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The Quilt Tour to Golden Featuring the Denver National Quilt Festival
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April 28 - May 4, 2008
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Tour
Highlights
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- Admission to Denver National Quilt Festival
- Admission to the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum
- Admission to the Garden of the Gods
- US Air Force Cadet Chapel
- Famous Quilt Shops
- Artquilt Images Quilt Gallery
- Lecture with
Nanette Simonds, historical consultant for the
book The Quilt That Walked to Golden
- Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory
- Admission to the Molly Brown House
- Denver City Tour
- Baggage Handling
- 10 meals - 6 Continental Breakfasts, 1 Lunch, 3 Dinners
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Per Person Rates
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$1150 - Per Person Double Occupancy
$375 - Additional for Single Accommodation
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Arrival
and Departure Information
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Day
1
Hotel check-in is after 3:30 p.m. Baggage storage is
available for earlier arrivals. Our welcome meeting
begins at 7:30 p.m.
Day 7
Return transportation to Denver International Airport
in included. Please arrange for flights departing after
4:00 p.m.
Please note that Denver's altitude is 5,280
feet.
Pack up your quilted vests, and get ready to head west for an unforgettable journey to the old and new frontiers of Colorado! From the dazzling skyline of modern Denver, to the gold rush town of Golden, to the towering monoliths at Garden of the Gods, you won't want to miss a moment of this jam-packed adventure showcasing the area's best-loved quilt shops, fabled museums, and favorite quilt show. Don't wait to sign up for this fantastic tour. |
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Detailed Itinerary
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Day
1 - Welcome to Denver
Our luxurious downtown hotel, just a short ride from the Denver airport, is ideally situated in a tree-lined, pedestrian-only area that's filled with outdoor cafes, historic buildings, and tempting shops.
This evening you'll
meet your tour director and travel companions at our Welcome Meeting.
Day
2 - Scenic Spires & Spectacular Stitchery
We depart Denver this morning to begin our journey through Colorado's spectacular countryside. As our coach makes its way southward, the majestic Rocky Mountains and Pikes Peak become our constant travel companions.
Set within the panorama of this mountain range, the 150 foot spires of the U.S Air Force Academy's Cadet Chapel soon come into view, gleaming sharply against the breathtaking blue of the Colorado sky. Stepping inside this all-faith chapel, we are greeted by a pinnacled ceiling, 99 feet high and ribboned with magnificent stained glass windows. Our private tour showcases the impressive adornments, which include 12 kneelers done in needlepoint by members of the Officers' Wives Clubs.
Later, get ready for a real treat as we visit the legendary Ruth's Stitchery shop in Colorado Springs. Absolutely dazzling is the only way to describe this mega-shop of needle arts! It's bursting at the seams with smocking supplies, machine embroidery programs and threads, a vast assortment of patterns (including Colorado designs, of course), great needlepoint and cross stitch supplies, ribbon-work materials, a colorful selection of fabrics, including hand-dyed batiks--and we've just begun!
This evening following check-in at our hotel we’ll dine in one of Colorado Springs' favorite restaurants, an old railroad depot where the trains still whistle by. (C. Breakfast) (Dinner)
Day 3 - Kissing Camels
The soft sunlight of morning finds us entering the Garden of the Gods, where towering red sandstone formations seem to glow in the day's early light. We'll explore this enchanting park where erosion has labored for more than 300 million years to sculpt stunning carvings with intriguing names like Sleeping Giant, Kissing Camels, and Siamese Twins.
Later, we'll enjoy a picture perfect ending to our visit here as we lunch on an outdoor balcony overlooking the magnificent formations of the park.
And speaking of big, we can't wait to show you the Garden of the Gods Trading Post! Built in the early 1900' s, original sandstone paintings still embellish the adobe- style exterior. Inside, hand-hewn beams and wood floors seem to whisper of another era. The trading post has expanded over the years and now includes a world-class gallery devoted to one-of-a-kind Native American arts and crafts. You'll browse from among the state's finest collection of jewelry, pottery, paintings, Navajo rugs, Zapotec Indian weavings, and so much more.
This evening we return to our Colorado Springs hotel. (C. Breakfast) (Lunch)
Day 4 - Quilt Legends
Today we say farewell to Colorado Springs and travel north to the legendary Great American Quilt Factory. This bright, beautiful shop simply overflows with mouth- watering quilt samples. We’ll savor an eye-popping collection of fat quarters and coordinated bundles, a huge selection of books, stencils, kits, specialty notions-the list goes on and on.
This afternoon get ready to “kick-up your heels” at Colorado's largest, juried quilting event -- the Denver National Quilt Festival. This “Wow” of a show features over 400 dazzling quilts, garments, and works of textile art on display. Among the “eye-candy” here is isle after isle of glorious full and wall size quilts in both innovative and traditional categories. And the excitement continues as we shop at the vendors mall where over 90 business’ offer products from all over the U.S.A.
This evening we’ll join Nanette Simonds, historical consultant for the book The Quilt That Walked to Golden. Through Nanette's narrative stories we’ll embark on a journey of Western quilt evolution. We discover the diversity and creativity of a region as reflected in both vintage and contemporary quiltmaking. (C. Breakfast)
Day 5 - Golden Opportunities
Our day begins with a visit to Harriet's Treadle Arts quilt shop where we’re immediately immersed in a wonderland of visual stimulation. Here, showcased on the walls and ceiling, are Harriet Hargrave's distinctive quilts, as well as everything needed to recreate these wondrous works of art. Hundreds of books, some signed by Harriet herself, thousands of choices in vintage and reproduction fabric, dozens of battings (including Harriet's Heirloom line), and more. Get Ready for some great shopping!
“Saddle-up” cause’ we’re ready to ride (by coach of course) to the historic frontier town of Golden, Colorado! Our first stop will be the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, for a private tour of the museum's current exhibit, and a "behind the scenes" look at their private collection. And be sure to explore the cozy gift shop where every nook and cranny overflows with quilt treasure. Afterward enjoy a leisurely afternoon strolling the beautifully restored main street area. Nestled along the neatly bricked sidewalks are historic Victorian emporiums like the old apothecary and a cozy quilt shop.
Next we'll visit the headquarters of ARTQUILTS images, home of Quilter's Newsletter, McCall's Quilting, and McCalls Quick Quilts, to see their current quilt gallery exhibit--always a favorite with visitors from throughout the world.
We then traverse the winding foothills to reach a true Colorado mountain lodge quilt shop. Its natural woodsy exterior seems a perfect match for the distinctive collection of flannels, and homespuns.
Our day of discovery continues as we visit an adobe replica of a fort from the 1830's fur trade era (a site popular with celebrities and presidents) for a sumptuous evening meal.
At day's end we return to the downtown Denver hotel which accommodated us on our first evening. It's now our home for the remainder of the tour. (C. Breakfast) (Dinner)
Day 6 - "The Unsinkable Molly Brown"
This morning sit back and relax as our coach wends its way along Sleepytime Drive. Our destination is the Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory for a fun and informative tour. As we trace the automated art of tea bag production, we'll navigate our path among the giant bales of tea, linger outside the aromatic peppermint room, witness the enfolding of tea within bags, and marvel at the space age robot that selectively stacks the boxes.
Afterward, be sure to visit the prized Art Gallery containing the original paintings created for Celestial tea box designs. Or simply relax by the fireplace with a complimentary cup of tea, and the giant Sleepytime Bear.
This afternoon we’ll return to the Denver area where our coach wends its way along a wide avenue reminiscent of another era. Soon we are delivered to a Victorian confection that celebrates the life and times of the scandalous, "unsinkable" Molly Brown. Within this lavish 14-room mansion, built with gold rush money, we'll see period furnishings that include flamboyant gilt-edge wallpaper, lace curtains, tile fireplaces, and tapestries that speak of bygone days. A place that evokes legendary memories of Molly’s heroism during the sinking of the Titanic…a place you’ll simply never forget.
This evening we’ll celebrate the many friends and memories we’ve made this week at our traditional farewell dinner. (C. Breakfast) (Dinner)
Day 7 - Farewell Denver
We begin our last day together by exploring the great city of Denver. With our city guide on board, our coach will traverse this historic city's "then and now" avenues. We’ll relive Denver’s early frontier days as we view the historic Union Station whose trains once delivered thousands seeking their fortune during the Rush of 1859. And we’ll traverse the wide boulevards with their majestic Victorian buildings, once the grandest between St. Louis and San Francisco. We’ll see the famous Brown Palace Hotel, whose illustrious guest list includes everyone from United State Presidents to the Beatles (and hear of the hotel’s scandalous secret tunnels to the brothel across the street.) And then it’s on to the Denver of today, with bold contemporary structures and an unbeatable city skyline.
Too soon we'll say farewell to the great state of Colorado. For departing guests the airport will be our next stop, and then on to our starting hotel for those guests staying on. (C. Breakfast)
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