Experience The Mile High City
Denver boasts the 10th largest downtown in America and is one of the most exciting and walkable cities. Within a mile radius, downtown Denver has three major sports stadiums, the nation’s second-largest performing arts center, three colleges, an assortment of art and history museums, a mint that produces 10 billion coins a year, a river offering whitewater rafting, a downtown theme and water park, an aquarium, and hundreds of chef-driven restaurants. And yes, Denver is one mile high. There is a step on the State Capitol Building that is exactly 5,280 feet (1,609 meters) above sea level.
16th Street Pedestrian Mall
The Mall is a tree-lined, pedestrian promenade that runs through the center of Downtown and is lined with outdoor cafes, renovated historic office buildings, sparkling glass-walled skyscrapers, shops, restaurants, and retail stores. Built in 1982 and designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei, the gray and pink granite pathway resembles the pattern of a diamondback rattlesnake. In April 2022, a three-year, $149 million renovation project was started. It is the interconnectivity that this one street provides that gives endless possibilities for exploring downtown. Free shuttle buses cruise the mile-long Mall seven days a week.
Union Station
Denver’s Union Station has undergone a massive restoration that transformed the landmark into a transportation, dining, shopping, and entertainment hub. The historic, Beaux-Arts 1914 train terminal is now a foodie destination, with dozens of restaurants and bars, from farm-to-table favorite, Mercantile Dining & Provisions, to the Terminal Bar, situated in the station’s old ticket windows. A handful of local retailers includes a branch of the popular Tattered Cover Book Store. Union Station is also fulfilling its original role as a major ground transportation hub, serving as an Amtrak, light rail, and shuttle bus station with direct rail service to DIA.
LoDo & Larimer Square Historic Districts
In 1858, the Cheyenne and Arapahoe people were the only inhabitants of the Denver metro area. Thirty years later, Colorado was a state with a population of almost 200,000. It was a gold rush that caused this boom. Lower Downtown or LoDo is where it all started. As the gold rush petered out at the confluence of Cherry Creek and the Platt River, Denver became the goods supplier to the miners that pursued their golden dreams in the mountains of Colorado. The site of the original pioneer camp (known back then as Auraria) soon grew into the charming area now known as Larimer Square. Named Larimer Square for the pioneering General William Larimer, it was the city’s first block, its first commercial district, home to its first residence and first city hall, and was the city’s first designated historic district. LoDo encompasses Larimer Square and the surrounding area. As the birthplace of Denver, and a recent revitalization success story, the area provides an important link between past and present. Today LoDo contains one of the finest remaining collections of late nineteenth and early twentieth-century commercial buildings in the American West. And it is home to nearly 100 restaurants, clubs, galleries, shops, and a mixed-use neighborhood enjoyed by residents and tourists alike.
Denver Dining and Drink
Denver has thousands of innovative eateries, serving all varieties of cuisine. Area specialties include Denver’s dedication to New Mexican cuisine, buffalo, Colorado beef and lamb, and fresh produce such as succulent Palisade peaches and sweet Olathe corn. Denver is also well known for Rocky Mountain oysters, rainbow trout, and the Denver sandwich and omelet. The city is quickly gaining a reputation for its innovative collection of farm-to-table, chef-owned restaurants and its food halls.
Denver brews more beer than any other city with 200 different beers brewed in town daily and at the Coors Brewing Company, the largest single brewing site on earth. The world’s largest beer festival is held here every autumn, the Great American Beer Festival, which features tastings of more than 4,000 beers from more than 800 nationwide breweries. Many new distilleries and wineries are now open in Denver too.
Denver and the Arts
Denver has always considered the arts extremely important. In its Old West days, Denver had theater performances of “Macbeth” before it had a school or hospital. The seven-county metro area has a self-imposed sales tax for the arts, which is distributed to 300 arts organizations and facilities. Denver has numerous art districts around the city, including Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe and the River North Art District (RiNo). The Denver Performing Arts Complex has ten venues seating 10,000 people and is the second largest arts complex in the US. Next door, the Clyfford Still Museum showcases masterpieces from the nearly 2,000-piece collection of the famed American abstract artist. The Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art houses three major collections. The Denver Art Museum, designed by famed Italian architect Gio Ponti, reopened in 2021 after a massive renovation and is one of the largest art museums between the West Coast and Chicago. Denver’s live music scene entertains year-round, ranging from intimate venues like the Paramount Theatre to legendary open-air spots like Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, where the Beatles, U2 and many more have played.
Denver’s Unique Park System
In Denver, you are never far from nature. Denver has the nation’s largest city park system. Denver has more than 200 parks within the city and 20,000 acres of parks in the nearby mountains, including the spectacular Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre. The city even has its own bison herd at Buffalo Herd Overlook. In City Park, you’ll find the massive Denver Museum of Nature & Science, as well as the 80-acre Denver Zoo. Denver Botanic Gardens is an oasis in the city, with 24 acres of living flora. Some of the more popular city parks are Washington Park, Cheeseman Park, and Civic Center Park in front of the state capitol. One of Denver’s most urban parks, sitting at the edge of LoDo, is Confluence Park which lies at the joining of Cherry Creek with the South Platte River. Popular with hikers and kayakers, the park even has a small beach.
Denver is a Sports Lovers Dream
Denver is one of only a few major cities to have six professional sports teams. With five sports stadiums, Denver offers MLB baseball with the Colorado Rockies; NFL football with the Denver Broncos; NHL hockey with the 2022 Stanley Cup winners, the Colorado Avalanche; NBA basketball with the Denver Nuggets; MLS with the Colorado Rapids; and NLL lacrosse with the Colorado Mammoth. Denver also has horse racing, professional rodeo, and 90 golf courses.
