Out near the airport, a holiday show and more at Gaylord Rockies Resort

‘Cirque Dreams Holidaze’ turns up the yuletide volume for all ages

It may stretch the imagination a bit to know that the large hotel we speed by on our way to and from DIA is now host to a top-flight holiday-themed circus show.

But it’s true. The hotel is the colossal Gaylord Rockies Resort, which sits 10 miles or so from the airport. The show is Cirque Dreams Holidaze, a 90-minute extravaganza (and I don’t use that word lightly) that rivals the kind of offering you might find at one of the big Vegas hotels. With jugglers, acrobats, aerialists and plenty of song and dance, the show really delivers for all ages.

We took our two granddaughters out there on a recent Saturday to check it out. If you go, it’s well worth making time to see everything else going on at the Gaylord around Christmas. They’re blowing snow out there, and they’re using it for a sledding hill, a snow merry-go-round and a snowball-fight area alongside other wintry attractions like a small skating rink, ice bumper cars and more. The resort also has quite a few restaurants and some cool dining areas that feel like you’re eating in a cave.

At showtime, we filed into the Bubly Theatre — one of the large conference halls decked out in seasonal décor with a stage in the center. Then came a rapid-fire succession of “how-do-they-do-that?” acts accompanied by a super-loud soundtrack of rock and pop songs augmented by some live musicians.

While many of the acts were in the same acrobatic category, they were all strong enough on their own not to seem repetitive. These were some true pros, working on everything from poles to dangling rings to elevated platforms just wide enough for a unicycle. Another strong element were the elaborate costumes the performers wore — a mashup of bright coats, wigs and leotards that made for an explosion of color everywhere you looked.

It was a lot of fun to watch our two young girls experience this kind of a show for the first time, and they chattered about it nonstop afterward. We were all impressed by the quality of the show overall — a bit of an unexpected surprise from a hotel way out in Aurora. Tickets range in price from $19-$99, but unless you’re behind one of the four pillars, there’s not a bad seat in the house so no need to go for the upper range.

The only downside of the show itself was the obnoxious volume at which the music was played. And it wasn’t just me and my wife: the kids were stuffing Kleenex in their ears to deaden it just a bit. The show wouldn’t have suffered at all by turning it down a good 25%, especially for all those little ears in the audience.

The resort’s holiday lineup features quite a few other seasonal attractions, including another show based on the Elf film, as well as an impressive array of holiday lighting everywhere. Be prepared to open your wallet for resort-level prices for everything, but if you’re looking for something different to take the family to for the holiday season, all the goings-on at the Gaylord make it worth the trip.