Aurora, CO Is Your Gateway To the Rockies. Here’s Proof.
Ready to be surprised? The closest urban hub to Denver International Airport isn’t Denver. It’s Aurora, a city overflowing with local ingenuity, cuisines that would render Anthony Bourdain speechless, and some of the most easily accessible outdoors in the state. It’s one of Colorado’s most diverse cities, and one of its largest, too.
Aurora welcomes most visitors into the Centennial State and sends them off when the time comes to depart — and we’re not just talking to the airport. Aurora is your gateway to adventure in Colorado’s famed Rocky Mountains, and here’s why.
It all starts with the lodging options…
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Booking a hotel that you actually want to spend time in is a novel concept — and that’s exactly what you’ll get at the new
Out of the loads of reasons seasoned travelers are loyal to Gaylord, Aurora’s reason is perhaps this: water. Yep. In a shot of style rivaled only by the likes of Vegas, Aurora’s “Castle on a Hill” features an indoor water park that even adults are going to love. There are also tons of dining options, an amphitheater, bike paths (and rentals), and views of the Rocky Mountains that no other Front Range hotel can offer.
If you’re looking for a more intimate experience,
…and from there, what you do is up to you.
You’re not coming to Colorado to sit around and do nothing. Aurora knows this. Stop in and check out the biking and hiking trails galore, and know that there’s more than enough room — we’re talking 5,000+ acres of open space inside the city limits (that’s 97 developed parks to explore) — to stretch your legs no matter what activity calls your name.
We can’t move on, though, without calling
Just don’t overlook the two awesome lake parks.
Photo: Tim Wenger
Here’s that whole “water” thing popping up again, making Aurora even more awesome.
In a true nod to innovation, you can pedal your way into the park on an e-bike from
All this means you can escape the city and still be within city limits.
Much of Aurora is wide open and undeveloped, meaning you can take part in some legitimate country activities in Colorado’s third-largest city. Case in point: You can get your corn-dog-and-horseback-riding fix at the annual
Next door,
Aurora does craft…
Photo: From the Hip Photo for
Colorado has a definite appetite for craft, and there’s no shortage of caffeine to fuel your outdoor adventures.
Jubilance doesn’t stop after coffee-drinking hours, though (assuming, of course, you put the caffeine down at night). When you care to switch to something a bit stronger, try the legendary Apricot Blonde Ale from
…and the nightlife is legit.
There’s a saying here that “the best way to ruin a powder day is to show up hungover.” Well, Aurora sits at 5,471 feet above sea level, and a night on the town is one of the best ways to acclimate yourself to altitude without heading straight up to the high country.
Part scavenger hunt, part bacchanalian homage to local beer, the
And then there are the clubs. Colorado’s best bands have been rocking the stage at
Above all, this is where Colorado comes together before hitting the mountains.
Photo: Tim Wenger
Ethnic cuisines drawn from time-tested family recipes tell the true story of Aurora, evident from the first bite of milanesa at
Like this:
Over the past 20 years, Aurora has become the essential merging point for everything that makes Colorado tick, a standing lesson in how a city can grow in all the right ways. You’ll thank yourself after you’ve checked it out. And when the call of the Rockies hits, all you’ve gotta do is jump on I-70.
