October 2015

Holiday happenings in the Mile High City HeidiTown.com Holiday Extravaganza at Denver Botanic Gardens

I’m a small town girl at heart, but I love visiting cities during Christmastime and Denver is a great Christmas city. A stroll through downtown Denver during November and December is the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit. In addition to the lights and horse and carriage rides, Denver has two wonderful Christmas traditions; the Denver Christkindl Market and the Southwest Rink at Skyline Park. It’s easy to

Good road trip books The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve written about books here on HeidiTown, which is odd because I read a lot of books… but perhaps I should rephrase that – I listen to a lot of books. Ryan and I are both Audible addicts. I listen when I’m exercising and of course, I listen any time I’m in my car. It’s especially fun to listen on road trips because

Fox Theater in Montrose, Colorado. HeidiTown.com

One of the best parts of my job as the Mayor of HeidiTown is visiting a town that I’ve never stayed in before. So I was overjoyed when the folks in Montrose contacted me and asked if I’d like to cover their Oktoberfest. Ryan and I arrived to town on a late Friday afternoon and after checking into the Hampton Inn we headed downtown. While the population of Montrose is

Black Canyon Gunnison, HeidiTown.com

Have you ever visited a place where the birds don’t soar above you, but below? Welcome to Colorado’s Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. We have driven by this National Park many times and once we stopped briefly on the north end to peer into the abyss. However, we’d never had the time to go into the park. When I booked our trip to Montrose to cover Oktoberfest, I

Fall Back Beer Festival LOGO

Have you ever wondered what craft beer pairs best with candy corn? You can find out this Halloween at Fall Back Beer Fest in Estes Park, Colorado. The event falls on All Hallows’ Eve this year and therefore a Halloween candy/beer pairing is on the festival agenda. We attended Fall Back Beer Fest last year and we had a blast. In fact, it was one of two truly stand-out beer

A fall visit to the Denver Botanic Gardens. HeidiTown (3)

Despite the fact that it’s October, lots of things are still blooming at the Denver Botanic Gardens. My husband took me there on Saturday, October 10 as part of my Denver birthday celebration. It was glorious. I have never spent a Colorado birthday walking around in flip flops snapping photos of flowers and butterflies. It’s usually cold and threatening snow. Fall is an excellent time to visit the garden, because

Leadville Cemetery Tour HeidiTown.com 19

Want more than a simple “boo” + “gotcha” experience this Halloween? I’ve compiled a list of Colorado Halloween activities that go beyond the traditional haunted house visit. These outings will tickle not only your spine, but also your mind. There are cemetery and ghost walks from Fort Collins to Leadville. I have written about the cemetery tour with Roger Pretti in Leadville here. It’s a fantastic tour and leaves the

The view from our room at The Crawford Hotel. Denver birthday hotels. HeidiTown.com

My husband and I like to surprise each other with short birthday trips, which often involve a weekend stay in Denver. Over the years, we’d discovered some wonderful Denver birthday hotels, and since I field a lot of questions about the Mile High City, I’d like to share my top three Denver hotels for any special occasion. The Brown Palace BrownPalace.com Ryan and I held our wedding after party at

Fall Back Beer Fest 2014. HeidiTown (1)

The Great American Beer Festival may be over, but that doesn’t mean Coloradans stop celebrating craft beer. We celebrate all year long. Here are a few fall beer festivals that are sure to tickle your taste buds. Fall Back Beer Festival, Estes Park, October 31, 2015 FallBackBeerFest.com Ryan and I attended this event last year and it was one of our favorite festivals of last year. Held at the new