Denver in April

https://www.denver.org/things-to-do/

Hopefully Forum members who live in Denver will reply with ideas.

Personally I liked see the Petroglyphs at Gardens of the Gods.

Try the Brown Palace and maybe have High Tea if it is in your budget. But you can still visit The Brown Palace without High Tea.

https://www.brownpalace.com/dining/restaurants/afternoon-tea/

I was taken to Breckenridge . Beautiful and interesting.

I wonder if you mean you are there today, April 16, 2024?

If you go to Glenwood Springs, you can stay at the Glenwood Hot Springs Resort, which has an enormous hot springs pool directly on the property. I see they have "low" (but some) availability these next few nights:
https://www.hotspringspool.com/gallery

Or you can stay elsewhere and buy Day Pool Passes to use the hot springs pools:
https://reservations.hotspringspool.com/#/ski

It's about 200 miles from the Denver airport, 170 from downtown Denver. Check the weather; snow is common at this time of year.

For a closer hot springs experience, you can go to the Indian Hot Springs in Idaho Springs. That's about 33 miles from downtown Denver.

https://indianhotsprings.com/pool

I lived in Denver for years but no longer do, so I can't comment on current conditions. Generally though, it's too early in the season for driving up mountains. You can check the websites for both Pike Peaks and Rocky Mountain National Park to see what's open and what's closed. Additionally, a day trip west on I-70 is very scenic even if you don't end up going up any mountains. A popular weekend drive for us would be to take the highway as far as Idaho Springs, hang out there for a bit, and then drive back.

I also recommend Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, and closer to Denver, South Valley Park, Roxborough, and other places have the same red rocks type scenery, although not on the scale of Garden of the Gods. I would also recommend looking into the various parks in the Jefferson County Open Space system as all offer nice scenery within an hour's drive of Denver.

As for Denver itself, it's light on sites, with your best bets being the mint, the art museum, and the botanical gardens. Restaurants and coffee shops come and go and I'm 8 years away from my time there so I'll leave those recommendations mostly to someone else. However, definitely check out The Buckhorn Exchange for its old west feel. Also, I still dream about the pizza at Blue Pan Pizza. TONS of breweries and brewpubs though if you like craft beer.

I may be biased, but the Denver Zoo is the best zoo I've visited and I've visited quite a few. You might check out Red Rocks. If you are here today then I would suggest if going to the mountains to do it tomorrow. It's the only day we are not expecting inclement weather this week. Along with that be aware that most rental cars don't have snow tires. You could easily drive up to Estes Park and visit Rocky Mountain National Park. Trail ridge road I don't think is open yet, but you could see some of it and would definitely see lots of elk in Estes Park.

The idea for hot springs in Idaho Springs is a good one, but not sure it's open year round like the one in Glenwood. If you go downtown be sure to pop into Union Station as it was redone a few years ago and is quite nice. Speaking of which if you don't want to drive you could check out taking the train to Glenwood springs.

Right in Denver there are the horticultural gardens and the Molly Brown House. Stop in Leadville with a tour of the mansion there - works well on the way back from Glenwood Springs. Iron Mountain Hot Springs is my favorite in Glenwood Springs. Garden of the Gods is not to be missed.

Red rocks amphitheater, and cute little towns on the way....

We are not too lucky with the weather. We were wondering if we can go to a hot spring in this weather. And where we can go to see some beautiful scenery.

People go to the hot springs in the snow. I have been in very cold weather in November. You can wear a beanie to keep the top of your head warm.

There are some very pretty state parks scattered around the Denver area, including Roxborough which is one of our favorites. Lots of pleasant hiking trails in the midst of some beautiful red rock formations. It's about 40 minutes by car from downtown Denver.

Is Boulder worth visiting. Keep in mind we are here now, in this weather.
And how about Idaho spring

Thanks!!!

A favorite teenage memory is jumping out of the hot springs and into a huge pile of snow, then back into the hot springs.

Those big mountains just west of you have unending scenery. Boulder is a fun college town with a very pretty campus and beautiful views of the Flatirons (the enormous rock formations at the edge of the mountains) from pretty much anywhere in town.

The weather is working against you unfortunately. As soon as you start gaining any elevation in the next couple of days the rain that's forecast for the Denver metro area will be turning to snow and will generally create some pretty crummy driving conditions, especially in a rental which likely isn't properly equipped to handle the slick roads.
The suggestion to consider taking the train to Glenwood Springs is a good one. It's a pretty little town with some very nice spas within a short walk from the train station. Would be worth an overnight if you're flexible.

Thank you for the info!!!

We are in Boulder today. Where can we go for nice mountain views

In Boulder itself, if you can't see them from where you are, drive around town until you can. When we lived just east of the CU campus, we could see them out our living room window.

For the most panoramic views, you have to get back out of town. The most breathtaking views are from US 36, the road you likely used to drive in to Boulder. When you drive back out, you can stop at scenic overlooks to get that view.

Here's a description of a scenic driving loop that will take you back out of town on US 36, away from Boulder, for the views from the mesa:
https://www.bouldercoloradousa.com/things-to-do/scenic-drives-from-boulder/flatirons-vista-scenic-drive/

Thank you all for your help.

We do have a brand new Hyundai suv. With 4 season tires. So we feel comfortable driving this rental

In Denver we enjoyed the Botanical Gardens, the RINO neighborhood, the state capitol, arts district, Molly Brown House, and Union Station. We drove out to Red Rocks amphitheater, which was beautiful. Really liked the display of all the performers who have had concerts there. We visited friends in Fort Collins, and did a one-night trip out to Boulder. We also have done four Denver/Breckenridge trips. Always loved our times in Breckenridge--really enjoyed the town and surrounding country. Over the course of two trips I walked the trail from Breck to Frisco along the river. From there we have also branched out to see Glenwood, Aspen, Vail, and Leadville.

merlin1digi, you just posted the following: "You're going to love Denver in April! If you have extra time, consider visiting Seattle – I did the reverse trip from Seattle to Denver, and it was amazing.

For your Denver trip, definitely drive up to Mount Evans or Pikes Peak for stunning mountain views. Glenwood Springs is perfect for hot springs, though it's a bit of a drive. Check out charming nearby towns like Golden and Boulder."

I just wanted to point out that the road up Mount Evans (which is now called Mount Blue Sky) is not open to traffic in April. Too much snow! It usually doesn't open until Memorial Day. Also, I would not recommend that anyone try to drive to the summit of Pikes Peak until at least late May due to the frequent snow storms in April and May.