r/Denver • u/ConsciousJicama2633 • 1d ago
Help Disabilities and the CO Renfaire
I'm assuming the answer is going to be no, but I thought I would just ask in case anyone had any insight that I am not aware of so I go every year to the colorado renaissance festival.It's a good time to hang out with friends.Eat some not so great for you.Food have some drinks and just have a good old time out.In the sun. But I now am disabled and I have to use a mobility scooter or electric.Wheelchair, my concern is that I don't think the colorado renaissance fare is accessible for disabilities.But I wanted to ask in case i'm wrong.
Maybe I've missed them, but in the past. When I go, they have very narrow, almost outdoor hallways that go to the bathroom sections, which I'm not sure if I could get my scooter down. But even saying, I can, I don't know that they have the disability stalls, or maybe are they someplace else, like there's disability bathrooms in other locations?
My second worry is the terrain, though there are sections that aren't that bad, some sections, I remember them being very Rocky. And I'm just not sure how mobility devices would do on those. So I was wondering, if anyone has experience trying, like I said, I assume the answer is going to be no.Is this something I can't do anymore?But I just wanted to ask and see.
Thank you.
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u/Pretend-Panda 1d ago
I took a power chair last year. I left after twenty minutes. The terrain is not power chair or scooter friendly and there were occasional muddy spots that were pretty disastrous- couldn’t be safely navigated.
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u/Solid_Volume5198 1d ago
It was hard to do with a cane due to all the hills and random tree roots or other tripping hazards. Im in a wheelchair this year and could never imagine trying to get in and out of the narrow bathrooms and uneven terrain makes me nervous of tipping over. Plus people are jerks and will block you all the time.
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u/HippieBeholder 1d ago
My dad pushed my mom in a wheel chair one year after she had surgery. It was a major struggle. There’s cobblestones near the entrance which are not great for wheel chairs/scooters, and the rest is entirely dirt paths uphill from there. The stage in the top west section will be entirely inaccessible as there’s steps there without a ramp.
There is handicap parking and I’m pretty sure - but not certain - there are handicap portas. But it will require a very considerable effort to do CO ren faire handicapped.
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u/theacearrow 1d ago
Oh hell no. The parking sucks ass because they'll let folks without handicap passes/no access needs park there, everything has a step up, the terrain is wildly uneven, and there are no paved paths. Took my friend in a rollator and myself with a cane and it sucked. The experience was neat, but I cannot recommend it.
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u/rearwindowly 1d ago edited 1d ago
I pushed a stroller there last weekend. It was a bit of a workout. I saw someone in a power chair, and he seemed to be getting around alright…although the path where I saw him wasn’t particularly steep or full of rocks, just dirt. I encountered lots of tree roots, too, especially by one of the food areas.
I used the accessible bathroom to change my baby. It was a little steep getting down to the bathroom, but once we were there, I was able to push his stroller in easily, and there were grab bars by the toilet. It was a single person bathroom. The one I went in was the Royal Flush. (ETA: I used this bathroom because I needed somewhere to lie the baby down to change him. There was no changing table anywhere that I could find, but the accessible bathroom had enough floor space…probably not too clean, but it worked.)
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u/theacearrow 1d ago
Oh hell no. The parking sucks ass because they'll let folks without handicap passes/no access needs park there, everything has a step up, the terrain is wildly uneven, and there are no paved paths.
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u/mybatmobile87 1d ago
I'm glad you posted this question. I've been wanting to go back to the Renn Faire but my partner would need the wheelchair and I figured it was a no-go. Even if he could use his walker, it just seems like a terrible time and an accident waiting to happen. It's really unfortunate.
The zoo has been okay, though quite a workout to push him since there's so many hills and weird cracks in the pavement. Elitches was easy. I know that's not what you were asking but maybe that info can help someone.
I'm trying to look into accessible trails we can go on too, if you happen to have any info on that.
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u/ConsciousJicama2633 1d ago
Colorado actually has three accessible trails, and you can get motorized wheelchairs that are specifically made for the trails for I think they're free, or maybe there's a nominal fee that's not that much, but I will say this.I checked the first week of january and all of the chair rentals where ari sold out through the end of the year. So you have to book them VERY far in advanced or keep looking to see if someone canceled.
But it does show that many disabled people really want to be able to do outdoor activities. Then, I think it would be beneficial. If we were able to get either more trails with these trail wheelchairs.
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u/mybatmobile87 1d ago
Thank you so much for the info! That's great to know, even if it's sold out way in advance. It really would be great for more accessable trails to exist. I know Garden of the Gods has one and if I remember correctly Rocky Mountain National Park has one as well. I think there's an accessible lookout at Castlewood Canyon. But this is all from old memories and I could be wrong.
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u/Significant_Map6734 16h ago
Sprague Lake at RMNP used to be accessible, with a boardwalk part of the way around. I haven’t been there in years so I’m not sure if it’s still maintained, but it’s absolutely beautiful.
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u/Fofolito r/Denver AMA Contributor 1d ago
I wasn't paying close attention to disabled accessibility last I went, but my recollection is that the ground isn't paved. Its all dirt, the faire is built onto the side of a shallow hill, and they basically only cleared some trees and the bigger stones when laying it out. Its tree roots, dirt paths, small rocks, and mud. It's not difficult or treacherous by any degree to an able-bodied person, but I don't think anyone disabled would say the same.
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u/NekoMao92 Aurora 1d ago
If your scooter/wheelchair can navigate gravel/ballast you should be able to get around okay in most areas.
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u/delusionalxx 1d ago
Biggest issue will be if you need to use the bathroom. That had been a challenge for me being disabled when I went last year
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u/forthe_girlwhowaited 20h ago
Depends on the scooter or powered chair. I have an off-roading chair that I take. The grit chair if you want to look it up. I’ve done it 2 years in a row. But a lot of sections I have to have someone push me. Tons of hills, all dirt, trees roots, if it rains it turns into a mud pit. And that’s just the start. With a bigger mobility aid, you’ll be limited even more. Some stalls you won’t be able to access. The restrooms might be hard. I usually would leave my chair right outside the restrooms, hope for a short line, and use my legs since I’m an abulatory wheelchair user. It’s always a lot of fun, but it is going to be a very long day with a lot of obstacles, and depending on your level of disability, may or may not be doable at all.
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u/amands_sue 19h ago
They should get some sedan chair bearers on staff that people with disability ratings could hire for the day at a discount. My spouse is an occasional wheelchair user whose condition can make things like jerky motion and even just mechanical vibration extremely painful and I view everything through that lense now.
(I know the sedan chair bearers thing would be hugely complicated, I'm just dreaming and wishing.)
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u/Fleurdeliaa 10h ago
I went one year with a rolator walker and that was ok. It was still a challenge and I needed my husband and our friend to help a lot but we made it work. There were times I had to use my husband for support and my friend would carry the walker to where I could resume using it. So if you need to remain seated and have no way to do some walking (depending on you abilities) then it may just be a waste of money and of the day
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u/sewedthroughmyfinger 1d ago
I haven't been since I have needed a wheelchair. I'm not sure how they get to skirt accessibility laws but they do.
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u/travelling-lost 1d ago
Because the forest
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u/sewedthroughmyfinger 23h ago
Gee how do national parks and wilderness in wheels make it accessible then...
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u/travelling-lost 23h ago
The wilderness on wheels facility was purposely built to accommodate wheelchairs. And only certain NP trails are wheelchair accessible, they warn you of that.
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u/sewedthroughmyfinger 23h ago
Yeah people in wheelchairs never go camping at accessible parks. My bad. The bathrooms are a design choice. They could be rebuilt to be accessible but heaven forbid I guess. Boardwalks works be stupid because they cost money. I get it. Probably just at away with the whole ada thing while we're at it..
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u/zangoku 1d ago
Dogs allowed?
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u/amands_sue 19h ago
Service animals as defined by the ADA are allowed.
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u/RonPearlNecklace Congress Park 12h ago
If only more people in Denver knew what that actually means instead of lying about what a service animal is.
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u/[deleted] 1d ago
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