It's a Date: Great Views and Mountaintop Aprés at Winter Park Resort

Going on dates is a good way to get more intimate with Colorado...and your date, of course. For this week's "It's a Date," a feature in which Westword staffers help readers plan a date in and around Denver, we respond to a request from Behnam, whose date recently moved here from Tennessee and is hoping to get more intimate with the Denver scene and Colorado in general.

"We both own our event service business, and LOVE to get out," Behnam writes, adding that their budget is $350-$600 and that the two love shows, eating out, festivals, traveling and sports.

We came up with a timely date that will take you out of town, Benham, but for a more low-key date you can schedule anytime in Denver, check last week's "It's a Date" or another from earlier this month.
Hop Aboard the Winter Park Express While You Still Can
The Winter Park Express runs through March 31. Thanks to a subsidy from Colorado's rental-car fees, one-way fares from Denver's Union Station to Winter Park Resort — which is owned by Denver — start at $19. Once onboard, relax in the reclining seats and gaze out the big windows for beautiful panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains. There's café service upstairs and snacks and drinks for sale downstairs.

Eat at the Sunspot Mountaintop Lodge
160 Sunspot Way, Winter Park
Once you arrive at the resort, you have few options beyond skiing, including touring in a snowcat. Sunspot Mountaintop Lodge is accessible without a lift ticket, and non-skiers are welcome to enjoy its live music and après-ski cocktails on select Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 4 to 8 p.m. through April 5. The Lodge is located at the top of the gondola, offering panoramic views of the Continental Divide and dining at 10,700 feet.
Enjoy Those Mountaintop Après
Down at the base, Mountaintop Aprés at Winter Park includes food and drink specials, great views and live music. The remaining music schedule for March includes Andy Straus and Alex Johnstone on Thursday, March 27, Hunker Down Trio on Friday, March 28, and The Copper Children on Saturday, March 29.
Celebrate Your Return to Denver With a Drink at the Cooper Lounge
Denver Union Station, 1701 Wynkoop Street
Once you return from the mountains, stop at the glamorous Cooper Lounge inside Union Station's Great Hall to finish off the night. Paying homage to the era of chic cocktail lounges, the Cooper Lounge provides swanky cocktail options like the Silk Road Fizz, Cloven Heart and Open-Shut Case (check the menu details to learn what those even are). The lights around Union Station are always dazzling at night, and you will get to enjoy that romantic view from the soaring windows around Cooper Lounge. If you're feeling particularly flush, book a room at the Crawford Hotel.

Would you like us to plan an itinerary for your next date? Send a note with your price range, general interests and location preferences to It's a Date at [email protected].