamboat, through Steamboat Central Reservations®, between November 25 – December 18, 2009 or April 4 — April 11, 2010 and receive FREE lift tick­ets. Local experts are avail­able seven days a week to assist guests in plan­ning and build­ing a cus­tomized Ski Free at Steamboat lodg­ing pack­age start­ing as low as $119 per adult. And that’s not all, for those look­ing to indulge in the lat­est equip­ment; the Ski Free pack­age also offers 20 per­cent off rental equip­ment at all Steamboat Ski & Sport loca­tions. For more infor­ma­tion visit www.steamboat.com/skifree.

Grandest Christmas Package

This hol­i­day sea­son, Crested Butte is offer­ing skiers and snow­board­ers the Grandest Christmas pack­age. Pack up the whole fam­ily and head to the moun­tains for a snow-filled week­end while sav­ing a bun­dle. For under “a grand,” a fam­ily of four can enjoy four nights of lodg­ing at the Grand Lodge and three days of ski­ing or rid­ing. This lim­ited time pack­age is per­fect for fam­i­lies and makes a hol­i­day ski vaca­tion afford­able on any bud­get. For more infor­ma­tion or to make a reser­va­tion visit www.skicb.com.

Boulder Ski Escape

Those look­ing for a more cost effec­tive way to ski this win­ter, set out to Eldorado Mountain Resort, located just 30 min­utes from Boulder, and find lodg­ing with lift tick­ets, start­ing at just $64.50 per per­son for a one-night stay. The Boulder Ski Escape Package is the per­fect way to enjoy the slopes with­out break­ing the bank. Some deals even include break­fast and trans­porta­tion. To expe­ri­ence the laid back local vibe of Boulder visit www.boulderskiescape.com from November 20, 2009 to April 11, 2010.

North Pole Bound on the Santa Express Train

Head to Cañon City this hol­i­day sea­son and expe­ri­ence the thrill of the Santa Express Train. The Santa Express Train departs the Historic Santa Fe Depot in Cañon City on an evening jour­ney to the enchant­ing “North Pole.” The magic comes to life while chil­dren lis­ten to spe­cial hol­i­day clas­sics and enjoy hot choco­late as the train makes its way through the amaz­ing sur­round­ings of the Royal Gorge on its way to the bright lights of the North Pole. Children are wel­come to dress in their paja­mas in the spirit of the Santa Express Train. The train ride takes approx­i­mately 1 1/2 hours. Prices are $19 for ages 3–12 and $29 for adults. Call 888–724-5748 or go online to www.royalgorgeroute.com to pur­chase tick­ets and for more information.

A Classic Broadmoor Christmas

Spend the night at the renowned Broadmoor Hotel and expe­ri­ence a mag­nif­i­cent, heart-warming hol­i­day show for the entire fam­ily fea­tur­ing Colorado favorite and Emmy Award Winning per­former, Jim Salestrom. He’ll be joined by Nelson Rangell, The Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale, Lila Mori, The Broadmoor Pops Band, and a spe­cial pre­sen­ta­tion of danc­ing and singing by The Rocky Mountain Holiday Singers. And, to top off the night, there will be a spe­cial appear­ance by the man in the red suit him­self – Santa Claus. Shows are sched­uled through­out December and prices start at $170 per per­son, per night. For reser­va­tions and addi­tional infor­ma­tion call 800–634-7711.

Light Extravaganza on the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk

Each year Pueblo’s Riverwalk brings the joy and won­der of the hol­i­day sea­son to life by host­ing the Annual Holiday Lighting Extravaganza, Friday, November 27. Come see the Riverwalk illu­mi­nated with hol­i­day lights and dis­plays, sip a cup of hot choco­late, lis­ten to live carol singers or ride the boats down the river. The grand finale of the evening is a stun­ning fire­works show over Lake Elizabeth. A must attend hol­i­day event for the whole fam­ily. Visit www.puebloharp.com for details.

Shop ‘til You Drop in Cherry Creek

Looking for fun off the slopes? Unwind at the JW Marriott Denver and spend the hol­i­days in Cherry Creek. This pack­age is avail­able from November 1, 2009 — January 31, 2010 and includes a stay in a lux­u­ri­ous guest room, a $50 gift cer­tifi­cate to the Spa at Cherry Creek, a $50 gift card to the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, two happy hour drinks or appe­tiz­ers at Second Home Kitchen + Bar and com­pli­men­tary valet park­ing. Rates start at $269 per night; Available Thursday – Sunday nights. For addi­tional infor­ma­tion or to make a reser­va­tion visit www.jwmarriottdenver.com or call 866–706-7814.

Start the Season with a Carousel Christmas

In Burlington, the 23rd annual Christmas at The Carousel will be held Sunday, December 6 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Carousel Park at the Kit Carson County Fairgrounds. Rides on the his­toric carousel will be free and tours of the Carousel Museum are also avail­able at no charge. The museum build­ing will be decked out for Christmas and will be toasty warm with hot cider and home­made cook­ies. Take a ride on the carousel and enjoy the sounds of the fully restored mag­nif­i­cent Wurlitzer Monster Military Band Organ that will be churn­ing out hol­i­day car­ols for the carousel’s rid­ers. Visit www.kitcarsoncountycarousel.com for details.

Winter WildLand Zoo Lights

The hol­i­days are more fes­tive than ever this sea­son at Colorado Springs’ Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Winter WildLand. With thou­sands of lights, hol­i­day char­ac­ters, story telling and the oppor­tu­nity to make gifts for the ani­mals, it is the per­fect fam­ily out­ing. Visitors will also accom­pany Santa Claus as he deliv­ers the hand-made presents to the Zoo res­i­dents. The Zoo will be bustling with activ­i­ties from December 4 – 31, for more infor­ma­tion or to pur­chase tick­ets visit www.cmzoo.org.

Photo by Shay Haas

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