I don’t know about you, but for me Christmas has been crazier this year than ever! I’m sure it’s not a surprise after the crazy year we’ve had. And although it’s been anything but “normal” this year, I still wanted to do some Christmas-y things, and enjoy the holidays safely. Luckily, I was able to find a few Christmas activities to do that were magical and felt safe. Here’s what we did this year and a few ideas that we didn’t get to check out, but maybe you can!
Loveland Light Trail
This one is great, especially if you are in northern Colorado. And the best part is that 9 out of 10 of the spots on the trail are FREE! You can find the Loveland Light Trail Map on the Visit Loveland website here. We tried finding it at local hotels like they said online, but the hotel we stopped at did not seem to have a map this year, so your best bet is online. On this Light Trail, you get to drive around Loveland and experience some magical Christmas lights and decorations in different areas of Loveland. It was so neat! And a great family adventure. Not to mention, one you don’t have to drop a ton of cash to do.
Our first stop was the Winter Wonderlights. A must see!! Held in a park behind the shops of Centerra, this stop features a 30 minute light show to all kinds of Christmas music. It’s pretty spectacular and a great show! You’ll want to for sure bring your mask for this one, especially on the weekend. Expect it to be crowded! We took our masks off for a quick picture, but they went right back on after because there were tons of people. If you want to avoid the crowds, I recommend going on a weeknight.
Winter Wonderlights is open from 5pm – 9pm starting November 14th all the way through January 1, 2021 at Chapungu Sculpture Park. They also encourage people to bring canned food to benefit the Food Bank of Larimer County. There was a spot by the entrance to drop off the food. For more info on Winter Wonderlights check out the website here.
We were able to drive through and see the lights for stop #3 at the Promenade Shops of Centerra on the way in and out from the Wonderlights, so that’s a bonus. Next we headed over to the Outlets of Loveland to see the 12 Days of Christmas display. It’s not huge by any means, but it’s cute and worth a drive by at least.
We also made a stop downtown for #7 to see the Christmas tree. We didn’t stay very long here. But we did walk down the street to see all the lights strung across the road and to get a good look at the beautiful tree.
And my favorite stop downtown that made the trip even better… Mary’s Mountain Cookies. We saw this little shop on the way to the tree and HAD to get some cookies on the way back. And they were delicious! And so big and gooey. Totally worth all the calories. So I definitely recommend a stop here if you’re in Downtown Loveland.
The last stop we hit on the Light Trail was the Loveland Visitor’s Center. It’s a quick stop where they have the “LOVE” sign lit up in red and green. We even learned more about The Love Lock Sculpture where you can buy a lock, engrave it and lock it onto the back of the statue to signify the love you have for your family, or loved ones. It’s pretty cool, and you can learn more about it here.
There is also a fun, family game where you can hunt for gnomes at each of the stops. Find all the gnomes and you get to collect a prize and are entered to win one of the Grand Prizes. Check out the info here.
That’s it! Visit all the stops or some of the stops on the Loveland Light Trail. It’s up to you, but you’re sure to have a great time!
Gaylord Rockies
This next one will cost you a chunk of change, but it was so worth it! The first must do activity at the Gaylord Rockies is their Christmas exhibit, “I Love Christmas Movies!” It’s a HUGE 17,000 sq. foot exhibit where you walk though scenes from your favorite Christmas movies. You’ll have a guide that will escort you and your small group through the exhibit where they will talk you through all the scenes. It’s very well done and fun for the whole family. My husband and I did it and were in a group with three other adults, and we had a blast even without any children.
Not to give everything away, but here are some peeks at what you’ll see in the exhibit. They have scenes from Elf, The Polar Express, A Christmas Story, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and The Year Without Santa Claus. There are tons of surprises along the way. And let’s just say, my husband, Marcus, got to be Clark Griswold and light up something special too.
Just note, you MUST wear your mask at all times while in the exhibit. You cannot take it off even for pictures. They have these markers all throughout the exhibit to help keep you distanced from other people not in your group. We felt very safe in this exhibit.
It takes about 20 – 25 minutes to get through the exhibit, but definitely worth every penny. This exhibit is open through January 3rd, and you can buy tickets here. Pricing starts at $14 per child (ages 4 -11) and $25 for adults and children 12+. You’ll need to buy tickets for a specific time slot also. Here’s the link to buy tickets for the “I Love Christmas Movies” exhibit.
There is also a small Christmas Village with snacks, some shopping, Build-A-Bear, pictures with Santa and more!
There are several other paid activities to explore, but the other one we did was the tubing. You’ll get a clean tube that you will use the whole time you’re tubing. Once you’re done, you put it in the used tube section where they’ll clean it. Unlike the movie exhibit, you can tube as many times as you want on the day of your ticket use. Tickets for tubing are $18 per person and can be bought here. Honestly, if we hadn’t bought tickets ahead of time, we probably wouldn’t have gone tubing. Don’t get me wrong, it was super fun! But we had no idea the extent of all the other activities there were also. We had fun tubing, but we would have had a totally great time without it too. Just food for thought.
And speaking of food, even though indoor dining isn’t allowed right now, Gaylord Rockies luckily is able to still make it happen – kind of. You can place to-go orders from the restaurants in the hotel and then you can eat in one of the lounges or tables they have set out. And worry not, the bars are open! I repeat, the bars are open! And they are everywhere. Don’t worry, you can grab a nice glass (okay they serve it in a cup) of wine or a cold beer while the kids are tubing or skating or whatever.
Make sure you check out all the Christmas and holiday decor around the hotel itself. The tree in the main area is beautiful.
There is so much to see inside and outside the hotel. There is a trail of lights behind the hotel that you need to check out once the sun goes down.
Like I said, there is so much to explore at Gaylord Rockies. We didn’t even do half of the activities they had. Make sure to check out their website here for more information and tickets on other activities like ice skating, ice bumper cars, a scavenger hunt and more.
If possible, I recommend going on a weekday when it’s less crowded. We went on a Monday, and it was great because we got to avoid the crowds.
Christmas in Color Drive Thru Light Show
The last Christmas activity we did was the Christmas in Color drive thru lights at Waterworld. This event is truly about as socially distant as you can get. You’re not even allowed out of the car on the property. You’ll drive through millions of twinkly holiday lights synced to music; they’ll tell you which station to use. There are so many trees, colored tunnels and singing snowmen, you’ll have a great time. Pack some hot chocolate and snacks for the kids (and yourself).
There are 6 Christmas in Color locations throughout the US, two of which are in Colorado, one in Morrison, CO and one in Federal Heights, CO. Christmas in Color will be up until January 3, 2021. Tickets are $30 per car (but with tax and fee, ends up around $35). You’ll have to pick a time slot when you buy a ticket. Make sure you arrive on time. Since the music is synced to the lights you’ll need to go in with the rest of the other cars who have the same time slot so you can see the whole show. Link for tickets here! Since you only need one ticket per car, this is a great activity for a family or group. With just my husband and I, $35 felt like a lot for what we got. But with a family, $35 is completely worth the trip.
Hopefully this helped you get some ideas for what you and your family can do this holiday season for fun, while still staying safe. There are a few more ideas listed below of other places for Christmas fun around Denver and northern Colorado that we haven’t explored yet, but look great! I hope you get to have some fun this holiday season, and have a Merry Christmas!
Here Are a Few More Christmas Ideas
Blossoms of Light – Denver Botanic Gardens
Trail of Lights – Denver Botanic Gardens
Virtual Visit with Santa – Fort Collins Santa’s Workshop