Colorado, the ski center of the West, offers just as large a smorgasbord of outdoors activities in the summer as it does in the winter. When summer was in full swing in August of 2002, we featured the state for its bounty of activities, including white-water rafting, mountain biking and hot-air ballooning. The resort town of Vail boasted gondola rides, fly fishing, golfing and wildlife tours that provided the perfect way to take a fresh breath of Rocky Mountain air. (See the full article here.) Eight years later, we're excited to see Colorado continue to reach Mile-High peaks.
In 2010 alone, cities throughout the Centennial State hit new records. Lost Valley Ranch in Deckers was voted among the Top 10 Family Vacation Destinations, and Golden made the top three of the country's Top 10 Brewery Tours. Denver, the Mile High City, was ranked among the Top 10 Dog-Friendly Regions and Top 10 Best Cities for Watching Baseball, as well as one of the nation's 10 least stressed cities.
This spring we featured The Spa at Vail Mountain Lodge among our picks for Ski Resort Spas and counted two Colorado towns among our top five for spring skiing. Then, we watched this fall as ski resorts such as Crested Butte Mountain Resort, One Ski Hill Place and Winter Park opened up to crowds of winter skiiers. Off the slopes, Beaver Creek's restaurant, 8100, was recognized as one of the best restaurants of 2009, while further down (literally), one mile above sea level, Denver welcomed Four Seasons Denver and Embassy Suites.
As we celebrate our 80th anniversary, we're taking a look at what was happening in the industry in the past and asking agents to share their thoughts on what has changed in the industry in the present. Please share your thoughts by posting a comment below, writing us at our Facebook page, sending a tweet to our Twitter page or by engaging in a discussion in real time at AgentNation (the only social community online for all kinds of travel agents, which certainly wasn't around 80 years ago). We want to hear from you.
And while you're here, learn more about how we're celebrating eight decades of covering the travel industry for travel professionals.