This rock shop is large and well stocked. It was clean and organized. I could have spent a lot of…read moretime browsing and lolly-gagging but we had places to be. Walking out of the back of the shop was a really picturesque (picture included) view of the mountains and river. It was so soothing. I was able to score some small stones to add to my collection for a fair price. I will say that the cashier was friendly enough. I would definitely come back.

This IS the place to go if you are looking for larger rocks and crystals! They do not sell a good…read morevariety of jewelry related items, but they have the most AMAZING selection of geodes, HUGE rocks, decorative rocks, and pocket sized rocks/crystals. They offer a really good value! Highly suggest this place if you are looking for rocks and/or crystals.

Hands down our favorite store in Estes Park. We have been shopping here for almost 12 years. Craig…read moreis friendly and helpful, and has a fabulous selection of gift items. We go here to buy beautiful Russian carved wooden Santas, and Matryoshka nesting dolls. The Santas are absolutely stunning works of art, and this store inspired my husband to start collecting them.

Stopped in here while on our last vacation. Friendly people, great small talk and cool products. We…read moredidn't get to meet Sam but hopefully he is there the next time we visit!

Each year, the Estes Park Events Complex hosts this event, and as much as I wanted to like it, it…read morefound myself quite disappointed. PRO: Location is well known, and hosts a variety of local events! CON: However, it's not close to Main street, so transportation is required. PRO: Large, open space - which allows for vendors, live music and guests to have plenty of room to maneuver to different booths! CON: The space felt a little crowded and continued to fill up throughout the event. Come early! PRO: About 25 wineries participated in the event - featuring wines from Colorado and California! CON: The sample sizes are thimble size, not allowing guests to have the best taste. PRO: The booths were organized by wine, then featuring a great chocolate pairing! CON: Booths were jam packed with people - making it hard to move! PRO: Staff is ultra friendly! CON: This event was SEVERELY understaffed, as many booths just had 2 people working - leaving us waiting in line for a good 30+ minutes to sample! PRO: A FREE shuttle is offered for events, has various pick up and drop off's around town! CON: There is only one shuttle for events, and with all the stops to make, the shuttle takes about 30-35 minutes to arrive. There are no set times, and not exactly on the half hour. PRO: Tickets can be found through Groupon, for a discounted price - which we gladly took advantage of! CON: Tickets are normally $40/person or $70/couple. After all is said and done, I'm not sure I'd return for an event like this. I left everything was disorganized, understaffed and left little to be desired. #sorry

The 2012 lineup was superb. The music was great. There was great variety of food and beer, and it…read morewas reasonably priced. I cannot wait until next year. So why not 5 stars? Simple, the tarp system is antiquated and does not work in Lyons. Sure, in theory, when the "owners" of the large random tarps are not using them (most of the day), then anyone can use them in their absence. However, it is awkward walking on other peoples' tarps. It is inconvenient to find an open tarp. It is nearly impossible to find a place for a even a small two-person blanket. To illustrate the point, if I arrived early, I could bring a huge 15 X 20 tarp for 2-people and effectively take up a huge amount of space. I would never do that, but many others do. My question is, why even use the tarp system at all? If it was not in place, more people could sit though the entire set that they came to see, then move when not watching the stage during other artists' sets-- i.e. the way most other festivals operate. I concede that the system works better at the much larger Telluride Bluegrass Festival as there are places near the stage to stand, there are places in the back to stand, and there is always plenty of space for people to come and go with tarps and blankets. Not so in Lyons. I had a 3 day pass and had to sit in the river on the first 2 days and found a small spot in the back for my blanket on Sunday. That is, with 3 high back chairs placed in front of the blanket while I went to get something to eat. Not cool. I might not be so disappointed, but this same thing happened last year, it happened again this year, and I can expect that it will happen next year. The most frustrating thing is that we arrived before noon each day and the spots were taken before that time. I understand that many people are camping and on vacation, so they can run to set up and take all the spots each morning. However, many of us live in the metro and work, thus we cannot be there first thing in the morning. Does that mean that we should not get good seats? I guess so, despite paying the same price per ticket as the others. Is it infuriating that most of the people that stake their claims with their tarps are hardly ever at their seat? Yes. I learned in grade school that it is not OK to "save seats." Apparently, we throw that general rule out the window at RockyGrass. Still, great music. I will be back.

My spouse and I discovered the Historic Fall River Hydroplant last year but it was after they'd…read moreclosed for the season, so we made a mental note to check it out while they were open this year. We finally made our way up to Estes last week and took a tour. I really wish that I could remember our guide's name but I just plain don't; he was an older gentleman who said he was an electrical engineer and worked with electronics. Really friendly guy, very excited to be talking about the hydroplant and the history of Estes Park. The tour is REALLY worth it but you gotta make sure to go when they're operating as they close down for the colder months. We has a blast and learned things we didn't know before. Our tour guide really knew his stuff and I already mentioned how friendly he was. The museum itself is really fun and you get to see stuff that you don't normally get to. I've told both my dad and sister to go check it out sometime and I expect we'll be making a tour again next year.

Unfortunately not open this season to visits/tours, but still a nice area to come and explore the…read moreoutside and nearby walking path. There are a few parking spots near the hydroplant to allow you to stay and explore a while.

Super fun place for the kiddos and adults! Beautiful animals and very informative with great views…read more And it's FREE!

Don't miss this Gallery. A Gem in Estes! Beautiful one of a kind art & jewelry. The owners are…read morevery helpful and accommodating.

Locally owned, Jack Straw Mountain Gallery can be found among other Grand Lakes shops, wonderful…read moreparks and eateries. I bought a dress from their clearance section (Originally $60.00) for $20.00 and I found that the owner of this gallery printed the dresses on her own. It was one of her paintings, which I thought was ravishing! She explained to me that her merchandise and paintings are all handmade and exported from other fair trade vendors. I bought a $40.00 handmade journal that was made from eco friendly material and ended up enjoying the quality of the notebook's paper. The cover was definitely cooler than some of the other cheaper notebooks I found there too. The fitting room had the cutest door painting, the inside of the fitting room has a comfy bench and I think the floor is carpet. She has Peruvian jewelry and also candles that smell delightful. This is definitely one of my favorite shops of Grand Lakes.

Beautiful, artful, best design, decor, original artwork etc., etc in the County…read more I have been shopping here for 20 years. It never ceases to amaze me what Marjorie, the owner, has in her shop. And... she will also do your interior design. I love this place in downtown Grand Lake, Colorado.