Estes Park is a cool little city in the Rocky National Park and lies along the Big Thompson River. We have been to Estes Park several times since we moved to Denver. Of course, one of the first things we wanted to see was the Stanley Hotel. The hotel once hosted the horror novelist Stephen King, inspiring him to write The Shining. Parts of the television mini-series version of The Shining were filmed there, whereas Stanley Kubrick's cinematic adaptation The Shining was filmed in sets built at Elstree Studios in.The Stanley Hotel shows the uncut R-rated version of Kubrick's feature film on a continuous loop on Channel 42 on guest room televisions.
Many believe the Stanley Hotel is haunted, having reported a number of cases of ghostly activity, primarily in the ballroom. Kitchen staff have reported to have heard a party going on in the ballroom, only to find it empty. People in the lobby have allegedly heard someone playing the ballroom's piano; employees investigating the music purportedly found nobody sitting at the piano. Employees believe that particular ghost is of Freelan O. Stanley's wife, Flora, who used to be a piano player. In one guest room, people claim to have seen a man standing over the bed before running into the closet. This same apparition is allegedly responsible for stealing guests' jewelry, watches, and luggage. Others reported to have seen ghosts in their rooms in the middle of the night, simply standing in their room before disappearing. Whether the hotel is haunted or not, it is a magnificent hotel. If you have time, I would suggest taking the tour. It is very informational
Besides the Stanley Hotel, there are a lot of fun things to see and do in Estes Park. Since we have been there many times, I will just list a few fun and interesting
things to do in Estes Park.
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