Every year our Federal Defender Office holds a CLE conference in Estes at the Stanley Hotel, typically in October. It’s a neat place, but the last time we were there they were having some sort of building heating issue, with some rooms being really cold and others, like ours, really hot. We ended up sleeping with the windows wide open all night. Good food in their hotel restaurant.
A lot of good thoughts. I’ve lived in the state most of my (long) life. Ruling out Durango/Telluride as too far from Denver, I’d encourage you to consider Breckenridge. Stop above Georgetown on the drive from the airport to ride the Georgetown Loop railroad. The town of Breck has Lots of old Victorian architecture. Breckenridge really does the kid stuff well. Last two years my wife and I have hosted our kids/grandkids there for a week. Tour a “working” gold mine. Fly fishing. Zip lining. Take a ride to the top of the Continental Divide. Rent bikes. Hike. Too much to list.
As. Opted Estes park is pretty cool. Quite touristy but a fun few days. Not sure of pricing but the STANLEY Hotel is what everyone associates with the Shining.
Front range towns like Boulder are super kid friendly and have many local hikes as well.
Not a lot of trains near the front range and I love the SW side but that is too far if coming into Denver. No need to go to Estes and a a ski area town. Ski area towns can be fun in the summer as they do a pretty good job scheduling events.
Looks like we’ll be spending a week or so in Estes Park this summer. Any suggestions?
Get ready for crowds. All the National Park areas are packed.
I served some folks at the winery today that told me Arches closed their gates at 7:30am. They were full. Ditto for Canyonlands and Zion. Rocky Mountain NP is likely to be the same.
We are watching the RM NP website religiously to get passes.
Prior to the pandemic, our Colorado/Wyoming Federal Defender Office and Criminal Justice Panel would hold its annual continuing legal education seminar in Estes. Last one held was November 2019. My daughter and I ate at a few of the restaurants but hands down the best deal was at this tiny little place named Ed’s Cantina & Grill. I just checked and it’s still in operation.
https://www.edscantina.com/menu
Nothing fancy, but really solid Mexican food. We both had the tres enchiladas and they were excellent, and cheap. We’ve talked about going back there, next time we are in Estes Park.
We did a fancier meal with some friends at “SEASONED - An American Bistro” and the food was good, but it’s much pricier.
We stay at the Stanley every year of the seminar, as that is where the block of rooms are booked. So, invariably, we eat a meal or two at their restaurant. For lunch, their burgers are good. Dinner also typically is good, and not as pricy as Seasoned. My son-in-law says really good things about the Stanley’s whiskey bar/selection.
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RE: The Stanley-yes, the bar and whiskey selection is amazing! It’s really a great place to unwind-love the old style interior and design.
See, or sense any paranormal activity while staying there? 
Spent a few days in Breck and Vail last weekend. Great hiking and sightseeing in both. Breck Main street had a good crowd but the mountain was wide open outside of some of the summer attractions. Restaurants were doing fine and we got a reservation at every spot we wanted.