Golden, CO Outdoor Activities

A year after Scott Kerkmans created the role of Chief Beer Officer for the Four Points by Sheraton hotels, it began to get around that Denver was the "Napa Valley of Beer." As NPR later reports, the rumor is a culmination of a life spent steeped in beer culture. Before creating Colorado Beer Week and beating out more than 7,000 applicants for the title of CBO, Kerkmans was on the production side at Alaskan Brewing Company. He’s since authored articles for Draft Magazine, taught at Cook Street School of Fine Cooking, and judged burped renditions of the Pledge of Allegiance at the Great American Beer Festival. He shares his taste in microbrews with more than 140 hotels and restaurants worldwide through the Four Point's beer program, but keeps his feet planted firmly on his home turf during his nine-day spring festival, which highlights the finest pours from Colorado breweries including New Belgium, Oskar Blues, and Ska Brewing Company.

Diving for more than 30 years, Ron Busch—PADI master instructor and owner of Coral Key Scuba & Travel Center—first decided to share his passion for underwater exploration in 1995 by building a facility that catered to all facets of scuba and snorkeling. Since its construction, the center has been recognized as a PADI five-star training center that offers scuba and snorkeling classes, professional gear, and diving trips to far-off locales such as Isla Mujeres. An avid traveler, Busch entrusts day-to-day duties to the center's manager, a PADI master scuba diver and trainer, Randy Partch, who teaches 22 different diving specialties and boasts certification to repair and service many different brands of scuba equipment and one kind of Xerox machine. Factory-trained technicians populate the center's repair shop, mending, maintaining, and returning equipment back to owners with an average one-week turnaround.

Over the past 20 years, Denver Equestrians owner Corinne M. Lettau has been mastering proper horse training and horse communication while studying under elite professionals such as 1994 Olympic bronze medalist Michelle Gibson. At her 32,000-square-foot equestrian complex, Corinne and a team of talented instructors share their bond with horses by leading students through riding lessons, horsemanship classes, and rider assessments. On large indoor and outdoor arenas, students cover the basics of oat-powered transportation, such as mounting, dismounting, and transitioning from walk to halt. In group classes, students glean horseback know-how alongside up to five other riders. During private lessons, students build upon individual strengths and weaknesses and discuss the advancement of elective hoof surgery for humans.

Established in 1908, Lakeside Amusement Park maintains its turn-of-the-century charm while embracing modern amenities and attractions. An adrenaline-pumping drop tower and a slew of neon-hued, spinning rides contrast the classic joy of a wooden roller coaster, which rises from its perch near the lake. Likewise, a retro silver train transports passengers and vaudevillian apparitions throughout the picturesque grounds.

The all-ages park also comprises Kiddies' Playland, a place where tots can get their fun fix on boats, animal-themed rides, and pint-sized motorcycles. The facility also accommodates large groups with on-site picnic grounds perfect for birthday parties or applesauce fights.

Fifty horses roam the prairies and Rocky Mountain foothills of Chatfield Stables, and dedicated trainers call to each of them by name, having known many of them since they were lanky and awkward foals. Trainers organize an extensive schedule of programs and activities to ensure that all these horses receive healthy amounts of play and exercise. Programs include horse camps for riders as young as seven years old, with activities such as grooming, saddling, and riding. The training team also leads riding and horsemanship lessons, along with leisurely trail rides through miles of forest trails, which follow the Platte River where riders can attempt to test their newfound abilities on river-dwelling seahorses.