Aurora: Holiday Cheer @ Gaylord

The Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center offers quite a few activities during the holidays. There was a Cirque de Soleil style show that I thought might be interesting, but the timing didn’t work out. So I pre-purchased tickets for ICE! ... featuring the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. This ice-sculpture exhibit consists of characters carved by Chinese artisans … from millions of pounds of colored ice. As well, there was an elaborate nativity scene carved using clear ice.

We really enjoyed wandering around the sculptures, and some of us braved the ice slide. I had read that the attraction was kept at a chilly 9F, so we bundled up so as not to have to use the heavy parkas they hand out at Gaylord. Turns out that the parkas were not optional. That actually was a good thing as we definitely needed the extra warmth the parkas provided ... over our own heavy layers.

After leaving Rudolph and his friends, we went for a wander around the resort — first inside … and then outside. I loved the holiday decorations at the indoor-pond … especially since the water reflected the Christmas tree. I think the photo I took of that scene will make for a nice e-card for Christmas.

Nightfall brought out the beauty of the lights outdoors. While it was chilly, it wasn’t unbearably cold and we enjoyed strolling the path that wound through the lit up trees. Perfect holiday cheer. And even better ... there were few people out and about so it was rather peaceful with Christmas carols as background music.

We debated eating at the resort, but decided to go to one of the restaurants in Centennial. More choices … and it would serve to break up the drive from Aurora back to Colorado Springs. We ended up at Seasons 52 and had a nice meal to wrap up our evening out.

For more holiday cheer, click this link to visit my online gallery — https://eenusa.smugmug.com/North-America-US-Can…Read more