Things can get hot in the summer. And we’re not just talking about the pavement around the pool. Romance sizzles, too, on those days when the sun’s hottest rays warm up the air and the moon comes out to set the perfect mood lighting.
A great date helps to turn on the flame, old or new. Maybe a picnic or scenic stroll, perhaps a candlelight dinner or a sentimental bit of music or theater when evening sets in.
Here are a few mix-and-match ideas for making the most of the most romantic season.
Shake it up
The main event: Get away with your sweetie without having to go all that far away by booking a bed and breakfast on the outskirts of the city. One of the most romantic is The Alps Boulder Canyon Inn, which offers hot spiced cider, evening desserts and your own working antique fireplace for you two to snuggle the chilly summer night away (rates range $194-$269 plus amenities; 303-444-5445). Get things going with a long afternoon walk along Boulder Creek with its stunning canyon backdrop (free!).
Heat it up: Finish the night with an outdoor play courtesy of the Colorado Shakespeare Festival on the university campus not so far away. (check out for details). The opener, “Macbeth,” might not exactly be mood-setting material (no, definitely not). But “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” is an irresistible reminder of the ultimate triumph of romantic yearnings. By the next morning, you two will be intertwined like John and Yoko.
John Moore
Putt-putt, chow-chow
The main event: Laughter is one of the fiercest tools in a lovebird’s bag, and Highland Hills Adventure Golf & Raceway, about 20 minutes from downtown Denver, is an ideal place for couples to giggle together.
The outdoor park boasts NASCAR-themed electric go-karts and a miniature drag-racing strip. But the fantastic putt- putt golf scenery is what really sets it apart. Golfers can choose from “The Lost Continent” course, with its tiki statuary and jungle imagery, the pirate and swashbuckler-themed “Buccaneer Bay” or the spooky haunted house look of “Adventure Cove.” Together these courses boast 54 landscaped holes rounded out by water and fire effects — the perfect setting to spark up romance.
It’s at 9650 Sheridan Blvd., Westminster. For more info, 303-650-7587, or adventuregolf
Heat it up: Mix the low-brow fun of a round of miniature golf with high-brow food in a chichi setting by dining at O’s Restaurant at The Westin Westminster (10600 Westminster Blvd., Westminster, 303-410-5000).
This neighborhood darling has quickly made a name for itself thanks to chef Ian Kleinman’s inventive contemporary cuisine and surprising tasting menus. Reservations are recommended. Elana Jefferson
Buckle your seatbelt
The main event: “Adventure dating” is a new idea — and ideal for Colorado. Buena Vista-based River Runners, one of several companies offering guided trips down the Arkansas River, is betting that paddling a cool waterway in the mountains is more ice-breaking than sitting nervously next to your date in an air-conditioned theater. Since May, the company has been offering select Adventure Dating trips on Sundays for singles and couples alike, aimed at bonding pairs through a full day of rafting and a catered riverside picnic. If you think the visceral kick of the Colorado lifestyle is more romantic (and fun) than ogling each other over a silk tablecloth, this one’s for you.
Heat it up: River Runners wants to keep those sparks alive after the trip, too. Its Adventure Dating packages include discount tickets to the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park, where daters can unwind and take in natural beauty, or they can turn up the heat in natural hot spring pools with discount tickets to Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort.
Info at .John Wenzel
Park it here
The main event: Singed by a week toiling in the city? Cool off under the lush green canopy at Chautauqua Park (900 Baseline Road, Boulder), a spot at the foot of the Flatirons where you can park and just chill together.
Book a night in one of the sweet historic cottages. Take a walk along the Henry McClintock Nature Trail. Bring along a little picnic fare, and spread out a blanket on the vast lawn, or sup at a balcony table at the Chautauqua Dining Hall. Listen closely for the buzz of hummingbirds zooming by. Pay a little attention to the clock, and you may be able to slide into a concert or a silent movie at Chautauqua Hall.
Tonight, the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra takes on Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade,” inspired by the romantic “Tales of the Arabian Nights.” Silky-voiced Shawn Colvin plays July 7. . for details
Heat it up: Take a spin up the hill to The Flagstaff House, (1138 Flagstaff Road, . or 303-442-4640) one of the swankiest spots in the state. Get there before 10 p.m. for drinks or dessert, or a combo — Veuve Clicquot with fresh raspberries, anyone? — and unwind while you take in the twinkling city lights from the gorgeous terrace. Dana Coffield
Music alfresco
The main event: Music under the stars? That phrase alone sounds pretty romantic, doesn’t it? Classical-music organizations across the state offer dozens of opportunities over the summer to lay down a blanket, sip some wine (hold hands, if you want) and relaxedly listen to Beethoven or Rachmaninoff. If some events are too early for stars, many end just as the sun is setting, which has its own obvious appeal.
Upcoming possibilities include reclining outside the Aspen Music Festival’s Benedict Music Tent at 4 p.m. Sunday for a program that includes Rachmaninoff’s famed Piano Concerto No. 3 or trekking over to City Park for the Colorado Symphony’s Independence Day salute at 7 p.m. July 3. Admission to both is free.
Heat it up: After being outside, it might be fun to come into the air-conditioning, especially on a warm evening in Denver. A comfortable, upscale spot for a drink (or two) is the handsomely partitioned, semi-circular bar at Cafe Star (just a couple of blocks from City Park), with its cozy banquette seating. Kyle MacMillan
Sundown surprise
The main event: Dozens of restaurants offer alfresco dining, but nothing scores higher on the romantic scale than a twilight picnic for two. Your destination: Cranmer Park at East Third Avenue and Clermont Street, which offers some of Denver’s most stunning sunset views. Three quick errands and you’re there. Stop 1: City Wine (347 S. Colorado Blvd. at East Alameda Avenue) for a bottle of something chilled, bubbly and refreshing. Stop 2: Pete’s Fruit and Vegetables (5606 E. Cedar Ave. at Holly Street) for some dessert cherries or plums. Stop 3: The Cheese Co. (5575 E. Third Ave. at Holly) for house-cured olives, one hard and one soft cheese, a few slices of prosciutto and some rustic country bread.
Heat it up: Keep an old blanket and a few paper cups stashed in the car for spontaneous picnics. Note: Sunset hovers around 8:30 p.m. this time of year. Plan to arrive about 45 minutes beforehand for the best show. Tucker Shaw
Colfax love
The main event: It’s not impossible to find old-world charm in Denver. Sometimes, it’s right in front of your nose. Bastien’s Restaurant is an old-school charmer (3503 E. Colfax Ave., 303-322-0363), what with its teal neon sign peddling “cocktails” and “steaks” and its circular, multilevel dining room. Built in 1959, the building is a classic example of roadside vernacular architecture from that period. It’s a little pricey, but the burgers and sandwiches on the back are reasonable. Across the street is the best bar in Denver, the P.S. Lounge. Each female patron is given a rose, and when owner Pete S. is in a good mood — and he usually is, sitting at the end of the bar taking in the scene — he buys everyone a round of his house shot, the Alabama Slammer. It helps, too, that the jukebox is one of Denver’s best.
Heat it up: Pair an evening on East Colfax with an intimate show at the nearby Bluebird Theatre, one block west of the P.S. Lounge. And pair the night to your date’s taste. If you listened to the Bee Gees in the ’70s, for example, check out tonight’s Disco Mountain show. If you preferred the harder stuff of the ’70s, there’s July 11’s Led Zeppelin show. Ricardo Baca
