Wife and I are planning a trip to CO in May.  Planning on CCW my old Kahr PM9 out there.  I've flown with checked firearms before but mainly from ATL to Dallas or Houston.  Any special instructions for Denver or Colorado Springs airports?  Any special rules to watch for out in CO?  Wife was out there 20 years ago.  I've never been.  Only doing a 4 or 5 day trip,  what are your suggestions on things to see out there?  Places to eat?

Depends on what you enjoy.  In general, I like:

- Crested Butte - very pretty, very outdoorsy area with great hiking, 4x4 roads, fishing, funky town
- Aspen / Maroon Bells (google it).  Lots of hiking, fantastic restaurants, fishing, hiking.
- Estes Park / Rocky Mountain National Park - very close to Denver, so easy to get to.  Great views, herds of elk, can be a bit touristy
- Telluride - spectacularly scenic, a bit far from Denver
- Ouray - also far from Denver, but lots of 4x4 trails, hot springs, etc.

Have you ever been here before?  If not, get to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Aside from that, interests?  You could ride narrow-grade railways, tour a gold mine, whitewater raft, drink lattes in Denver and shop, ...

COS is GTG on firearms, no experience in DEN but for a PM9 probably no issue - who knows what they'd do with an evil "Assault Rifle" or >15rd magazine.


https://cbi.colorado.gov/sections/firearms-instacheck-unit/concealed-handgun-permit-chp-reciprocity

Drive up Pikes Peak if the road is open.

Garden of the Gods is worth a drive through, nearby eats (different ends of the park) are Mollica's Italian Deli and Mason Jar Restaurant , along with Caspian Cafe.  Crave Burgers has locations in COS and Castle Rock.
Fiesta Jalisco is solid Mexican food.
Momma Pearl's Cajun is good Cajun.
The Airplane Restaurant or The Perfect Landing if you're an airplane buff.

Of course you can't miss Josh and John's Ice Cream for amazing "home made" or Rizuto's for HUGE portions of more like semi-production-level ice cream.

First of all congrats to you and your wife on the 20 years - and hopefully another 20.  My wife and I own a place in Silverthorne, about 65 miles due west of Denver.  Agree with all that's been posted above, and here are a few additional points to consider.  Getting to CO Springs will take about an hour depending on traffic south on I-25.  Lots to see and do there, as listed.  Likewise, you can get to Estes Park in about an hour, north on I-25, and RMNP is absolutely beautiful.  Check the RMNP website before heading up there as the pandemic caused them to limit park entrance to reservations only, and we don't know if that will be back in play during tourist season.

If you decide on a long road trip to see the western slope of CO (Crested Butte, Telluride, etc.) be aware that traffic out of Denver headed west on 1-70 is an absolute nightmare on Fridays and headed east on Sundays until you get at least through the Eisenhower Tunnel.  A reasonable alternative west is using Hwy 285 out of Denver to Poncha Springs, and then Hwys 50 and 135 to Crested Butte.  A good mobile app to download for your phone is CDOT's COtrip.  It will give you real-time updates on road closures due to construction, weather (yes there are snow storms in those high passes in May), traffic, etc.

Last couple of items to consider.  May is still 'mud' month and a lot of the higher elevation hikes at 7k-8k ft will still have snow or lots of mud to deal with.  Please don't take this as an insult - no matter how much pre-trip work you do (walking, hiking, running) nothing will prepare you to deal with the altitude at or above those levels.  It takes most people several weeks for their cardio to adjust to the altitude.  While you're there drink tons of water and limit the booze (except maybe at your anniversary dinner .  Have fun.

ha!

i just did 285 from denver to poncha springs for the first time a couple weeks ago.

it's an epic drive.

Also rumor has it that Colorado Springs has a highly rated commercial meadery owned by an Arfcommer and an active duty Army officer.

Drink extra water and maybe take a low dose aspirin every morning if you can.

Definitely recommend drinking extra water. May take you a day or two (maybe longer) to get used to the altitude. You get dehydrated real quick up here.

Start hydrating a day or two before you come out. That will help a bit too.

Mountains are beautiful. Bring a jacket, it'll be cold when the suns not out.

@buzzardbill is the place you own a rental?