New Park is Ready for you in Highlands Ranch

I love all the parks, trails and wonderful outdoor amenities provided in Highlands Ranch. It is one of the reasons I really enjoy living here and so do thousands of others.  The Highlands Ranch Metro District takes such care and pride in providing outstanding amenities, and the newest addition is well underway and should be a true gem!

The Fly’N B Park in the very west side of the ranch is almost ready. The plans for development of the area have been underway for quite some time, and the physical development is close to complete, for the most part. IN fact, when I first heard about the development at Fly ‘N Bee Ranch, I wrote about it.  The Fly’N B Park is a
|hidden getaway tucked in along the Highline Canal Trail and just adjacent to the Windcrest Development along C470 and Santa Fe.

There are crushed gravel trails that loop around the park which are easy to walk along and plenty of trees and shade for the hot summer days.  Bring a picnic lunch and your fishing poles!  The park has many tables to sit and relax as well as a covered picnic shelter and fishing dock, complete with outdoor grills.  Never fear, there is a permanent port a potty as well!

Highlands Ranch has done another awesome job of developing a hidden treasure for folks to get out and enjoy. At this time, there is still part of the park to complete and I don’t know if the pond is stocked, but once it is all finished it will be great.  You can still visit and enjoy the park at this time as well as the incredible views from the trails on the west side of the park.

If you live in Highlands Ranch or you may be considering living here, this community has a lot to offer and I would love to help you discover it.  Give me a call or email and let me know how I can help.

Last night from my home in Highlands Ranch I could see a red glow as I looked upon the foothills, it was the Indian Gulch Fire near Golden.  I wasn’t able to get a picture, my camera with the zoom lens had a dead battery.

Today the winds have been brutal most of the day and the fire has now grown, causing evacuations in Golden Gate Canyon to about 100 homes from what I am hearing on the news and twitter streams.

I just shot this photo from my back deck around 4pm, now that the battery is charged, I am not super close, about 20 or 25 miles -  but close enough to see this with a decent zoom.  The smoke can be seen from all over the Denver metro area.  I suspect unless the winds die down pronto that tonight I will see the red glow once again.  It sounds like there are 2 additional fired this afternoon as well, one near Evergreen and the other near Conifer.

I wish safety for all and that the winds die down so all of these fires can be contained.

Checking Out Denver Big Air At Civic Center Park

Today we had some free time during the day so we took a quick drive from Highlands Ranch towards downtown and checked out the final preparations for Denver Big Air in Civic Center Park.

One word.

Amazing.

A giant 102 foot ski jump in the middle of downtown Denver nestled between the Denver City and County building and the Colorado State Capital.  Of course normally you would be driving up to the mountains for this type of event.

The one downer was that there are gates everywhere and We really could not get as close as I would have liked.  I REALLY wanted to stand on the City and County building steps and take a photo form the bottom.  But no can do.  My wife and I even begged some security guards in the City and County building if we could get in and take photos from in there, no can do, again.  C’est la vie.  So for the time being these pic will have to do.

Here is some video that I took of a big crate of snow being lifted up to the ski ramp and jump. Definitely not something you see every day.

Personally we are not going to attend the actual events this week, my son is still in a cast and his foot would freeze outside at night.  But I was glad to have the chance to see this amazing structure come to life.

People sometimes ask me when they are deciding between 2 cities – why move to Denver.  I often tell them, we do get attractions and events that other places do not.  Denver Big Air is one of those events – this is the first time the annual Big Air competition has been in the U.S.  Gotta love Denver!

Lone Tree Winter Fun Bus Kicks Off This Weekend

Today on Day 105 of 365 Things To Do in the Denver Suburbs, we are planning ahead for some fun!

Lone Tree has a wonderful way to get to the mountains called the Winter Fun Bus and it kicks off for the season this weekend. Run through South Suburban Parks and Rec, SSPRD residents can hitch a ride without having to worry about driving to the mountain for just $28. The Winter Fun Bus is open to non residents as well but for a tad more, $33. Kids 12 & Under must be accompanied by an adult, but teens 13 & up can go without.

There are 3 dates this winter that the Winter Fun Bus will make a journey up to the hills – they are:

January 29 – Breckenridge depart 6:30 am, returns 7:00 pm
February 19 – Keystone depart 10:30 am, departs Keystone at 7:30 pm to include night skiing
March 12 – Vail depart 6:30 am, returns 7:00 pm

This weekend is perfect for the first trip, have you seen the weather reports?  The mountains are getting pounded with snow once again. 

The Winter Fun Bus departs & returns to the Lone Tree Recreation Center for every trip.  While most ride goers will ski or snowboard, there are plenty of other activities at each mountain resort as well such as snow tubing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, dog sledding and of course shopping and restaurants.

From updates I have seen today on twitter, it sounds like there is still room available for this weekends trip, but I wouldn’t wait much longer to book.  You can book your seat at the SPPRD rec centers, or online.

About 365 Things in South Denver Suburbs: Whether you have lived in the south Denver suburbs for a long time or are considering Denver relocation, this series will help you discover new events and new places to visit every day!

Want To Find this page on Facebook to share with your friends & family? Click on over to the Face book page 365 Things to Do In South Denver Suburbs “Like” it and share!

Steve Scheer – Denver Realtor®

Denver Homes & Real Estate

Highlands Ranch Colorado Homes

Happy New Year Denver 12/31/2010!

photo courtesy of *Sally M* on Flickr Creative Commons

Looking to get out and about for New Years? Whether you wish to head into downtown Denver or stay in the south Denver suburbs, there is something for everyone. Even options to head to the mountains.  There are activities throughout the day on New Years Eve that are extremely family friendly and then plenty to do all night long as well.

Please please please remember to make plans in advance to get home & stay safe and do not drink and drive. There are plenty of other options for you so make sure you make plans ahead so you know how you are getting home.  If you are heading downtown, considering staying, there are still many Mile High Holiday hotel deals throughout Denver.

Children’s Museum of Denver – Noon Years Eve – From 9am – 4pm kids of all ages will be celebrating New Year’s Eve with a special celebration every hour from 10 – 3 including ball drop and jumping on bubble wrap. Art projects and theater performances will occur throughout the day.

Denver Zoo – Zoo Year’s Eve Kids Only Bunk – The kids (ages 6 – 12) will tour the Zoo lights & spend the night at the zoo without mom & dad!

16th Street Mall Fireworks - Celebrate with 2 fireworks displays on the 16th St mall – the first at 9pm and the 2nd at midnight as we ring in the New Year!  There will also be entertainers throughout the mall.   The fireworks are sponsored by Visit Denver  and the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District.

There are also tons of restaurants have New Year’s Bash’s and special dinners – some you will need reservations for, some you don’t.  Here’s just a few:

• La Sandia at Park Meadows
• Opus in Littleton
• Lansdowne Arms in Highlands Ranch
• Bar Louie in Centennial at The Streets of Southglenn
• Mellow Mushroom at Streets of Southglenn
• Cantina Laredo at Streets of Southglenn
• Lime – Downtown and Greenwood Village

And if staying here in town doesn’t sound like what you had in mind, there is still time to plan something in the high country.  Almost all of the resorts and ski towns have plenty of events and festivities going on for New Years Eve, you are sure to find something right up your alley.  Here are a few:

• Beaver Creek
• Copper Mountain
• Royal Gorge New Year’s Train
• Keystone
• Vail
• Breckenridge
• Winter Park
• Steamboat

Happy New Year!!!