TravelMole Blog: The happiest place in America
Home to the likes of Aspen, Breckenridge, and Vail, it’s one of America’s top ski destinations, but there’s a whole lot more to Colorado than snow.
TravelMole editor Bev Fearis and her family take a two-week trip to explore the highlights of the Rocky Mountain State.
Days 1-3
It’s been voted the happiest and the healthiest place in America, so where better to start our trip than Boulder, a 50-minute drive north of Denver. Surrounded by 36,000 acres of recreational open space and some world-class hiking trails, it’s full of happy people in lycra off for a hike, run, bike ride, or a climb. On the first day, I’m awake at 6am (as is always the way on the first few days of a US trip) and decide to go for a gentle jog. It has to be gentle because Boulder is 5,430 feet above sea level and I’m feeling the effects of the high altitude. The next morning, better acclimatised, I brave an hour’s hike up Sanitas Valley Trail and the views are simply breathtaking. I’m feeling happier and healthier already.
Downtown Boulder has a laidback feel and is devoid of the grittiness of most American cities. Its main shopping and dining street, Pearl, is car-free and dotted with trees. It’s pristine, green and lined with funky boutique stores, outdoor shops, bohemian cafes and sophisticated restaurants. It’s a University town so there is a lively night scene, but it’s all good clean fun. Just a few blocks from Pearl and you’re in wide leafy pristine boulevards lined with million dollar houses.
We had flown into Denver with British Airways but it was dark by the time we landed, so we decide to go back for another look. It’s more like a typical US city with its high-rise skyline and gridlocked highways, but, surprisingly, it’s also home to some of Colorado’s best family attractions.
Freddie, my two-year-old son, was absolutely blown away by the Children’s Museum. It’s not really a museum, more of an activity centre totally geared towards little ones. Think Willy Wonkers Chocolate Factory, but without the chocolate. One room is devoted to trains (we literally had to carry Freddie screaming from this one), one is a bubble factory, another is a meadow with a rabbit hole with burrows to climb into and out of (Mums too). There are 11 different rooms in all and if you let your child stay in each one as long as they want to, you could literally spend all week there.
Nextdoor is Denver’s Aquarium, where Freddie’s eyes lit up again at the sight of stingrays and sharks and luminous jelly fish – complete with Disney-style sound and lighting effects.
Just to complete our family-friendly day, we drove across the city to Denver Zoo. There are nearly 4,000 animals here but we spent so much time with the monkeys we didn’t get to see them all. We told Freddie that perhaps we’ll have time to come back later in our trip, but with so many of Colorado’s highlights yet to see, I very much doubt it. http://www.colorado.com/English/
Diane
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt