Summer Lovin'

Take it from someone who's walked through at least six dozen houses with her boyfriend in recent weeks: Touring homes can be romantic. There's a daydream quality that comes with imagining what your lives might look like against a host of different backdrops — especially before you do the math, when the possibilities are still endless.

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More About

• Jim Czupor
• Cherokee Trail High School

Thus it make sense that the Parade of Homes would stay open one hour later for Friday Night Date Night. "The number-one reason people go to the parade is for ideas," says spokesman Jim Czupor. "They like to see how homes are decorated, how homes flow in terms of design. They can get ideas for furniture, how to create outdoor living spaces. Or start to think about what they want their next house to look like."

This year's parade is at Southshore, a new development overlooking the Aurora Reservoir. The homes feature amenities such as a bedroom waterfall, rooftop observatory, widow's walk and a three-story gazebo overlooking a pool with a swim-up bar. Whether you come to picture that dream home or just gawk at the extravagance, it could make for a sweet sunset walk.

Southshore is near E-470 and Smoky Hill Road, past Cherokee Trail High School. The Parade of Homes is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily (9 p.m. Fridays for date night). Tickets are $8 to $12; for more information, visit www.paradeofhomesdenver.com.
Saturdays, Sundays, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; Mondays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Mon., Sept. 1, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Starts: July 26. Continues through Sept. 1, 2008