What are some of the main tourist attractions in Estes Park?

If you are looking for some fun activities, there is just about everything you can imagine. Rocky Mountain Rush offers some cool jeep rides in a huge 10 passenger jeep, Open Air Adventure Park is a fun ropes course style adventure, and rocky mountain stables offers some great horseback rides.

The biggest attraction is Rocky Mountain National Park, just south of Estes Park. Within the city itself there is a small outdoor amusement park for kids which has slides, go karts, a water ride, mini golf and two arcades. Just east of the amusement park there is a gondola ride you can take up the mountain and there are some beautiful views from the top. You can also purchase peanuts to feed the little ground squirrels while you're up there.

The town itself is really neat and the main strip through town has numerous restaurants, pubs, touristy types of shops, coffee shops, and old fashioned candy and ice cream stores. On the south side of the street, it runs parallel to the river and behind the stores there is a great place to walk and places for the kids to get their feet wet. It's very pretty in some areas and you can get some nice pictures of your group with a lovely background.

Many people also head to Estes Park to see the hotel that gave Stephen King the inspiration to write The Shining. Although the movie was filmed in Great Britain, the outside of The Stanley Hotel is what was used for the basis of the set hotel in the movie. For those who are into this kind of thing, they can stay in the infamous Room 237 from the movie (although King actually stayed in Room 217). Apparently, the room is booked years in advance for Halloween nights as the hotel throws a big Halloween party. You can learn more here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2013/01/24/stanley-hotel-stephen-king-the-shining-estes-park-colorado/1861153/

Overall, I would highly recommend Estes Park to visitors and Coloradans alike. The townsfolk are friendly and there is a lot to do and see. It's a beautiful area with tons of wildlife. Several years back we were just in front of the little park by main street and my son said, "Mommy, look at the moose!" Although it was really an elk, it was literally just inches from our car. Estes Park is a very cool place.