The online travel guide Travel Lemming publishes an annual list of “150 Best Things to Do in the USA This Summer” based on recommendations and votes from actual humans, not AI.  Their motto is, “We make travel guides by humans, for humans.”  Travel Lemming touts more than 10 million annual readers.

This year’s list spans the vastness of our great country, from the wilds of Alaska to the culture of Puerto Rico and includes an immense array of activities and experiences.

Destinations and events from Colorado make the 2023 list six times, including the number one spot at the top of the list: The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg.  Located about an hour north and east of Castle Pines, The Wild Animal Sanctuary features an elevated walkway for human guests to safely view the wild animals below.  The walkway is more than a mile and a half long, covering a fraction of the 1,214-acre site but offering views of many of the 350 animals cared for at the sanctuary.

 

 

Wineries near Paonia in the North Fork Valley of Colorado are some of the highest elevation vineyards in North America.  Sipping Riesling and Gewurztraminer wines at the base of the West Elk Mountains produced in this unique grape-growing region is number 17 on the Travel Lemming list.

Hiking St. Mary’s Glacier is the 82nd pick.  The semi-permanent snowfield near Idaho Springs is accessed by a moderate 1.2-mile hike (out and back 2.4 miles).  The trail is popular for hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.  Leashed dogs are welcome.

Number 98 on the list is riding the Alpine Slide at Breckenridge.  Riders take the chairlift up the mountain while enjoying the summer scenery and then zip back down on personal sleds.  The slide carts top out at 25 miles per hour but come equipped with a manual brake so the rider can adjust the speed on the way down.  Breckenridge has three parallel slides, each 2,600 feet long.

Eco-minded tourists can enjoy the Cottonwood Hot Springs in Buena Vista, ranked number 122 on the 2023 list.  Travel Lemming describes: “Cottonwood Hot Springs is a mellow alternative to resort-style hot springs in Colorado.  The five pools vary in temperature from 80 to 104 degrees.  There’s also a sauna and a ladder into Cottonwood Creek if you want a really cold plunge!  Wind turbines, solar arrays, and natural water treatments make the lodge eco-friendly and keep focus on enjoying the beautiful habitat.  You won’t find TVs in the rooms, and you likely won’t get a cell signal.  But you will get a quiet, relaxing stay surrounded by the stunning Collegiate Peaks.”

Savoring a burger at Denver’s Cherry Cricket rounds out Colorado’s contribution to Travel Lemming’s 2023 list at number 138.  The Cherry Cricket has been a burger bar and Denver staple since 1945.  Affectionately known as “the black sheep of Cherry Creek,” the Cherry Cricket has earned local and national burger acclaim.  A second location near Coors Field opened in 2018, and another location is opening soon in Littleton.