Creek at the Peak Rafting Festival
The Creek at the Peak raft and kayak race takes place on June 23rd, 2012 and provides a great opportunity to watch rafters and kayakers compete for prizes while supporting a great cause. Come check out the race and the after race festival in Idaho Springs on Saturday June 23rd. The festival takes place on the east side of the Springs at the ball fields. The race finishes just west of Idaho Springs and begins in Lawson.
The festival begins at noon and will feature live music, food from local restaurants, and Idaho Springs' famous Tommyknocker beer!
When: Saturday June 23rd, 2012.
The festival begins around noon and continues through the evening.
The races begin at 5pm and will probably finish around 7:30pm.
Where: Idaho Springs at the ball fields on the east side of town.
For all the details, check the Creek at the Peak site: 
Copper Country Music Festival (Labor Day Weekend)
Each year over Labor Day Weekend, Copper Mountain Ski Resort hosts the free Copper Country festival, with two full days of country, blues, and folk music from top name performers.
Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs (always free)
Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs is probably the most beautiful small park in the state. Paved trails make it easy to wander around and check out the amazing cliffs and spires. Picnic areas, paved and unpaved hiking trails, horseback riding, a trading post, and a visitor's center with amazing views; Garden of the Gods is a great place to spend a day.
City Park Jazz
Looking for free Denver music? City Park in downtown Denver has a free summer jazz concert schedule with top performers.
Manitou Springs Great Fruitcake Toss Festival (annually in January)
Colorado is known for it's goofy festivals and the Great Fruitcake Toss is certainly one of the headliners. This Manitou Springs tradition is held every year after the holidays in an effort to dispose of certain unwanted confections you may have acquired.
Some people prefer to launch their cakes by hand but many choose to build elaborate contraptions to give their fruitcakes the send off they deserve. There are various cake launching categories as well as competitions for the best and prettiest fruit cakes.
When:
The 2014 Great Fruitcake Toss festival has been cancelled. Hopefully it will be back in 2015.
Where:
In Manitou Springs at the Manitou Springs High School track.
401 El Monte Place
Manitou Springs, CO 80829.
Community Car Show and Drag Race
The annual Community Car Show in Littleton takes place Saturday September 12th, 2015, from 10am to 2pm. Admission is free both for spectators and exhibitors. The car show takes place at Heritage United Methodist Church and will include music, free snacks, and you will vote on the People's Choice winner.
After the car show, a drag race takes place from 4pm - 8pm at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison. Admission is free for spectators, and $30 for racers.
You are encouraged to bring a canned food item or good condition used winter coat or boots.
When:
Saturday September 12, 2015
Car show runs from 10am to 2pm.
Drag race runs from 4pm to 8pm.
Where:
Car show takes place at Heritage United Methodist Church:
7077 S. Simms Street
Littleton, CO 80127
(next to Chatfield Sr. High)
Drag Race takes place at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison:
Immediately off the C-470 Morrison exit.
Denver Cinco De Mayo Festival (May 3-4, 2014)
One of the best ways to experience Denver's rich Hispanic heritage is to visit the annual free Denver Cinco De Mayo Festival, one of the best things to do in Denver on a May weekend.
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Euclid Hall Denver Happy Hour (Downtown Denver)
OK, I normally make it a policy to only check out Denver happy hours that have food specials with drink specials. However, when I saw that that 5280 had deemed Euclid Hall the best Denver happy hour, I had to check it out for myself. I went in skeptical, and came out satisfied and stuffed.
Howelsen Hill in Steamboat Springs (always low cost)
Howelsen Hill Ski Area is a historic ski area and Olympic training grounds operated by the city of Steamboat Springs, and is one of the only ski areas left in Colorado that is affordable on a daily basis. This ski area is a decent place for downhill skiers and snowboarders to make some quick laps, and features a nice terrain park, but it is especially nice for Cross Country / Nordic skiers.
There are only a handful of downhill runs served by 1 rope tow and 1 chair lift, but there are miles of Nordic trails. Howelson is lit for night skiing and often stays open until 8pm.
Oh yeah, the huge ski jumps are off limits to the public but they are an amazing sight!
2012 - 2013 Rates:
Lift Tickets: $20 per adult, discounts for children and seniors.
Terrain Park Only: $10
Nordic Trails Only: $10
Children's Magic carpet learning area: Free! (see concession booth for a free ticket).
$10 night skiing tickets are also available Tuesday through Friday.
Full lift ticket pricing breakdown for 2012-2013:
Hours and Season:
CLOSED MONDAYS.
Tuesday 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Wednesday 1:00 pm - 8:00pm
Thursday 3:45 pm - 8:00pm
Friday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Saturday and Sunday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Closed on Christmas Day and special holiday hours are in effect through Jan 3.
Howelson Hill Home Page and Maps:
Steamboat is fairly remote for a day trip, but if you can't afford the lodging in the area, there is a year-round campground that is reasonable called Steamboat Campground.
McCormicks Fish House and Bar (Downtown Denver)
I am a sucker for old buildings, and McCormicks Fish House and Bar, located in LoDo in downtown Denver, has everything I'm looking for.
McLoughlin's Restaurant and Bar (Downtown Denver)
McLoughlin's is one of my go-to places when I'm craving happy hour specials in downtown Denver.
U.S. Mint at Denver Free Tours (Monday - Thursday)
Denver Mint Tours are closed for construction through February 27, 2014.
If you ever wanted to know where that change in your pocket comes from, the free Denver Mint Tours are the place to find out! Tours are free of charge Monday through Thursday at the United States Mint in downtown Denver. Reservations must be made in advance through the United States Mint Tour Reservation System
The Denver Mint building is highly secure, so you will need to pass through a security screening before your tour begins. Many common items are not permitted on the tour, such as purses, check their web site for a detailed list of prohibited items. The tour itself is very informative and interesting, discussing not only how new coins are made but also America's coin making history.
When:
Year-round, Monday - Thursday.
Reservations are required.
Be at the tour entrance 30 minutes prior to your tour time.
Location:
320 West Colfax Avenue
It's just off the southern end of the 16th Street Mall near Civic Center Park.
Visit their web site for tour details and reservations:
Shell Gas Two For One Ski Ticket
For 2014, Shell gas stations are offering 2 for 1 vouchers at several ski areas with a 10 gallon gas fill up. This means that if you buy at least 10 gallons of gas, you get a coupon good for a free lift ticket if you purchase one full price adult lift ticket. The deal is good at several ski areas.
Unfortunately, full price adult lift tickets have become so expensive that this isn't much of a "deal". But if you just want to ski one day at a participating resort this year, this will get you on the slopes for less than full price.
In Colorado, 2014's participating resorts are:
Copper Mountain
Crested Butte
Loveland
Monarch
Powderhorn
The SkiFreeDeals.com web site has a full list of participating Shell stations and ski resorts.
Learn more at skifreedeals.Com:
Zengo (Downtown Denver)
The first thing that hits you when you enter Zengo near the 16th Street mall in downtown Denver is the atmosphere. The low lighting, the expansive bar and the couches in the lounge all say one thing- "I am hip and young in Denver."