Coors Factory Tour

On our first visit to Colorado, we included a morning at the Coors Factory Tour in Golden. Golden is a quaint town that is proud of its wild west roots. We also nearly moved to Golden, as my husband’s prospective new job was nearby- sadly, his new job was not at the beer factory! We ended up settling in a different community, but we enjoy visiting Golden.

Located just off the main shopping street, Coors is the largest beer brewery in the world. It’s absolutely massive. Knowing that it is a popular attraction, we arrived about an hour prior to opening. The parking and shuttle to the factory are both free. We parked and got in the queue.

Technically, we could have walked from the parking lot, but the complimentary shuttle bus is a way that they can stagger the groups entering the building. The bus driver also gives visitors a bit of a narrated tour around the main part of Golden, which is nice for people not familiar with the area.

Here are a few shots from outside of the factory.

In late 2019, the tour was only ten dollars for adults ( five dollars for locals) and included three 8 ounce samples of beer. Soda and non-alcoholic beer was also available for those not consuming alcohol. It’s a real bargain! They also threw in complimentary glasses to take home.

The first step was to have our souvenir pictures taken, so that we could buy them for a criminally inflated price at the end of our visit. We declined the photo, but we did take our own secret shot of a family from Indiana that we got to know while waiting in the shuttle queue. They were very nice people, and even gave us the idea and courage to try to biking down Pike’s Peak….which is still one of the most foolish things that I have ever done.

We were given audio tour wands that provided additional information at numbered stations, but otherwise, the tour was a self-guided, one-way journey through the visitor areas of the factory.

We started by learning about the origins of the company, which was started by a Prussian born immigrant named Adolphus Coors. Coors immigrated to the United States in his early twenties and worked a series of odd jobs, including as a brewer. In 1872, he made his way to Denver and by 1880, he had founded Coors Brewery.

Different bottle shapes.

The many Coors brands. I love Blue Moon.

Prior to viewing the factory, we learned a little bit about the ingredients that go into making beer.

And into the factory, where we learned a bit more about barley and hops.

Of course, once you brew it, you need to make sure that it meets the standards.

We were given a small taster. This was not the same as the eight ounce samples, which were given at the end of the tour. Every time we were given a drink, it was marked on our wrist bands. They were very strict about not sharing samples.

A section that mentions the different brewery locations and some of Coors special programs, such as recycling.

Here is my happy husband about to go into the bar area for our eight ounce samples. It was about ten a.m. and we went on an empty stomach, which was fun, but not wise!

I enjoyed all of the old advertising campaigns. Even E.T. was shilling for Coors!

Our beer. I could only handle two of the three samples and I was desperate for some food to line my stomach. We ended up going to a local pizza restaurant for an early lunch.

A few final pictures at the end of the tour.

On the way out, we were handed a “Golden Ticket,” which is a scratch off coupon that is good at several of the restaurants in town. The trick is, you don’t know your discount until you scratch it at the end of your meal. It’s a great way to promote tourism and we were delighted, especially as we thought the Coors tour was an exceptional value. We couldn’t believe that we were getting more. I can’t remember, but I believe we got 20% off at the pizza place with the Golden Ticket.

We returned to the Coors Factory the following month with friends who were visiting from California. We wanted to take the kids this summer, but due to Covid, the tours have been suspended. Yes, you read that correctly= kids. The Coors Factory is interesting from both a historical and manufacturing standpoint. It’s educational and fun. Although beer is certainly consumed, there is an emphasis on keeping it family friendly and excessive drinking is prohibited. The Coors tour is engaging for all ages and should be part of any Colorado vacation.

The Denver Cat Company

On a blustery day in late October, Dan and I took a early-bird flight to Denver to check-out our potential new home. Dan had a job interview, which eventual turned into an offer, so the trip was both to meet with his would-be employers and for us to make sure that Colorado would be a place we could enjoy living.

My husband is brilliant. In an effort to make me fall in love with Colorado, he drove me straight from the airport to the Denver Cat Company.

The Denver Cat Company is an adorable cat cafe located in a charming suburb of the city. The main street reminded me of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls. I love cats, and this was my first cat cafe experience, so clearly I was already convinced that Colorado was the place for us.

We were among the first visitors of the day, and immediately, we were outnumbered by four-legged floof balls. They were everywhere. I could hardly contain my excitement enough to pay our ten dollar per person admission and get a hot chocolate.

The “cafe” element of the Denver Cat Company was limited at the time, and now with covid concerns, has been eliminated. I think you would be welcome to bring your own drinks, as they have suspended selling them.

The cats are very active in the morning and there are plenty of different kinds toys to play with them. The general rule is just to be respectful towards the cats. Don’t pick them up, especially if they are sleeping or hiding. They are all shelter rescues and some are skittish or shy. I found that just by sitting in one spot, cats would come to me. I had them on my lap or coming over for some pets. There were enough friendly ones, that there was an abundance of cat interactions. Some of the shyer ones even said hello, when they noticed that we were calm.

Shorty after making our move to Colorado, we went back to the Denver Cat Company and purchased a year pass. Unfortunately, Covid hit and they had to temporarily close. We let our pass lapse, but did feel good that our money went to a worthy cause. All of the cats in the cafe are adoptable. We tried to adopt one before covid, but the cats were already spoken for, which is why we ended up getting our Tom from a different rescue group.

I headed back to the Denver Cat Company this summer with my step-kids, Zoe and Felix. They have a cat back home in Sweden and our two kitties here, so they are also cat fans. Plus, we had taken them to the Orlando Cat Cafe and we knew the concept was a big hit. Here are a few pictures from our most recent visit.

The Denver Cat Company is a delightful place to visit. They are doing great work to find forever homes for cats in need and take a lot of care in making sure that the cats go to the right human. If you’re a cat lover, it’s a must-visit.

San Diego Safari Park- 2019

On our first day in San Diego, we visited the San Diego Zoo, and on our second day, we visited the San Diego Safari Park. We were able to use our newly purchased annual passes twice, once for each location, which are sister zoological parks.

In case you didn’t read my previous post, we only managed to use them twice, since shortly after our visit we left California for Colorado, otherwise they were valid 365 days of the year. A great deal!

I had visited the zoo all throughout my childhood, many times, but this was only my second time visiting the Safari Park. Technically, I visited it when I was a very young child, but I don’t remember visiting. Absolutely nothing about it recalled any memories, so I’m counting this as a first time visit.

The park is sprawling and meant to mimic a more natural environment, rather than a traditional zoo. The E-ticket attraction is an open air safari ride that goes through an African savannah type of terrain.

Our first animals, were of course, the flamingos. We visited shortly before Halloween, hence the skeleton flamingo.

One of my favorite parts of the Safari Park was the “Walkabout Australia” section. it was a huge open area with kangaroos and wallabies, in which you could actually pet the animals. Visitors needed to stay on a wooden trail, but if the marsupials hop over to you, you are allowed to give them a pet.

Naturally, they sensed my desperation and excitement to touch them and stayed far away from me. I was only able to observe them, but I still found this section of the park to be delightful. I could have easily spent the whole day here. The Australia section had fun theming and cool rock work.

The Safari Park has a beautiful botanical garden. We were basically alone, which made it feel peaceful and remote, as we enjoyed the crazy cactus and unusual plants.

Fortunately, we did not encounter any snakes. Dan would have left the park immediately, whether or not the snake was wild or behind glass. He’s very Indiana Jones on this topic.

An assortment of animals that we saw in the park.

They may be the fastest land mammals, but I also learned that cheetahs are shy and anxious felines. The cheetah at the Safari Park has an emotional support dog. It looked like a Labrador. We didn’t see the dog in the exhibit, but apparently they are the best of friends. The Safari Park also has daily demonstrations to show how fast the cheetah can run.

One of my favorite things in Orlando is the Kilamajaro Safaris at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which is very similar to the tram experience at the San Diego Safari Park. The Disney version is more polished and immersive, but they are similar in the respect that both give a semblance of a safari on the African savannah. I’ve not yet been to Africa, so this is the best I have for now. It’s on the bucket list!

After our trip to the savannah, we refreshed ourselves with the most bizarre theme-park food concoction = Craft Beer Float. We were curious, so we bought one to share. Sharing was more than we needed. root beer floats are delicious, Coke floats are delicious….beer floats are gross.

And a few more fun pictures to end my review.

I throughly enjoyed our day at the San Diego Safari Park and I’d look forward to returning in the future. It’s beautifully laid out and themed, but even more important, the San Diego Zoological Association has an excellent reputation for animal care.