The Glenwood Caverns & Adventure Park is across the street from the best chain hotels in the city (Holiday Inn Express, Hampden Inn, Best Western). Take the scenic gondona up Iron Mountain to the gift shop and restaurant which sit atop the mountain at about 8,000 feet. You have excellent views of Red Mountain, Lookout Mountain, and Glenwood Springs, and the city of 'No Name' from the summit of Iron Mountain. There are excellent horseback riding trails on Iron Mountain and I would suggest you reserve an extra hour or two. The caverns tour is a cool break during the summer. You must use at least 800 ASA speed film as well as a powerful off-camera flash unit to photograph in the caverns, or your pictures will have a black background. You should purchase Kodak ASA 1,000 or FujiColor 1,600 in Denver before you try to photograph the caverns. You should go early in the morning or very late at night when there's less of a crowd. Avoid the main restaurant, there's an excellent snack bar near the adventure rides that serves alcohol. The Inspiration Point restaurant is average and often has a long waiting line. Try to purchase your ticket passes in advance and have them mailed to you. You can only reserve your tickets/passes on-line but you must still purchase them in advance at the gondola station. When the caverns tour is finished, you can either take the gondola down the mountain and visit the hot springs, or head across the bridge and enjoy the menu at the Glenwood Brewery & Grill located in the Hotel Denver building. The Brewery has excellent food and fine beer. The Hotel Denver now has air conditioning.
Pros: The Scenic Gondola - Good Horseback Riding - The awesome Caverns
Cons: Buying your tickets/passes is a hassle.
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