Colorado is an iconic outdoors destination where planners easily arrange fun activities in-between meetings to fill the daytime hours.
While everything from skiing to alfresco dining to walking tours entertains attendees when the sun is shining, there are as many delightful opportunities awaiting them when the sun sets.
The following rundown showcases just how lively The Centennial State’s group-friendly destinations are after-hours.
Denver
Denver’s evening fun is quite tasty, as there are always new restaurants and craft beers for groups to try here.
“We have a plethora of unique restaurants that are group-friendly,” says Ashley Taufen, communications manager for Visit Denver. “Most destinations have breweries now, but Denver is consistently in the running among best beer cities.”
A new standout restaurant, Ophelia’s, has been dubbed a gastro-brothel as an homage to the building’s history as an actual brothel.
“Ophelia’s serves up fresh local cuisine, delicious hand-crafted cocktails and live music in a unique atmosphere,” Taufen says. “The lower level of the restaurant, where the stage is located, is perfect for groups—it can be curtained off and has its own bar.”
Compiled by Visit Denver, the Denver Beer Trail currently highlights 20 different breweries, many of which are situated nearby one another and are large enough to accommodate groups who are out for a beer crawl.
Colorado Springs
Among the dining options for groups in Colorado Springs is Restaurant 1858 at Broadmoor Seven Falls, where groups can enjoy views of the waterfall, which is lit up at night.
According to Chelsy Offutt, director of communications for the Colorado Springs CVB, groups can also rent downtown’s The Mezzanine, a venue that merges music, performance and mixology, for private off-site events.
“Offering an elegant and edgy atmosphere, entertainment ranges from jazz performance and dueling pianos to burlesque,” she says.
Other options include private parties at Garden Gods of the Gourmet market and cafe and private dining at the Marigold Cafe and Bakery.
Boulder
In Boulder, groups should check out the calendar of performances at the Boulder Theater and the Fox Theatre, two popular venues that also host off-site group gatherings.
“Both venues are sure to entertain your group,” says Mary Ann Mahoney, executive director at the Boulder CVB. “Boulder’s music scene is pretty incredible.”
YMCA of the Rockies-Estes Park Center, located in Estes Park, offers several group-bonding activities at night, including campfires/s’mores-making and astronomy classes. Brooke Burnham, director of communications and public relation s for Visit Estes Park, adds groups can also explore Rocky Mountain National Park during a moonlight snowshoe tour.
“Pause under the incredible canopy of stars for some hot chocolate and serene reflection,” she says.
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Grand Junction
In the Grand Junction area, where many vintners reside, is Varaison Vineyards and Winery, which accommodates private tours, tastings and dinners at the end of the day.
According to Mistalynn Lee Meyeraan, marketing and public relations director for the Grand Junction VCB, groups might also appreciate a balsamic vinegar and olive oil tasting at Sprigs & Sprouts of Western Colorado’s lavender farm.
“Sample a wide variety of flavors like key lime or pineapple on locally grown produce,” she says.
Mountain Resorts
Pine Creek Cookhouse in Aspen, located at the base of the Elk Mountain range, provides a unique mountain dining experience for groups, who must travel to the restaurant via cross-country skis, snowshoes or a horse-drawn sleigh in the winter, or by hiking or bicycling during the warmer months.
Another big hit during the summer is a local stargazing outing.
“The Little Nell adventure concierge will set up guests with an astronomy expert who takes the group up Aspen Mountain on a private Jeep tour,” says Melissa Wisenbaker, spokeswoman for the Aspen Chamber Resort Association. “The guide provides binoculars to help point out various meteor showers and constellations, and guests also enjoy champagne and sweet or savory bites.”
In Snowmass, an exciting new winter marketing program is redefining nightlife, according to Rose Abello, tourism director for Snowmass Tourism.
“‘Snowmass After Dark’ is a fantastic way to merchandise all the nighttime experiences and activities that complement a fun-filled day,” she says.
The after-dark Snowmass experiences include twilight dogsled rides concluding with dinner at Krabloonik, which specializes in wild-game fare, moonlit snowshoe tours or gondola rides, bonfires complete with hot cocoa and s’mores, pub crawls to explore local breweries and bowling at Slopeside Lanes.
Evening entertainment for groups in the Vail Valley also includes bowling.
“Bol Vail brings a contemporary cosmopolitan vibe to the mountains,” says Kim Brussow, director of sales for Visit Vail Valley. “Groups will enjoy a unique dining experience with a full-service menu at its 60-foot bar or in a sophisticated bowling environment, complete with oversized plush sectionals, couches and tables.”
Brussow adds 4 Eagle Ranch offers a true Colorado mountain ranch experience, during which groups can enjoy a horse-drawn sleigh ride dinner in the winter or wagon rides in the summer, followed by country western dancing or roasting marshmallows at the campfire.
At Keystone Resort, groups have a variety of after-hours options, including stargazing sessions facilitated by Keystone Science School and disco tubing on Keystone Mountain.
“It allows your group a night of fun under the disco lights at our on-mountain tubing hill,” says Tom Kelsey, director of conference sales for Keystone Resort Group. “The hill has a carpet lift so no one will need to walk up the hill and no special equipment is needed.”
A sleigh ride dinner to 10,234 feet above the town is the quintessential culinary adventure for groups meeting in Breckenridge, according to Brandy Sawyer, director of sales for Breckenridge.
“The group dining experience begins at The Maggie, where attendees can meet and mingle,” she says. “Then guests will begin a moonlit journey up to Ten Mile Station by way of a snowcat-drawn sleigh. Once guests arrive, they can enjoy live music, a delectable five-course meal.”
Also popular with groups is the 90-minute Behind Swinging Doors Saloon Tour, during which attendees will learn about Breckenridge’s 18 historic saloons and the characters who frequented them.
More saloons call Durango home, including one located at the historic Strater Hotel.
“Just on the other side of the main lobby you will step back in time at the Diamond Belle Saloon, where sarsaparillas and spirits are unique and the staff dress in period attire,” says Grace Shepard, group sales manager for the Durango Area Tourism Office. “The experience is a nice taste of the Old West.”
And in Telluride, according to Tom Watkinson, public relations manager for the Telluride Tourism Board, a great group option is a sleigh ride to Gorrono Ranch for a private dinner.
“It’s a beautiful sleigh ride up the mountain to a large, rustically elegant location,” he says.
