Fun Itineraries for Group Meetings in Golden

Golden’s Old West history, thriving arts scene and spectacular Foothills location offer some fun and exciting itineraries before, during and after your meeting. 

Pre-Breakfast Itineraries:

• Meet on the banks of Clear Creek for an early morning run or brisk walk on the Peaks to Plains Trail which stretches 1.75 miles from downtown Golden up into a scenic canyon. 
• Drive four miles to the summit of Lookout Mountain to see the sunrise from Buffalo Bill’s Grave.
• Stage your own “Yoga on the Rocks” or run the stairs at the nearby, world-famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
• Take a hike on the easy trails at the Lookout Mountain Nature Center, where you’ll probably spot deer and elk having their breakfast.
• Cater a breakfast at one of Golden’s rooftop cafes and bars, where you can watch the morning sun illuminate the scenic western buttes around town, including North and South Table Mountains.
• Schedule a morning photography session at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, where trails loop between the scenic rock formations and the early morning light turns the sandstone into a spectrum of brilliant reds.

Lunch Breaks:

• Provide meeting delegates with vouchers and let them choose from the more than 24 restaurants within walking distance in downtown historic Golden. Options include Cajun, pizza, burgers, Chinese, Thai, Italian, Japanese and so much more. 
• Have a picnic in one of the parks along Clear Creek. D’Deli might be the place to cater it; they have both smoked elk and sliced buffalo sandwiches or order a gorgeous charcuterie board from The Cheese Ranch.
• Take a fly-fishing lesson along Clear Creek then visit one of Golden’s restaurants for some Rocky Mountain Trout. 
• Take an historic walking tour of Golden and then have lunch in the building that once served as the first capitol of Colorado Territory. It was a saloon back then…and it still is.
• Visit the American Mountaineering Museum (the only one of its kind with a huge model showing the different routes up Mount Everest) and then dine at the Sherpa House, decorated with photos of the world’s highest mountain. Order a Sherpa beer made at the only brewery in Nepal, a sister brewery to Golden City Brewery, located just around the block. 

Mid-Afternoon Breaks & Team Building Activities:

• Take a tour of Coors Brewery, the largest single-site brewery in the Western Hemisphere and enjoy samples of the beer that Kevin Costner and the cowboys of Yellowstone Ranch always drink.
• Hop on a mountain bike and ride eight miles along the scenic portion of upper Clear Creek Canyon at Maven Gulch. Electric bikes make riding easy for everyone.
• Make the short 24 minute drive to Idaho Springs, the “adrenalin capital of the Front Range,” where you can literally jump off a cliff on a zipline, go rafting on Clear Creek (which offers all stages of white water rafting from beginner to more challenging), pan for gold at an old gold mill or ride horses on old mining trails.
• Travel just two miles to the Colorado Railroad Museum where your group can ride a Galloping Goose – a funny contraption made from a Pierce-Arrow limousine with a bus welded on the back that once actually carried mail over Lizard Head Pass. The museum has indoor and outdoor model railroads and dozens and dozens of locomotives and cars.
• Learn to rock climb with Golden Mountain Guides at North Table Mountain or along gorgeous Clear Creek Canyon. Golden is a mecca for climbing with many options even ice climbing!
• How about going back in time 70 million years to the place where the world’s first dinosaur bones were discovered?  At Dinosaur Ridge you can take guided walking or bus tours, touch dinosaur tracks and learn how the first T-Rex bones were found in Golden, just a few miles away. 
• For a really bold team-building adventure, how about tandem-hang gliding? Golden is the center for hang gliding on the Front Range, and outfitters can take you up Mount Zion where the winds make it possible to sail tandem with experienced hang gliders high above Golden, before landing safely within an easy walk to your downtown hotel. 

Happy Hour Itineraries:

• Nothing could be more relaxing after a day of meetings than an art and distillery tour. The new Foothills Arts Center in downtown Golden (opening in early 2024) is in the historic Astor House Hotel with a new addition that houses the works of Colorado artists and special traveling exhibits. Golden is filled with murals and sculptures depicting the town’s exciting history of cowboys and gold miners and a walking tour of the downtown art can end with a tasting of product from Golden’s two distilleries or eight craft breweries. 
• Speaking of breweries, how about a pub crawl? Golden has outdoor beer gardens, tap houses, wine bars and even saloons, most  are within walking distance of each other. Enjoy the view of Clear Creek Valley from high above at New Terrain, or the foothills from famous Cannonball Creek Brewing Co. Golden brews more beer than any other town in America, so why not end the day with a brew and a view?
• In winter months, head to Red Rocks to see the alpine glow at twilight as the sun sets behind you with the last rays of light shining on the rocks. Or climb up 2,000 feet to the summit of Lookout Mountain where you can watch the sun drop in the west below a line of snow-covered peaks in the distance.
• A shopping break! Historic downtown Golden is lined with art galleries, Native American shops, fashion boutiques and every type of recreation outfitter you can imagine from flyfishing to skiing. Some free time to enjoy the shopping delights of this historic, Western-looking town can be followed with a reception at any of Golden’s downtown hotels…from the Southwestern adobe look of the Table Mountain Inn to the creekside views of the Golden Hotel to the mountain views of the Eddy Taproom & Hotel…all are just a few minutes walk from Golden’s pretty shopping district.
• If your idea of “happy hour” is a relaxing spa treatment, book group pedicures or spa treatments at the Woodhouse Day Spa.

Evening Entertainment:

• Golden’s downtown Buffalo Rose has been the town’s entertainment center for more than 150 years. Even President Ulyssess S. Grant and General Sherman were once entertained in the same building. Today, the concert hall of the Buffalo Rose can seat 250 sitting or 650 standing and has a variety of concerts of national and local groups. 
• Many of Golden’s downtown saloons, bars and breweries have live music at night, and of course, it’s only six miles to Red Rocks Amphitheatre, where there are now more than 170 annual events including concerts, films and yoga. Any meeting that ends at Red Rocks will be the most memorable in your group’s history, and frankly, it’s much easier to get in and out of Red Rocks from Golden than from any other place in Metro Denver.  That’s why Golden’s Origin Hotel is the “official” hotel of Red Rocks Amphitheatre. 
• How about a Casino Night? Golden is only 20 miles from Black Hawk, which has 18 casinos that are open 24 hours a day with 6,303 slot machines, and 202 gaming tables of Black Jack, poker and roulette.  Incredibly, the town of Black Hawk has a population of just 127 people. Of course, there are hotels in Black Hawk, but a fun (and less gambling focused) way to experience this former mining town and current casino center is to stay in the largest close population center (Golden) and make the 34-minute trip to Black Hawk up and back by motorcoach. 
• Golden is home to a newly renovated performing arts center, which has room for private events and offers a delightful schedule of live theater, comedy nights and open mic events. 

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