The old and the new, the rustic and the sophisticated, the wild and the refined--all of these experiences exist practically side by side in Colorado, amid what is arguably the most breathtaking mountain scenery in America.

Colorado's booming cities--Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Denver--and its admittedly somewhat glitzy resorts--especially Vail and Aspen--offer much of the comfort and culture of New York or Los Angeles but at a slower, more relaxed, pace. Throughout the state, you'll also find testaments to another time, when life was simpler but rougher, and only the strong survived: historic Victorian mansions, working turn-of-the-20th-century steam trains, thousand-year-old adobe-and-stone villages, and authentic Old West towns complete with false-fronted saloons and dusty streets.

Colorado truly comes alive for those who venture outdoors--among the towering Rocky Mountains, the western canyons, or the broad eastern plains. Atop Pikes Peak, you'll see what inspired Katharine Lee Bates to pen the lyrics to "America the Beautiful." Climb on a horse or mountain bike, take a hike or raft trip--or simply sit back and gaze at the mountains. Whatever you do, though, don't stay indoors. Enos Mills, an early-20th-century environmentalist and one of the driving forces behind the creation of Rocky Mountain National Park, said that a knowledge of nature is the basis of wisdom. For many, that's the essence of Colorado.