Anyone can throw a party, what I want are experiences! Memories, laughs and moments with the people who mean the most and a birthday is the perfect excuse to get everyone on board. Since moving to the Denver area it’s easy to get outdoors, but not every party has great weather for that so over the last few years we have come up with some great adult birthday ideas.
While we’ve done some of the easy things like a group hike or camping, there are a number of other great ways to celebrate for those who like a little more adrenaline or just want to feel pampered for a day.
These are some of my favorite things we’ve discovered over the years that can be quick for an evening or a full day of adventure.
All are close to Denver, so you don’t need to turn it in to a big weekend getaway unless you want to.
Birthday Ideas for Adults in Denver
Since my husband loves to mountain bike and enjoys a little adrenaline that’s often where I start when looking for ideas. Then I temper that with my own level of “let’s not break anything” and we usually find a winner.
Indoor Skydiving
He keeps telling me someday we’ll jump out of a plane, so I figured step one was to surprise him with some practice rounds.
This turned out to be even more fun than we’d imagined and we bought additional sessions to go back again! You’ll go through a quick briefing to help you get the movements right and then an instructor will be in the wind tunnel with you during your flights.
Where to go: iFLY in Lone Tree
Indoor Go Kart Racing
Who doesn’t love to go back and feel like a kid again. Zipping around corners, not thinking about traffic and tickets or being late.
You’ll always be racing with other folks you may not know, but that doesn’t take away from the fun of challenging each other. David was shocked and bit thrilled when I beat him on a few laps, who knew I had that in me?!
Plus, most places also have a game area. Which means if you lost at racing, you can get redemption with some air hockey.
Where to go: K1 Speed in Littleton or Unser Karting in Denver
Horseback Riding
Little girls love horses and once we grow up, well we still love them. For my 40th it was a huge surprise when David booked a tour because he’s a little less enthused about trusting a large animal.
The great thing about these tours is these horses are well trained and have done the path a million times.
For this one we wanted to get a bit out of the city, but not a long drive which lead us to AA Historical Trails. Just outside of Blackhawk you’ll ride through abandoned gold mines and get some lovely sweeping views.
Where to go: AA Historical Trails or Estes Park Outfitters
Spa Day
I LOVE a good massage, but there’s something extra special about a couples massage. You can certainly go solo for a day away, but it was fun to share the whole experience.
This time we stopped at the Ameristar Casino in Central City after that horseback ride. That meant we had access to sauna, steam room and hot tub around our treatment for additional time to just sit and “ahhhh”.
Then we headed in to our massage where they offered hot stones or essential oils, they used hot packs to loosen up the back and my therapist knew exactly how to give a great DEEP tissues massage on these runner glutes.
Where to go: Woodhouse Day Spa (no spa area, just massage) or Ameristar Casino
BONUS: If you’re willing to drive the Glenwood Hot Springs is magic. Little outdoor pools of different hot spring temps where you can soak and watch the river.
Broadmoor Zipline
I was BLOWN away with this zipline! It was truly gorgeous and is in fact one of the highest and fastest ziplines in the US!
We went over New Years which was chilly, but meant the place was EMPTY. We got to truly take in the views and see Seven Mile Canyon completely free of people.
The crew was super professional, I felt extremely safe…even when we walked the two suspension bridges!
Where to go: Broadmoor in Colorado Springs
Aerial Cirque Party
Have a group that’s up for something new? Maybe you just want some seriously fun Instagram photos.
This class ended up being far more than all of us expected! It was not only a great workout, but we laughed non-stop, found ourselves able to do things we didn’t think possible and what a joy to fly through the air!
I called multiple places looking to book this and I cannot recommend them enough. No one else responded in any way that made me feel like they cared about our business. We booked a private party, which mean a 90 min class with an instructor and 2 apparatuses.
We tested out the lyra (the hoop) and the silk fabrics.
Where to go: Aerial Cirque Over Denver
Water Day with Friends
Growing up we did a lot of backyard BBQ’s and played games like corn hole. That is STELLAR fun, but next level in Colorado is to enjoy a lake day.
Rent a paddleboard or kayak and spend some time on the water with friends before heading back to your blankets to enjoy a picnic.
And when you’re looking for a bit more adrenaline, grab an inner tube and hit the waters in Golden. My friend Amber did this for her birthday and it was such a great afternoon of chatting followed by a little wohooooo.
Where to go: Rent inner tubes in downtown Golden, SUP at Chatfield or Bear Creek Lake park
Indoor Nerf Archery Games
Truly thrilled to do this for David’s birthday! Archery Games Denver creates something kind of like dodgeball, but different, unique because that’s what we do for birthdays.
Before starting everyone gets a chance to learn how to aim with their bow and nerf arrows, then it’s time to suit up and start playing!! You’ll get a helmet and goggles for your hour long games. Thanks to the referee, you’ll move through a variety of games to keep things interesting and give a break if running for an hour sounds exhausting, no worries.
Pottery Class!
It took our crew a little while to find something that wasn’t a full course, but instead a single day. The one we found was perfection. Sure you could go and just paint a mug, but why not have some silly fun learning how to use a pottery wheel.
Be prepared there are a lot of innuendos here and you should go in knowing that you will likely be AWFUL…and laugh so much. In this class at Potter’s Touch, we learned to spin, shape our master pieces (so bad) and then pain them. After she fires them in the kiln and you can pick them up in a few weeks.
Spritz Rooftop Pool and Virtual TopGolf
Looking for something that feels like a mini vacay? A stacytion if you will? Checkout the fully renovated Sheraton in downtown Denver (personally I could have just hung out by the fire place in the lobby).
There’s a rooftop heated pool with great little cabanas that you can rent to ensure you’ve got a padded lounge chair and a cooler filled with ice next to you. The Sprtiz menu isn’t just bar food either, my veggie friends raved about the hummus plate and the salmon salad I had was so fresh.
After soaking up the sun, you can head inside to their new TopGolf suite. It’s got two virtual bays which allow you to play a variety of games and oh yes did we test them all. For both the athletically inclined and not so much in your group, it’s 100% a great time.
A few options that we have not yet done, which are on our list to do for coming birthdays:
- Hot Air Balloon ride – we scheduled this, but the wildfire smoke was just a no go
- Paragliding in Golden
- White Water Rafting in Clear Creek Canyon – we went in Royal River Gorge and will go here too
- Alpaca Experience in Golden
And a few other ideas that never go out of style:
- Top Golf outside
- Escape Rooms
- Group Hikes
- Renting e-Bikes in Golden
- See a play by Denver Arts
- Go to a concert (try a Movie at the Symphony for something different)
- Puppy yoga or yoga at the aquarium with Denver Social (these are both SO MUCH FUN!!!)
Looking for more Colorado Adventures:
- Snowshoeing for Newbies (also a super fun birthday with friends!)
- Best trails near Denver
- Colorado Sand Dunes
- Things to do in Grand Junction
- Things to do in Steamboat Springs in any season
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