The new gold rush

Ad campaign draws more tourists to wider array of attractions

Joanne Kelley, Rocky Mountain News

Published May 11, 2007 at midnight

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A big push to woo more visitors to Colorado has turned almost every dot on the state's map into a potential vacation stopover.

An extra $14 million for advertising this year means the state can more aggressively promote activities ranging from extreme sports to farm tours. A new campaign has already convinced far more people to visit the state's visitor Web site and to request information from a toll-free vacation hotline than last year.

That's a trend that could translate into record visits during what's traditionally been the busiest stretch of year: summer.

"It's definitely the most popular season," said Kim McNulty, director of the Colorado Tourism Office.

Roughly two-thirds of Colorado's visitors come during the spring and summer months, the period when many people take their longest vacations of the year.

Along with perennial favorites such as camping and fishing, fresh ideas await those searching out adventures or downtime. And they can be found in any number of places, including:

• Off-the-beaten path destinations in the far reaches of the state

• Ski resorts that transform themselves into summer playgrounds

• Diverse venues in and around a big city such as Denver

Those hoping to explore more farflung parts will find a newcomer in the southeastern part of the state: the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, which the National Park Service plans to open officially on June 1.

The 2,400-acre site is located in Kiowa County near the town of Eads.

Across the state, in rural Delta County, farmers and artisans and other local businesses open their doors to tourists either by appointment or by flying colorful flags that signal when they are available to receive visitors for demonstrations and tours.

The award-winning pilot program amps up during the summertime, with visits to organic farms and a glassblowing studio providing two examples of the ways tourists can find themselves interacting with the locals and long-time residents of towns such as Crawford and Hotchkiss.

"The goal is to try to get the visitor and the traveler to go directly to the producer to buy and learn about how products are made, as opposed to walking into a gift shop," said Kelli Hepler, Delta County's tourism coordinator.

(For details: www.westerncolorado.org, local chambers of commerce or local bed-and-breakfast establishments.)

Many of the state's mountain resort towns, eager to fill empty ski condos and homes once the slopes shuts down for the season, offer discounted lodging and package deals during summer.

Cultural activities dominate event calendars.

The Steamboat "Strings in the Mountains" series is one of the summer events that beckons music enthusiasts to the high country after the chairlifts close for the season.

Among the variety of things to do: free outdoor movies every Saturday night in the village at the Copper Mountain Resort in Summit County. Visitors are invited to bring a blanket and make an evening out of watching films.

While visiting the Aspen area, the adventurous can try "whitewater sledging," a relatively new way to have an extreme encounter with nature.

The face-first trip down through river rapids - with just a small board instead of a raft - promises to get the adrenaline pumping, according to the Aspen Seals, the group that brought the sport to the United States from New Zealand.

Closer to home, the metro area gives residents reasons to stick around and get to know the Mile-High City.

The stepped-up focus on all things "green" has spurred the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau to tout attractions with an environmental bent.

The National Center for Atmospheric Research houses a free museum, which is open 7 days a week and allows visitors to learn more about climate change and severe weather, as well as find answers to such frequently asked questions as "Why is the sky blue?" (www.eo.ucar.edu/visit/)

The building, the creation of architect I.M. Pei, provides a jumping-off point for a half-mile weather trail where tourists and residents alike can also learn why Denver gets less snow than mountain towns, and why Boulder sometimes clocks wind gusts of up to 137 miles an hour.

Special exhibits come to most museums during the summer months. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science hosts an exhibit starting in June that shows artifacts recovered from the Titanic shipwreck.

And if all that seems too weighty, tourists can always fall back on conducting some leisurely research on one of the most popular choices for out-of-town visitors each year: shopping.

While malls continue to be a perennial favorite among tourists, multi-tasking visitors can shop, socialize and take in some culture by opting for an event such as the gallery receptions on Santa Fe Drive held the first Friday evening of each month.

For more ideas on where to escape to this summer or to find links for other Colorado destinations, visit the state's tourism Web site: www.colorado.com or Denver's calendar at www.denver.org.

kelleyj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5068

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