Colorado Chautauqua Association

Description:

• During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, more than 400 Chautauquas -- adult education and cultural entertainment centers -- sprang up around the United States. This 26-acre park, a peaceful world apart at the foot of the Flatiron Mountains, is one of the few remaining and a National Historic Landmark. In summer, it hosts a wide-ranging arts program, including the Colorado Music Festival.

  Lodging is in attractive cottages and in rooms and apartments in two historic lodges. All units were outfitted with new furnishings in recent years and come with linens and towels. They have balconies or porches, and either private or shared kitchens. The trim and tidy cottages range from efficiencies to three-bedroom, two-bathroom units. Larger groups might take the newly restored Mission House, which has eight bedrooms, a kitchen, and a screened-in porch and rents for $1,143 a night. From September to May, many cottages and apartments are rented by the month or longer, but nightly accommodations are generally available.

  Guests have access to the park's playgrounds, picnic grounds, and hiking trail heads. The historic Chautauqua Dining Hall, which opened on July 4th, 1898, serves three moderately priced meals a day year-round.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010