ICYMI: FAC at GCAP is TPTB

 If you’re all thumbs when it comes to internet acronyms, let us decode them for you: In Case You Missed It (ICYMI), Friday Afternoon Club (FAC) at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park (GCAP) is The Place to Be (TPTB).

Already midway through the summer season, with five weeks left, there are still plenty of opportunities to unwind at the end of the workweek with fun, food, friends and more! Every Friday from 5 – 8:30 p.m. through August 18, Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park hosts FAC at the Lookout Grille, an indoor-outdoor venue with the hands-down best views in Glenwood Springs – including jaw-dropping sunsets over the Colorado River.

Each week features a different band, all playing danceable sets which could include anything from rock-and-roll to reggae and hip-hop. In addition to a mix of upbeat music, Glenwood Caverns’ FAC is famous for its drink specials that switch at regular intervals throughout the evening. With the spin of the wheel – similar to the Wheel of Fortune – the drink specials change every half hour. Enjoy wine, beer and cocktails at happy hour prices, from $2 – $4 per drink, with $2 Coors Light on tap all night.

The Park’s FAC also includes a free tram ride with a coupon that appears in the Post Independent printed and e-edition on Fridays. One coupon is valid for free tram or bus rides for up to four people starting at 4 p.m. Guests can also enjoy the Park’s rides and attractions during the FAC events. A Funday Pass, just $38 with the free tram ride, includes both walking cave tours and unlimited access to all of the Park’s rides and most attractions. The outdoor rides are open until dusk; the Laser Tag arena and 4D Motion Theater are open until the park closes at 9 p.m.

Seven Years of Screams

Giant Canyon Swing

Seven years after the Giant Canyon Swing opened at 1,300 feet above Colorado River, the thrill ride continues to attract international attention for its scenic beauty and sheer fright. As one French enthusiast posted with an online video of the experience: “Le Giant Canyon Swing du Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, dans le Colorado, est l’une des attractions les plus effrayantes au monde” – The Giant Canyon Swing at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, in Colorado, is one of the most scary attractions in the world.”

The swing has been featured in Sweden, Iran, Indonesia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, and other countries, listed among the top scare experiences anywhere. Imfromdenver.com ranked it No. 3 of 5 Of the Most Terrifying Things To Do In Colorado. Those who manage to open their eyes during the ride describe the lush green vistas below and Glenwood Springs in the distance as they travel a 112-degree arc back and forth across the cliff at up to 50 mph. The requirement of a signed waiver, the height minimum of four feet, and owner Steve Beckley’s refusal to ride his own creation more than once all enhance the appeal for extreme thrill-seekers.

Major news channels and travel networks have featured the attraction, with celebrity hosts sometimes even daring the swing like Good Morning America’s Sam Champion and the Travel Channel’s Bert the Conqueror. Others, like Crystal from Colorado Radio in April, admire from afar, posting about the swing but declining to ride after watching others’ videos. Business Insider posted a new video of the swing earlier this year.

EarthTripper named the Giant Canyon Swing one of the 10 Scariest Rides On The Planet. “One look at the Giant Canyon Swing in Colorado makes it easy to see why it made this list,” Simon Tingle wrote in a post updated in May. “The ride is precariously positioned right on the edge of a cliff and catapults passengers straight over the edge, with a 1,300 foot drop down to the Colorado River below!”

Benefits of a Family Vacation

Family at Glenwood Caverns
Glenwood Caverns is hiring

 

As ordinary life gets busier and busier, the benefits of taking a family vacation become more important for each member of the family as well as for the group as a whole. From the planning and travel to the experience and the memories, vacations promote a sense of connection, relaxation, adventure, excitement, spontaneity, and affection that lasts long after the return to the routine.

Parents remember the importance of vacations in their own lives and relationships. In a 2013 poll conducted by Harris Interactive for the U.S. Travel Association, nearly two-thirds of adults said family vacations form their earliest memories, even more than birthdays and school events. Two-thirds of the young people surveyed expect to have the same fond memories, and more than half said the experiences bring their family closer together. Bonus: when grandparents went along, more than three-fourths of the children reported enjoying quality time with the older generation.

Family-cave-tour-at-Glenwood-Caverns

Planning a vacation together, including research on destinations, provides a special opportunity for cooperative conversation, mutual responsibility, and shared expectations that boost the chances for a successful trip. Children and teenagers who feel included and respected, rather than told what to do, are less likely to complain if parts of the common plan aren’t as convenient or exciting as expected. Everyone is expected to exercise patience when the agreed-on road trip feels long.

Encountering new people, places, and experiences on a vacation is an important educational experience for children (adults too!). It expands their horizons, gives them new material for reflection and understanding, and even stimulates positive chemical reactions in the brain. Some recent neuroscience studies suggest that vacations can be an important way to develop the “play” and “seek” systems that release compounds associated with warm feelings and stress reduction.

Coaster Enthusiasts Celebrate 40th Gathering in June

American Coaster Enthusiasts, a 5,000-member international club that promotes and preserves roller coasters will hold its 40th Coaster Con June 18-22 in Texas. The group formed when coaster lovers found each other at a coaster-riding marathon in Virginia tied to the release of the movie Rollercoaster in 1977. They held their first convention the next year.

The all-volunteer not-for-profit has participated in refurbishing the oldest roller coaster in the world, Leap-the-Dips, built in Altoona, Penn., in 1902, and the Giant Dipper, built in San Diego in 1925, the wooden roller coaster heyday when some 2,000 operated in the United States. That figure has dropped to about 125. Overall, amusement parks have faced challenges across the generations, from competing forms of entertainment to spiraling land costs, and many have closed.

“While steel roller coasters seem to proliferate and a few new wooden roller coasters are built each year, the classic wooden roller coaster is still somewhat of an endangered species,” according to the organization’s website (aceonline.org). “ACE believes that wooden roller coasters are an integral part of the fabric that is Americana. The organization represents the talents of the most ardent park enthusiasts, amassing a collective historical perspective unmatched by any other group, anywhere. It is ACE’s goal to save or relocate endangered coasters through education, awareness, and promotion.”

The group launched the National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives in 2001 to develop preservation and display space for its collection of thousands of historical items, including roller coaster cars, and donated items. It owns an 8,000-square-foot storage facility in Plainview, Texas, with plans to expand.

ACE publishes Guide to Ride, listing every operating roller coaster in North America with detailed statistics and lavish photographs, It also publishes the RollerCoaster! quarterly magazine and a bimonthly newsletter, ACE News. An ACE book series profiles important roller coaster designers.

The 2017 Coaster Con will be at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and SeaWorld San Antonio, both in San Antonio, and ZDT’s Amusement Park in Seguin, Tex. ACE also holds smaller events at various parks throughout the year, including special off-hour rides for club members only.

Top 5 Reasons to Visit a Show Cave

The National Caves Association recently declared June 6, National Caves and Karst Day. Reporter, Matt Renoux highlighted the rock star event at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park with a 9News feature story.  Fortunately, visiting a commercial show cave in Glenwood Springs, Colorado or anywhere else is not calendar-limited; in fact, spelunking is a perfect any-time-of-year activity. Here’s why:

1. Explore a rare environment.

No two caves are exactly alike. Sights on a cave tour include formations, millions of years in the making, such as stalagmites, stalactites, aragonite crystals, flowstone and cave bacon. There are also many caves with water features, such as underground rivers, lakes and waterfalls. At Bluespring Caverns and Indiana Caverns, both in Indiana, visitors can explore via boat tours; at Natural Stone Bridge Cave and Park, in New York, the adventure tour invites brave guests to float through the caves wearing a life jacket!

2. Spend time with family & friends.

Some of the best family memories are made during summer vacations and staycations. Exploring caves with kids can spark an interest in science and nature that could last a lifetime. Photos enable you to relive those great vacation memories time, so take plenty. Also, consider professional souvenir cave photos that often note the date of your visit as well as the smiles.

3. Learn something new.

Guided tours teach guests about the history of a particular cave and the surrounding area, as well as its geology, the positive impacts of bats and the importance of cave conservation.  Cave science is fascinating. In 2000, seven previously unknown species of bacteria were discovered inside Glenwood Caverns. Scientists are currently exploring how they might be used in developing new medicines to fight disease.

4. Improve wellbeing.

Multiple studies show that nature boosts our mental and physical health. Benefits include restored mental energy, better vision in children, improved concentration, sharper thinking and creativity. Spending time in natural spaces has been linked to increased energy, improved cognition, reduced anger and stress, lower blood pressure and slower heart rates.

5. Have fun!

Exploring and spending time in caverns makes everything more interesting. Visitors can watch live concerts broadcast by PBS or camp out at Tennessee’s Cumberland Caverns; and listen to the Great Stalacpipe Organ, the world’s largest musical instrument, at Luray Caverns in Virginia. At Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, getting to the caves is part of the fun. Guests take a scenic tram ride from the valley floor to America’s only mountain –top theme park, the launch pad of some of the world’s the most exciting thrill rides including the Giant Canyon Swing.

Find out more about guided tours, cave history, thrill rides and attractions at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park.

Beautiful Colorado Weather Will Rock Your Summer

Canyon Flyer - Glenwood Caverns

Summer in the Rockies offers ideal Colorado weather for healthy, fun, and memorable activities – pretty much anything except, of course, skiing. The high elevations and thinner air make for significant swings in temperature between day and night while keeping humidity low and letting in plenty of sunlight.

The climate numbers are all in your favor:

  • Sun. Days are bright with rare clouds. Brightest sunlight most shortwave solar energy reaching the ground) is June 17. Late June days enjoy almost 15 full hours of sunlight.
  • Rain. Likelihood of a rainout is low – about an inch a month in June and July, 1¼ inch in August. June 15 has the lowest chance of summer rain, 13 percent, but the highest chance is just 24 percent, on July 31.
  • Wind. Summer winds are from the west, almost never above 4 mph. Calmest is August 7 – 2.5 mph.
  • Thunderstorms. Weather in the Rockies can be unpredictable, but when afternoon thunderstorms do roll in, they move through quickly. We recommend taking shelter, either waiting it out or as an opportunity to experience our indoor attractions like the 4-D Theater and laser tag.
  • Average temperatures (Fahrenheit): June – high 84°, low 45°. July – high 89°, low 52°. August – high 87°, low 51°.

This means visitors should pack a variety of clothing in addition to the usual summertime shorts, short sleeves, and swimsuit – light jackets for some days, hiking attire if you’re hiking, warmer garb if you’re camping out. Also bring a hat for personal shade, plenty of sunscreen, and water, lip balm, and lotion to make up for the low moisture in the air.

Because safety is always our number one priority, we sometimes temporarily close the tram due to weather conditions like high winds or lightning. If that happens, we will provide alternate transportation to and from the Park via our new adventure vehicles.

To find out more about the weather in Glenwood Springs, Colorado and what to pack for a day at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park.

7 Reasons to Buy a 2017 Glenwood Caverns Annual Thrill Pass

View of Glenwood Springs

If you’ve ever considered purchasing a Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park Annual Thrill Pass, 2017 is the year to do it. This summer the Park will be opening one of the most anticipated theme park thrill rides in the country. That’s reason number one, with an added six more to help launch you into summer and beyond.

  1. Amazing value! Annual Thrill Passes are $99 for adults and $89 for kids 3 to 12. Think about that. A Funday Pass is a great value at $54 ($49 for kids); but if you come to the Park just twice in one year, you’ve more than paid for it. Your annual pass includes unlimited tram rides, cave tours, access to all the rides and attractions and discounts at the Park’s restaurants and gift shops.
  2. Cool off with a cave tour. Some summer days are so hot you just want someplace to go to escape the heat. With an annual pass, you’ve got it. Go underground for a cave tour where it’s always a cool 52°F.
  3. Lunch & dinner with a view. The Lookout Grille offers spectacular views of the Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valleys. With an Annual Thrill Pass you can regularly take in the scenery, snap panoramic photos, and enjoy cocktails or a meal with the best views in town.
  4. Don’t feel obligated to stay. The Annual Thrill Pass allows you to enjoy the Park for short periods of time; there’s no pressure to stay for hours. Take a few turns on your favorite rides and attractions before heading back down to the valley floor.
  5. Tram Pass Only Option. Maybe you prefer to ride the tram now and then to meet up with family and friends who are visiting or to take in the views from the observation deck, if so, the Annual Tram Pass is for you. For $28 (adults and kids) you can catch a lift to the Park anytime you please and also enjoy discounts at the restaurants and gift shops.
  6. Winter on the Mountain. Your annual pass is valid for a full year from the date you purchase it. That includes the holidays when Glenwood Caverns Winter on the Mountain brightens winter days with miles of twinkly displays, lighted thrill rides, special events and more. You have access to it all with your Annual Thrill Pass.
Couple admires formations at Glenwood Caverns

How a Colorado Theme Park Ended Up on Top of a Mountain

The Beckley's exploring the Fairy Caves in the 1990s

A mountain is ideal for many things – hiking, skiing, hang gliding, but it’s not the most logical location for a theme park. Yet, situated 7, 100 feet above sea level in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, is America’s only mountaintop theme park. How exactly did Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park end up there?

Well, follow the path of curiosity long enough, as Steve and Jeanne Beckley did and you might find yourself in some interesting and unexpected places. What started out as a spelunking hobby in college became a quest to explore the private and nearly forgotten Fairy Caves, the closed-to-the-public Colorado cave fiercely protected by its then owner, Pete Prebble.

Inspired by photos he saw in caving books, Beckley began writing to Prebble in 1982, in the hopes of gaining access to the caves, but almost all of his letters came back unopened, stamped “Return to Sender.” Disappointed but not deterred, Beckley kept up the letter writing campaign. After a decade Prebble relented and in 1992, granted Beckley permission to explore the caves.

As spectacular as the images in the caving books were, nothing could prepare Steve and Jeanne for what they were about to see. After struggling though Jam Crack, a claustrophobically narrow opening only nine inches wide in spots, they emerged into The Barn, a huge chamber with fiery red walls. It was here, that Steve’s dream of sharing the beauty and wonder of the Fairy Caves with the public was born.

The Beckley's exploring the Fairy Caves in the 1990s

The Beckleys acquired the property from Prebble in 1998. On Memorial Day weekend a year later, 500 visitors showed up for a tour of the newly renamed Glenwood Caverns. By 2003, the “little” cave tour operation was accommodating 100,000 visitors a year. To transport the burgeoning number of guests to the mountaintop cave entrance, the Beckleys installed a Poma gondola and dubbed it the Iron Mountain Tramway.

Read the whole story in Roaring Fork Lifestyle Magazine’s Movers & Shakers edition

Steve Beckley’s Dream: Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park

Alpine Coaster is a top ride at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park

Though interest in the caves was booming, the wait for a tour was breaching three hours. “We started putting in rides to give people something to do while they were waiting for the caves,” said Steve. The idea took off and launched the business in a new and unexpected direction – the planning of a mountaintop theme park with a Western history slant officially got underway. The first rides were installed in 2005, including the Alpine Coaster which is still a visitor favorite. Since then, a slew of thrill rides and attractions have been added to the Colorado theme park.

What began over two decades ago as nagging curiosity to explore a little known cave in Glenwood Springs has become America’s only mountaintop theme park, a place where the thrills run deep and the sky’s the limit!

Hard work pays off. Check out a small sampling of accolades the Beckleys and Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park have received over the years!

  • The State of Colorado awarded the Beckleys the 2001 Governor’s Award for Outstanding Community Tourism Initiative
  • Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association named them Citizens of the Year for 2002
  • Glenwood Caverns was named one of the “10 Best Caves”, USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards
  • Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park ranked in the top 4 for “Best Family Fun” in Sunset magazine Travel Awards

Oh Fudge! A Colorado Visitor Favorite

Making tons (yes, literal tons) of fudge a year, Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park could easily give Willy Wonka and his mythical Chocolate Factory some sweet competition.

Glenwood Caverns is better known for its adventure rides and cave tours, but the Colorado theme park also happens to churn out mountains of fudge annually. The melt-in-your-mouth confection is the top-selling item at the General Store gift shop where ensconced in a glass display case, it takes center stage.

Each batch is made using only the highest quality ingredients. Technically, it only takes a few of them to make fudge: chocolate, butter, sugar, cream and vanilla, but making fudge is a notoriously persnickety process. Over cook it and it will become grainy, add too much of one ingredient or other and the consistency will be off.

Getting it right though, takes experience and lots of it. Laura VanLue has been making fudge at the Caverns since 2015, when the General Store first began selling it. Since then, VanLue and her crew have made over 6.5 tons of fudgy goodness. That’s more than the vehicle weight limit on some roadways!

During peak season from May through August, VanLue spends up to seven hours a day at least twice per week making 18 pans of flavored fudge. Each pan weighs 6 pounds – that’s 108 pounds of fudge in a day which only keeps the General Store stocked up for one week. Besides being a delicious treat, when asked why she thought the homemade fudge was so popular, VanLue speculated, “It smells good when you walk into the General Store – like sugar. We also give away free samples. After that first taste, most people are goners.”

Keeping fudge lovers happy is just part of the job. Because visitors can’t seem to get enough of it, VanLue and her management team are making it available at other Caverns locations starting this summer. In addition to the General Store, visitors can get their fudge fix at the Lookout Grille and the Trading Post.

Fun Fudge Facts:

  • Fudge is an American invention.
  • June 16th is National Fudge Day.
  • Most people believe the first batch was accidental, resulting from a botched batch of caramels; the mishap led to the expression “Oh Fudge,” signifying a mistake.
  • In the 19th Century when fudge was accidentally invented, the word “fudge” was often used to mean “nonsense.”
  • “A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men,” Willy Wonka from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.
  • The first commercially sold fudge was in 1886, at a grocery store in Baltimore, Maryland where it retailed for 40¢ per pound.
  • Hot fudge is technically not fudge, but a kind of chocolate syrup.
  • Fudge does not have to be chocolate-based, though chocolate flavors are the most popular.

So what are the Caverns’ top-selling fudge flavors? Jockeying for first and second place are Peanut Butter Chocolate and Mint Chocolate Swirl, next up are Cookies N’ Cream and Rocky Road. Well, as Mr. Wonka might say that’s “scrumpdidlyumptious!”

Make the Most of Your Colorado Summer Vacation to Glenwood Springs

Incorporate these Glenwood Springs travel tips for a family-friendly Colorado summer vacation that’s a blast from arrival to departure.

Book lodging. Do this first and your Glenwood Springs vacation will be off to a great start. There’s plenty of room for everyone in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, though depending on when you visit, choices may be limited, so book early. The resort town is home to 36 properties with over 1,700 rooms. Accommodations run the gamut from historic hotels to family-owned motels and flagship properties to camp grounds. Peruse glenwood springs lodging options.

Be sun smart. Glenwood Springs, Colorado is located at 5,700 feet above sea level and Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park tops out at 7,100 feet! Even on cloudy days, the sun’s rays are penetrating. Wearing sunscreen is so vitally important that the Park provides it for free!

Heads up. Keep an eye on the weather and be prepared with lightweight rain gear. During the warm weather seasons, Colorado frequently experiences afternoon thunderstorms, but don’t let that dampen your Glenwood Springs vacation. Thunderheads tend to roll through quickly. At the Glenwood Caverns that means rides may close temporarily, at other attractions patrons may be asked to vacate pools. If that happens, no matter where you are in Glenwood Springs, the best advice is to wait it out. If you’re at the Park, take advantage of indoor activities like the 4-D Motion Theater or laser tag.

Alpine Coaster is a top ride at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park

Outwit the crowds. If possible, plan your Colorado summer vacation to Glenwood Springs on the shoulders of peak season and visit attractions during low traffic times of the day. At the Caverns, for example, mid-June through mid-August are the busiest. Avoid crowds by planning your trip in early June or at the end of August. If your trip coincides with peak season, consider arriving at Glenwood Caverns later in the day when temperatures cool and crowds thin out. You might even catch a spectacular Colorado sunset from the Viewing Deck!

Find your dining sweet spot. Glenwood Springs is a culinary hot spot. For outdoor and rooftop dining options in downtown, stroll along Seventh Street, known as Glenwood’s “restaurant row,”  where establishments like the Pullman and the Glenwood Canyon Brewpub are located, both are award-winning eateries. There are also palate-pleasing ethnic options to choose from including Indian, Jamaican, Nepalese, Mexican, Italian as well as Southern comfort food. Find a helpful dining guide here.

Explore all your options. Glenwood Springs is home to three geothermal attractions. The Iron Mountain Hot Springs offers a spa-like environment with 16 pools, all filled with 100 percent pure mineral water; Glenwood Hot Springs is great for families looking for slides and diving boards; and the Yampah Spa and Vapor Caves is one of the few places to experience a subterranean steam bath. In addition to hot springs, Glenwood Springs is also a major Colorado outdoor destination. Don’t miss opportunities to hike to places like Hanging Lake, go whitewater rafting through Glenwood Canyon and bicycle for miles along river trails like the Glenwood Canyon Recreation Trail or the Rio Grande Trail. For even more fun, check out this comprehensive list of things to do in Glenwood Springs.

Incorporate entertainment. Summertime is outdoor show time in Glenwood Springs. Sit back and take in the tunes or dance the night away.

  • Glenwood Caverns’ popular Music on the Mountain begins in May. The concert series features an eclectic mix of musical performers atop Iron Mountain.
  • Every Wednesday evening from June 28, through Aug. 2, at Two Rivers Park, the Glenwood Springs Center for the Arts hosts the Summer of Music. Over the years, it has become a venue for both established performers and up-and-coming musical talent.
  • This year marks the 120th Annual Strawberry Days festival, June 16 – 18. The 3-day festival features everything from nighttime dance bands to gospel on Sunday morning.
  • Also, debuting at the Caverns this summer is a new musical comedy melodrama written and directed by Jonathan Gorst. The former musical director of the National Tour of Phantom of the Opera also played piano for the Glenwood Vaudeville Revue for several years. Like the Vaudeville, the new melodrama is hilarious, complete with song, dance and perfectly-timed slapstick.

Exit strategy. Most visitors to Glenwood Springs come from the Denver area. If you’re homeward bound on I-70 East on a Sunday afternoon, you may find yourself in bumper-to-bumper gridlock. When it’s time to leave, plan to either go early in the day, before 9 a.m. or wait until late afternoon leaving after 5 p.m. Alternatively, avoid traffic snares by planning your vacation arrival and departure mid-week, when traffic flows along I-70 are lower.

For more ideas on how to make the most of your Colorado summer vacation to Glenwood Springs, visit glenwoodcavdev.wpengine.com/glenwood-springs-visitor-information/.