Colorado's Peaceful Suburb Near Aurora Offers Quality Golf With Scenic Front Range Views

Denver has long been a popular destination for people looking to blend the best mountain adventure with urban (and suburban) excitement. It is the largest city in the Rocky Mountains, and its suburbs are some of the largest cities in the state. Aurora, Colorado is one such suburb and the third most populous city in Colorado. Given the size, you might wonder where to start exploring. We would suggest Heather Ridge, a peaceful Aurora neighborhood boasting golf, views, parks, and more.

With a population just around 4,000, you might think Heather Ridge, with its eponymous golf course, is an exclusive enclave for the country club crowd. Yet it boasts a modest median home price of about $300,000, almost half of Colorado's median home price. This — combined with high ratings for schools, nightlife, health and fitness, and diversity — makes it a great place to live. But Heather Ridge is also a great place to visit if you're looking to escape Denver for a day.

Check out one of the many local golf courses. In the afternoon, hit up one of the many local parks, offering everything from nature hikes to playgrounds to sports facilities. Afterwards, check out some of the local restaurants, which might just bring you back to a golf course. Whether you're looking to call it home or you're just passing through, Heather Ridge is worth a visit.

The neighborhood of Heather Ridge is located northeast of Cherry Creek State Park and is all but hemmed in by golf courses and parks. Just north of the neighborhood is Jewell Wetlands Park, a 50-acre refuge with trails running through ponds and marshes. Just next to Jewell Wetlands is Utah Park, a multi-use neighborhood spot with a big pond, athletic facilities (including an indoor pool), picnic areas, and more. "This is a really big park! Lots of grassy areas, ponds, baseball fields, playground for the kiddos with the rubber padded flooring, and tennis courts and water/pool recreation center close by," said one user on Yelp. They added that "the ponds are scenic because of the ducks and there are a few small bridges to take some nice pictures."

Of course, if you're looking for scenery, all you have to do is look up. Aurora is known as Colorado's gateway to the Rockies and as such you have the front range of the Rockies looking down at you almost wherever you are. Then there's the aforementioned Cherry Creek State Park, full of trails and a reservoir that combine to make it a recommended stop on Colorado's Ultimate Summer Road Trip Route. Of course there's another way for all ages to play outdoors, and that's by linking together drives, pitches, and putts down a golf course. Fortunately, Heather Ridge is well suited as a golf hot spot.

If you're looking for a round of 18 near Heather Ridge, you might as well start with the public Heather Ridge Golf Course. While there, check out Noonan's Sports Bar & Grill, a course restaurant and bar with a 4.3 rating on Google that has enough of a following to draw visitors who might not even play golf.

For your next round, head to Heather Gardens Golf Club, another public course 1.5 miles south. In fact, within a 4-mile radius of Heather Ridge, you have plenty of courses to choose from, including Aurora Hills Golf Course, Kennedy Golf Course, and Meadow Hills Golf Course. If walking on long grass fairways is your idea of a good time but the drives and putts have no appeal, you can drive just north past downtown Denver to this former failed golf club that was transformed into a public park. Even the golfer in your crew might be intrigued, especially after sampling a few rounds around Heather Ridge.

Perhaps one of the biggest selling points of Heather Ridge is its location outside the hustle of Denver proper, but less than half an hour from Denver International Airport (DEN). And while a car certainly opens up the possibilities of what you can do in and around Denver, if you're in the city without a vehicle or looking to take a day trip from one of the downtown neighborhoods, the Denver Rapid Transit RTD Iliff station is a stop on the H and R lines located just outside Heather Ridge. Between the views, the golf, and the trails, there's plenty of reasons to drive or jump the light rail to Heather Ridge, Aurora, Colorado.