Estes Park: Gateway to the Rocky Mountains
Want to create fun, educational experiences?
Stanley Hotel Historic Ghost Tours transport guests through time to the early 1900s and introduce them to all the haunted spaces, places and legendary ghosts that have emerged since the hotel’s construction. New Belgium Brewing Company, the home of Fat Tire beer, is located an hour away in Fort Collins. Aside from crafting a wide array of tasty beers, it also has a deep commitment to sustainable business practices, environmental stewardship and philanthropy. Incorporate the company’s enthusiasm and commitment to change to create something that transcends the typical brewery tour and tasting.
Want restaurants with meeting/banquet space?
Downtown, Ed’s Cantina & Grill serves Mexican and American food and can host groups of 55 people (75 in the summer when the patio is available). Lonigan’s Saloon Bar & Grill is a casual, low-key neighborhood hangout; amenities include pool tables, a stage and frequent live entertainment. Estes Park Brewery has a beer garden and homebrewed beers. Also downtown is the Wild Rose Food & Spirits Co., which has private banquet rooms. Down the street from the Estes Park Conference Center, Peak-to-Peak American Grille has a recently renovated banquet hall with a dedicated bar, dance floor and room for 100 people; it may be subdivided for smaller groups. Floor to ceiling windows along a 90-ft. wall overlooking the Continental Divide is the main attraction at The View Restaurant, part of the Historic Crags Lodge.
Want to team-build?
Estes Park Adventures is a fully licensed outfitter, permitted to organize guided wildlife walks, fly-fishing trips and snowshoe tours within the Rocky Mountain National Park. YMCA of the Rockies has 850 acres at its Estes Park Center and 5,100 acres at its Snow Mountain Ranch facility near Winter Park; staff at both locations can create custom team-building programs. The Estes Valley Recreation and Park District has a full-service marina on Lake Estes, an 18-hole golf course and a 9-hole golf course. A hike/bike/skate trail encircles the lake, and a pavilion with access to volleyball, horseshoes and a small beach may be reserved for groups of up to 130 people.
Want to surround your group with culture?
More than 200 artists live in the greater Estes Valley. If there’s not an Art Walk already scheduled when your group is in town, contact the Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park about arranging a studio or gallery tour. Downtown galleries along Elkhorn Avenue include Wildlife Photo Art, Glassworks Studio and Gallery, Earthwood Collections and the Cultural Arts Council’s Fine Art Gallery, and nearby are working artist studio/gallery spaces. If you’d like to teach attendees how to capture the stunning beauty of the Rocky Mountains, contact the Arts Center of Estes Park or YMCA of the Rockies to see if one of their artists is available to lead a workshop in painting or photography.
Want entertainment?
Whether you know it or not, there are award-winning Colorado wines. Valley of the Wind Winery offers tastings downtown overlooking the Riverwalk. Another downtown tasting room featuring local wines is the Snowy Peaks Winery, on Moraine Avenue. The Stanley Hotel has a winter concert series; summer concert series are presented at Bond Park, Performance Park Barlow Plaza and the Riverwalk. If you’re looking for local performers, the Cultural Arts Center programs some of the music series and is affiliated with the Estes Park Village and Jazz Big Bands, the Riverside Ramblers Dixieland Jazz Band, the Rocky Ridge Music Center, the Chamber Music Society and the National Park Players, a professional theater group.
