Things To Do In Parker

Owner and senior wine instructor Dani Cross created VinBoutique with a mission to introduce palates to the best French wines. A certified level-III sommelier, Cross personally travels to France to hand-pick vintages from small production companies and develop relationships with local vintners, ensuring her customers enjoy a collection of reds, whites, and bubbly that is exceptional not just in craftsmanship and taste, but also in value. "By tasting my wines, you can actually hone your palate way quicker because [the wines are] technically correct" in the way they are selected, shipped, and stored, she says. "If you're not tasting something that's proper, you won't know what chardonnay is supposed to taste like."

A strong belief that wine should be enjoyed and shared with others inspires VinBoutique's tasting classes, where Cross and other wine experts share insights into different varietals, food pairings, and wine-making techniques. Using an approach designed to be both fun and unintimidating, Cross also includes a question-and-answer section, as well as easy-to-follow tasting notes, making her classes accessible to everyone from the casual wine fan to the connoisseur who can uncork a bottle using only their mind. As Dani continued to try new wines and savor her favorite French vintages, she became dismayed. Often, the wines she bought had been stored improperly or for too long, destroying the bouquets and noses that she loved. "Born of frustration, I decided to start my own [wine boutique]." And thus she curated a selection of French wines for VinBoutique. "By tasting my wines, you can actually hone your palate way quicker because [the wines are] technically correct" in the way they are selected, shipped, and stored, she says. "If you're not tasting something that's proper, you won't know what chardonnay is supposed to taste like."

In addition to bottles of red, white, and bubbly, Dani and a team of instructors offer wine classes suitable for everyone from the casual wine fan to the connoisseur who can uncork a bottle using only their mind. Each class comes with notes and take-home materials, and is taught by a teacher who can both go into great technical detail or give thorough overviews so that student's don’t "get cross-eyed."

For nearly 60 years, the Arapahoe Philharmonic has played the classical music of historical composers and modern musicians to audiences around Denver. The orchestra's Spring Pops Gala will feature the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein, the American songwriting duo whose musicals, including The Sound of Music and The King and I, have won a slew of Tony, Oscar, and Grammy awards. VIP ticket holders can slip in early for a Two Rivers wine tasting at 6:00 p.m., enjoying sips of vino and a variety of hors d’oeuvres. Curiosity-seekers can caravan a short safari through the animal- and plant-life exhibits of The Wildlife Experience museum, taking care to park impatient camels outside the venue before settling back into the reserved-seating area for a sonic adventure with the orchestra.

Jessica Pickering brings more than 12 years of horse-showing experience to each hunter, jumper, and eventing lesson she conducts. Using the tenets of dressage as an overarching theme, Jessica starts students off with flat lessons that focus on horizontal riding techniques before moving on to vertical jumps and activating the horse wings for aerial flights. Once students are comfortable galloping with their steed, they can begin jumping and competing. Each class takes place on the saddles of Venus and Miss Roulette, two highly trained horses that are great for beginners and kids.

Sgt. Peppers Photography Studio employs the art of portraiture to capture personalities. High-school seniors strike poses in the Littleton location's contemporary indoor area or in the awe-inspiring flora of a private garden. On-location shoots backdrop family portraits—ideal for sending out with annual Groundhog Day cards—with the crystalline waters of Chatfield Lake and the Platte River or rocky faces of Castlewood Canyon. The seasoned snapshot wranglers consult with clients beforehand to hammer out every detail of the shoot, from flattering garb to complementary color schemes. Staffers also channel their expertise into photography classes that build up students' repertoire of info about readying workstations, tweaking preferences, and cropping out blurred high-speed car chases from the backgrounds of engagement photos.

Like an orchestra director using a homemade candle for a baton, Carmen Daumer conducts craft-making classes covering paper art, book folding, and coffee and tea. With only a few types of materials, a whole world of creation opens up—paper flowers, transformed mason jars, and folding arts outside of origami.

A relaxing trip to Colorado's high country is disarmingly full of nature's beauty. The scene is replete with birdsong cascading from the skies, trees rustling gently in the breeze, and the roar of a V10 engine and its 500 horsepower screaming from a pearl yellow Lamborghini Gallardo as it rips shreds through time and space.

That's a scene most familiar to Exotic Drives of Denver, which sends its customers swooping and soaring around curves behind the wheels of exotic cars. Along with the pearl-yellow Lamborghini, the company's fleet walks tall with a Ferrari and three Porsches whose motors purr in harmony to classic barbershop quartet songs after the last mechanic leaves for the night. Four routes—ranging from 11 miles to nearly 50 miles—give drivers plenty of opportunity to zip around different neighborhoods, including Denver's southeast metro area and the rural roads of Douglas County.