If you're only in the area for 1-3 days and you've explored Mesa Verde to its fullest, these are some other interesting places you should check out:

Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park preserves some extraordinary cliff dwellings and archaeological sites. The park was originally inhabited by the nomadic Anasazi people.
Cortez, Colorado
Cortez is located about 30 minutes from Mesa Verde and offers lodging, dining and things to do, such as the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center.
Anasazi Heritage Center
Located in Dolores Colorado, only 17 miles from Mesa Verde National Park. A museum interpreting the history and culture of Canyons of the Ancients National Monument and the Four Corners Region. Visit Anasazi Heritage Center Online
Hovenweep
Hovenweep National Monument is located along the Colorado-Utah border and is made of five prehistoric, Puebloan-era villages built about 800 years ago. Visit Hovenweep Online
Durango, Colorado
Durango Colorado offers a world of excitement
and accommodations to make your vacation a great
success! Durango Colorado is one of the most scenic
areas in the Rocky Mountain Region.
Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
Coal-fired, steam-powered, iron horses. Vintage Coaches. Travel the route that miners & visionaries carved out of the Rocky Mountains, high above the rushing Animas River.
Aztec Ruins National Park
Aztec Ruins is a national monument preserving structures and artifacts left by Ancestral Pueblo. The buildings date back to 1100 and 1200's. Visit Aztec Ruins Online
Monument Valley
Monument Valley is made up of some of the most gorgeous scenery and landscapes you'll find in the southwest. Towering buttes, monuments and spires; red earth, high mesas and octagonal hogans. Visit Monument Valley Online
Four Corners National Monument
Four Corners National Monument is a little over two hours from Mesa Verde National Park and offers visitors the unique opportunity of standing in four states all at once. Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Visit Four Corners National Monument Online