Colorado looks good no matter what season you catch her, but the holidays are when she really shines — like Hollywood and Hallmark created the perfect set for a feel-good Christmas flick and transported it to our backyards.
One of the few upsides of an earlier sunset is more time to enjoy the region’s seasonal man-made spectacles, from professional lights displays that can be savored on foot or from your car (while sipping cocoa), to twinkling adventures where someone else does the driving.
Here’s a roundup of holiday lights events and train trips kicking off this month, for those who want to get a jump on the spirit (and the tickets):
Friday-Jan. 1: Magic of Lights — Drive-thru holiday lights at Pikes Peak International Raceway, 16650 Midway Ranch Rd, Fountain.
More than a mile of lights and dozens of displays, including life-sized dinosaurs, an animated. 32-foot-tall Barbie doll and super-sized Bigfoot Monster Truck, greet cruisers through the seasonally bedazzled raceway south of the Springs. Nightly shows start Friday and run through New Year’s Day.
Tickets: ppir.com
Friday-Dec. 31: Santa Express Train and Holiday Rides — Royal Gorge Route Railroad, 401 Water St., Cañon City.
A lead engineer and Santa Claus take the helm of the historic railroad’s Santa Express Train, which this year chugs to the North Pole and back in a newly remodeled and overhauled 1969 engine. The railroad’s Holiday Train taps the same spirit, sans Santa, with a round- trip jaunt through the Royal Gorge in decorated railcars.
Tickets: royalgorgeroute.com
Friday-Nov. 27, Dec. 1-4, 8-11 and 15-31: Bridge of Lights Christmas Drive-Thru — Royal Gorge Bridge & Park, 4218 Colorado Road 3A, Cañon City.
The Royal Gorge Bridge launches its inaugural lights event starting Friday and running (mostly consistently) through New Year’s Eve. Visitors can check out the lit-up park, then roll on to an illuminated America’s Bridge for breathtaking views of the nighttime gorge and the moonlit Arkansas River almost 1000 feet below.
Tickets: royalgorgebridge.com
Friday-Jan. 1: The Polar Express Train Ride — Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, 479 Main Ave., Durango.
From America’s Bridge to America’s Railroad, for a themed ride on a vintage steam train inspired by the holiday classic book and movie. Riders of all ages get an immersive experience, with chef-created hot chocolates, treats and more, as they head to the North Pole to collect Santa and see a light show set to holiday tunes.
Tickets: durangotrain.com
Friday-Jan. 7: Blossoms of Light — Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York St., Denver.
More than 1 million eco-conscious LED lights transform the Gardens’ York Street location into a “twinkling winter wonderland of holiday blooms,” an annual extravaganza that’s been cultivating seasonal spirit in the Mile High City since the ‘80s.
Tickets: botanicgardens.org
Nov. 25-Jan. 1: Trails of Light — Denver Botanic Gardens’ Chatfield Farms, 8500 W. Deer Creek Canyon Road, Littleton.
Wander a winding path edged with lights on a walking tour through this vast historic property-turned-glimmering garden of delights in the Colorado countryside. The route, just under a mile, twists through the former Hildebrand Ranch to the 1880s homestead and a children’s play area-turned-Christmas village.
Tickets: botanicgardens.org
Nov. 25-Jan. 1: Luminova Holidays — Elitch Gardens, 2000 Elitch Circle, Denver.
This second-annual light fest at the downtown Denver theme park features millions of bulbs strewn over 200,000 square feet of “immersive outdoor entertainment,” with a 65-foot Christmas tree, 300-foot candy cane tunnel and ornamented rides.
Tickets: luminovaholidays.com
FREE EVENTS
Nov. 26-Jan. 14: Holiday Headframe lights — Various locations, Victor and Cripple Creek
Starting at sundown on the 26th, drivers can take a self-guided tour through the “greatest gold camp in U.S. history” and site of the last great American mining boom in the 1890s. Download a free map for directions to the towns’ historic headframes — towers erected above mine shafts — many of which are adorned with giant lighted decorations to celebrate the season. Displays are lit weekend evenings, Nov. 26-Jan. 14, and nightly Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day.
Info and map: visitcripplecreek.com/event
Find more events on The Gazette.
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