If you have been following our summer vacation series, you know that there are LOTS of great places to go and things to do very close to us. This week, we'll take a deep dive into another summer adventure: white water rafting!
I love a good day trip and I love to raft! This past Spring Break, we scooped up a Groupon for white water rafting. Colorado is home to great rafting and now that the kiddo is eight years old and a good swimmer, it seemed like the time to check this out. Cañon City is only about 100 miles away from Parker so we decided to make a short overnight trip out of this.
Since this was our son's first trip, we chose the short half-day trip with American Adventure Expeditions. A half-day trip is about three hours long; kids who are at least 6 years old and weigh at least 50 pounds can participate. This portion of the Arkansas River is pretty mild and considered a Class 2 and 3 rapid. The rafting company had great guides who made this first rafting trip fun and very enjoyable! The company also offers full day trips and intermediate/advanced rafting with Class 4 and 5 rapids for kids 14 and over.
My son was excited but also a littler nervous since he did not really know what to expect. He asked, "Is this like Splash Mountain?" Hmmm. A little... but the real thing! The experience was just right — the rapids were not too much and not too little with a lot of floating and a few rapids where we needed to paddle. The trip really gave him a sense of accomplishment. There are lots of deals this year since the snow, and thus the water, were low. The rafting companies get folks on the river by making a deal!
After the rafting trip, we headed back in to town to check in to our hotel and enjoy the pool. We stayed at the locally-owned Hampton Inn – Canon City. The rooms were clean and updated with comfy beds, nice linens, and the must-have coffee pot. The hotel serves a complimentary breakfast with a full array of breakfast items to make everyone happy: hard-boiled eggs, waffles, bagels, cereal, coffee, juice, and fruit.
We ate dinner at Pizza Madness in the downtown area. It was already full on a Friday night and is obviously a favorite with locals and travelers alike. The restaurant is in an older downtown building with lots of timeless character and flair. They have a kids' menu, TVs showing sports, video games to entertain the kids, and more. The food was very good, from the huge family-style salad to a just-right pizza generously topped with cheese, meat, and veggies.
One of the highlights was a visit from a local magician named Marty Wayne, who somehow managed to bend a quarter along with all kinds of great magic! Dessert at Ise Kream and Cophy featured BlueBell Ice cream and all kinds of coffee drinks. There were some nice chairs to relax in, and they even had books and magazines to enjoy while there!
We spent Saturday at the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park. I have rafted through the Gorge but had never crossed the bridge or visited the park. The Bridge is truly a marvel to see. At a height of 1,053 feet, it is the world's highest suspension bridge. How they managed to build this bridge in 1929 without many of the modern tools that we have today is amazing.
There were many attractions to see besides the bridge such as the Tram, Incline Railroad, Shows (Western, Magic and Comedy), the new SkyCoaster (extra cost), the Soaring Eagle Zipline (extra cost), the Carousel, the Petting Zoo, and many hiking trails near the area. You can spend three to four hours or a whole day here, depending on your pace and interests. Cross this one off of our Colorado landmark bucket list!
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In Colorado, we have Macaroni Kid communities from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs! Let Macaroni Kid be your guide to a fun-filled summer and get the insider's scoop to what's going on in various areas throughout Colorado! Visit national.macaronikid.com and check out the other Macaroni Kid newsletters right here in Colorado or across the nation!
