Aer Lingus FAM: A Road Trip from Denver: Red Rocks & Fort Collins

ITTN’s Katie Doyle joined the Aer Lingus fam trip to Denver over the weekend.

Ivan Beacom from Aer Lingus led the group that also included Linda Ryan (Click and Go Holidays), Caoimhe Miley (American Holidays), Lorraine Kenny (Sunway), Leah Adams (Travel Solutions Belfast), Aileen Clancy (Cassidy’s) and Roger Barrett, from Travel Counsellors. Aer Lingus operates from Dublin to Denver four days per week (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays) onboard an Airbus A330 aircraft. The 9-hour, 50-minute flight lands visitors into the centre of Denver – a gateway into the diverse state of Colorado.

On Friday, after two wonderful nights in Denver, the group headed off on a bus charter from the city. Chauffeured by driver Annette, this premier company – Hermes Worldwide – operates private luxury ground transportation for hotel guests and groups of any size around the world. As they headed out of Denver towards the rolling hills of the Rockies, their first stop was the Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

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Just a twenty-minute drive from Colorado’s capital, this spectacular area hosts a collection of outdoor trails and a world-class music venue. At 6,450 feet above sea level, Red Rocks Park is a unique transitional zone where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains. On the way off the highway, the first stop is Dinosaur Ridge: a world-renowned outdoor museum and National Natural Landmark that features over 250 in-situ dinosaur tracks and famous Jurassic-era bone discoveries, making it widely ranked as the top dinosaur track site in North America. Here, visitors can access tours, exhibits, trails and visitor information to learn more about how these fossils were discovered, including the very first Stegosaurus fossils!

As the group continued up the winding road they began to see the massive, 280-million-year-old sandstone outcroppings that are orange and red against the bright blue sky of Colorado state that make up the surroundings of the Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre. The area is popular for hiking and walking trails where you can see plants, birds and animals of a variety of species. The area was a traditional territory of the Ute, Cheyenne and Arapahoe Peoples – among 48 contemporary tribal nations that have had their historic presence in the state. The area began to transform in 1936 when Denver Mayor Benjamin Franklin Stapleton received approval to build the Amphitheatre. Today, it stands as a unique venue as the only naturally-occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheatre in the world. From Sting and The Beatles to opera stars and U2, every artist aspires to play on this magical stage and most have: in 2025 alone over 1.75 million fans paid to attend 236 events hosted in this beautiful spot.

For tourists to the area checking out what to do – seeing a performance here is a must: you can check upcoming gigs and events at https://www.redrocksonline.com/. Some notable upcoming gigs include The Strokes, Hilary Duff and Sombr in July of this year, while other events like Film on the Rocks features Jurassic Park played in the arena in August, and events like Yoga on the Rocks happen regularly.

Fort Collins is most known for being the inspiration for Disneyland’s Main Street USA – the creator of the street, Harper Goff, grew up in the town and modelled the famous attraction around a variety of buildings in the Main Street. The Parks and Recreations department pays homage to this inspiration where their famous floral displays host over 40,000 flowers spanning hundreds of species every summer – some in the town are even designed to reflect a Disney theme in their colouring.

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The top places to stay in Fort Collins include Marriott Bonvoy’s Elizabeth Hotel, part of the Autograph Collection, where the Aer Lingus fam stayed over the weekend. The hotel takes on a music theme across the hotel including a guitar display in the lobby, the Instrument Lending Library and a vinyl record player in every room with records on each floor for guests’ perusal. The hotel offers an American brasserie with a diverse menu offering, the Magic Rate Live Music venue hosted adjacent to the hotel features music from both local and big name artists, alongside the Sunset Lounge – an open-air rooftop patio that serves an array of signature cocktails, wines and beers. With 164 guest rooms – including 3 signature suites – The Elizabeth is just a few minutes stroll from downtown, past beautiful murals and into the heart of Fort Collins’ culture.

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Every third Friday of the month, Fort Collins hosts a free Foodie Walk – a self-guided walking tour celebrating the local culinary culture and thriving foodie scene. Led by Abbie Davidson of Visit Fort Collins, the Aer Lingus fam trip tried samples from The Hot Sauce Realm, Happy Lucky’s Teahouse, The Welsh Rabbit Cheese Shop and more! From olive oil popcorn to pea-cake, cocoa beans, spicy noodles, chilli and more – each shop and café offers something unique with heavy discounts on their products for this one Friday of the month!

In the town of Fort Collins – the unique boutiques, shops and restaurants give a quintessential feeling of relaxed living: everyone dresses casually, and the people you come across are welcoming to tourists. There are plenty of souvenir shops and ice-cream parlours, bookshops and LGTBQ+ stores that operate year-round but were particularly celebratory as Pride Month finishes off at the end of June. The population seems to be booming here, with babies and families strolling in the daytime heat, and all spots are dog-friendly meaning there are pups lounging at ever corner. With the group of eight participants on the Aer Lingus fam trip – everyone agreed that if it weren’t for life’s responsibilities, they could all certainly see themselves living in the town!

Fort Collins is not just a place for shopping and dining – the town is renowned for its breweries, enjoyed locally by residents and a huge draw for out-of-town visitors. There are more than 20 breweries across the town, offering a variety of beers and atmospheres from cosy indoor spaces to sprawling beer gardens. The history of alcohol consumption in the town is compelling and provides an interesting backstory for the tours now on offer. Although prohibition across the United States ended in December 1933, Fort Collins had banned the sale of alcohol until – incredibly – 1969 when university students in the town started a movement to abolish the law that had survived thirty-years beyond the standard across the country. Since then, the beer industry has boomed and stands as a huge attraction for ‘hopheads’ every year. Every June, the town hosts a beer festival, and one of three nationwide bike promenades takes place in August annually. Tour de Fat features the world’s biggest costumed bike parade followed by an afternoon of beers, live music and quirky contests.

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For visitors to Fort Collins a must-do is Bier Touren Colorado – which the Aer Lingus Fam trip was more than happy to participate in! Led by Daniel, the group climbed aboard a six-wheeled Swiss Pinzgauer – a one-of-a-kind adventure vehicle where they were brought to two key breweries in the town for curated tastings and insider beer knowledge. The duration of the tour is 4 hours and plenty of beer is included – the majority of tourists never get around to using all their tokens – included in the price is a hearty-dinner entrée at a partner restaurant and you can even purchase beer to bring onboard the truck as you drive across the town to its outer limits! Prices start at $99 per person for a Founding Rider Special rate and more information can be found at www.btcolorado.com.

On their Bier Touren of Colorado, the group stopped at Odell Brewing, a family founded brewery that dates back to 1989 that now runs a 10-barrel pilot brewhouse just outside of town. There is a huge selection of beers to choose from and a lovely beer garden with shaded spots to enjoy the crisp ales under the Colorado sun. Like all other places across the US – no matter if you’re 21 or 51 – ID is essential. For Irish visitors, you can use your passport or driver’s license as both are accepted. On their tasting of the beer tour, the Aer Lingus fam also visited Stodgy Brewing Company – a brewery and taproom in Northwest For Collins that’s focused on excellent beer with Colorado grown ingredients. The building has been reclaimed from a variety of operations over the years (it was once a furniture company and a hot-tub showroom) and now its rustic charm evident in its wooden façade peeking out of the greenery backdrop hosts a spacious outdoor patio and cozy indoor seating.

For those looking to get out and about in Fort Collins in a non-alcoholic way there are also plenty of things to do for the adventurous types. There are 50 parks and 280-plus miles of trails including paved and unpaved walking and biking trails, it’s home to four recreational centres and swimming pools, three public golf courses, a racquet sport complex, two sheets of ice for organized hockey games as well as free skating, a skateboard park, and off-leash dog parks. There are also camping, hiking, fishing, rafting, stand up paddling, kayaking options and birdwatching, horseback riding, golfing and hot air balloon rides. During the winter season visitors can enjoy outdoor adventures such as snowshoeing (walking across deep snow), fat biking (off-road biking with oversized tires) and cross-country skiing. Find out more at https://www.visitftcollins.com/things-to-do/outdoors/

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On Saturday morning, the Aer Lingus fam was introduced to some of what Fort Collins offered but first they enjoyed a glorious outdoor breakfast prepared by Mod Picnic Co. who creates luxury pop-up picnic experiences across Colorado – “thoughtfully styled, fully set up, and completely stress-free: from romantic proposal picnics and anniversary celebrations to bachelorette parties, birthdays, and winery experiences”. The group sat down on the banks of one of Fort Collin’s many lakes and stretching ponds and enjoyed a range of sweet treats, breakfast burritos, cold brews and orange juices. The breakfast table was adorned with tablecloths and tall-stemmed glasses, fresh fruit and locally sourced ingredients – it was ready and waiting for them on arrival and then once they were finished, the team returned to clean up the mess – a perfect breakfast experience! Find out more at https://www.modpicnic.co/

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After breakfast, it was time for the group to experience a Fort Collins’ outdoor adventure as they mounted electric bikes for a guided eBike tour. The company that supplied the bikes is Pedego Fort Collins – a locally-owned store who are the region’s foremost electric bike experts offering sales, rentals, accessories, and services. What stood out to Katie here was the attention to detail: she had been wondering why she had to give her height before departure and soon found out why! Each bike was ready and waiting for the group with a nametag on every bike: they had been customised to the height of each participant beforehand so there was no finicking around with raising or lowering seats or fighting over who got which bike!

As a tentative bike-rider who had never used an electric ebike before, there was a bit of apprehension from Katie about how she would fair. There was an introduction to the ebike before they took off and as they sailed past ponds and meadows, under bridges, and onto the main roads – that have generous bike lanes – the whole group (including Katie) were having such fun they didn’t want the tour to stop! They even had time to stop at CSU’s Flower Trial Gardens – where students and researchers evaluate horticultural research to find out which flowers bloom best in this Colorado climate and why. Across the road is the University Center for the Arts – which feature a mix of student, alumni, and contemporary artists. Andy Warhol came through the town in the 1981 and left a lasting pop art legacy on campus, and the centre regularly exhibits his work and permanently houses significant donations of his art!

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For food in Fort Collins, the group were lucky enough to eat at Ginger and Baker on their first night- this old grain mill offers coffee and freshly baked pies in their downstairs Market & Bakery while upstairs The Cache brings farm-to-table dining with American classics and a wine menu that has over 130 wines. The group enjoyed lovely seafood – which is on offer across the town – alongside steaks, burgers and pastas. The restaurant also hosts a Teaching Kitchen – where guests can take a class on cooking, beer or whiskey tastings, art and more! For lunch, there are a variety of offerings around Fort Collins – the group enjoyed a tasty meal at Maida Trattoria that offers a variety of handmade pastas, flatbread pizzas and creative cocktails!

A big thank you to Abbie Davidson of Fort Collins for her warm welcome, as the group headed to their next stop in Estes Park, they were already planning their next trip back! If you’re thinking of creating an itinerary for your customers or eager to learn more for your own holiday to Fort Collins you can find out more here: https://www.visitftcollins.com/