10 greatest’s Best Places to visit in Denver
My best friend once told me that Denver has what a big city offers without losing the charm of a small city. He was right, after 12 years living here, there are so many places to visit in Denver, or the Mile High city, as some of knowing it, that I haven’t visited yet.
They call it the Mile High city because Denver, CO is 5280 feet above sea level or one mile high. Denver is a beautiful city, with parks, museums, indoor and outdoor activities, and a spectacular view of the Rocky Mountains.
Denver is for those who want to enjoy the benefits of visiting a metropolitan city, but also enjoy outdoor activities all year round, with 360 sunny days. In this article, I will offer you ten of the best places to visit in Denver and enjoy the city like a local and/or with a local.
Denver, CO is not an overrated city for tourists, however, this city is becoming more and more desirable among the national tourism and international tourist, making it more expensive. According to Denver.org Denver welcomed 17.7 million overnight visitors in 2019. I will provide some places to visit in Denver and how to enjoy the city like a local without spending a lot of money to make the most out of it.
1. Denver sporting teams:
Denver has NFL, NBA, MLBA teams which it converts in the home of these world-class leagues. The Denverites are passionate about their sports, especially the Broncos.
If you want to be in the better grace of a Denver native, please don’t talk bad about their teams, especially about the Broncos, because this town bleeds orange and blue.
Then there’s Ball Arena, home of the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, and Colorado Mammoth. Head over to Coors Field to watch the Colorado Rockies play as well.
Enjoy a beer and a hot dog and the crowd watching is a must.
The city has sports events all year round and it is worth the experience attending a game. Tickets might range in price, and they might be subject to change.
Be sure to check: https://www.denverbroncos.com/tickets/ y www.ballarena.com for ticket prices.
If you are not crazy about crowds but you still want to visit where these teams play.
I would recommend you have the experience “behind the scene” of the best places to visit in Denver such as the Empower Field at Mile High and Coors field.
They have tours starting at $30 for adults and $25 for kids, kids under 5 years are free and the tour are guided by professionals that will last between 75-90 minutes.
For more information, please see the link below: https://www.coloradosports.org/stadium-tour/
Also, if you like baseball don’t miss the “behind the scene” look at the Coors fields. Their tours are Monday to Saturday and the tickets start at $12 for adults and $9 for kids. you can buy your tickets at https://www.mlb.com/rockies/tickets/tours#:~:text=Tours%20of%20Coors%20Field%20are,distance%20of%20approximately%20one%20mile
2. Eat and drink at local places, authentic Denverite food at Chubby’s, Columbine Steak House & Lounge, Taco de Mexico, Casa Bonita, Lechugas are the best places to visit in Denver.
Denver is a diverse city, but their first settlers were mainly by White settlers (European), Mexican Americans, and Native Americans and this is reflected it in their food.
For instance, have you ever heard about a Smothered Mexican hamburger? Or a smothered burrito with green chili sauce, with lettuce, cheese, and tomato on the top? or smothered fries? For generations, Chubby’s has served this authentic dish for natives here is the link: https://theoriginalchubbysinc.com/menu/.
Lechuga’s Italian is another historical restaurant in Denver.
Please don’t leave without trying their hot devils with marinara Sauce and their mini-hots, you’ll love them- http://lechugasitalian.com/. Columbine Steak House has been served local people on the popular Federal Street and their stakes are humongous and delicious, please be prepared with cash because they don’t accept credit cards. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Columbine-Steak-House-Lounge/113822275315314.
Another place that locals love in Denver is Taco de Mexico. This place is nothing fancy, but their food is one of the favorites of many Denver natives.
My favorite dishes are tacos al pastor and pozole with agua de horchata.
This small restaurant has been winner awarded with food awards among some of them was Hot off a James Beard America’s Classics Award win and their prices are very affordable. El Taco de Mexico is located at 714 Santa Fe Dr. Denver, CO 80204, Have you heard about “Casa Bonita”?
Well, this place was recently purchased by the creators of South Park, the cartoons, and it is a very iconic piece of the city that you must visit because tourists and locals get excited about the cliff diving shows. https://www.casabonitadenver.com/.
3. Museums and the first Friday of the month you can’t miss the Santa Fe Art district walk.
Denver is an artsy city, and it has a lot of history too. The city not only hosts world art class pieces but is the home of local artists and tons of history. We have very good museums and galleries.
There is the Denver Art museums, The Molly Brown House Museum, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Kirkland Museum, Denver Firefighters, Clyfford Still Museum, American Museum of Western, Museo de las Americas, Mizel Museum, National Ballpark Museum, the money museum, Black American Museum, Civic Center cultural complex, the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, Children museum and most recently the Meow Wolf museum among others.
However, if you want to enjoy local art for free, The Santa Fe art walk is completely free and is full of surprises. This festival happens on the first Friday of the month, there are food trucks with different kinds of food and desserts. The galleries are starting to open, and you can find very talented street artist singing, performing, and selling their crafts on the street. 10 blocks of full entertainment and food at a very inexpensive cost or for free. For more information visit https://denversartdistrict.org/first-friday
4. RINO and all its Breweries.
River North Art District or better known as RINO has the best breweries in the city. If you like artisan beer and street art, this is the right place for you. You have the famous blue moon Brewing Company; besides the beer, they have delicious appetizers and they used to have tours (please contact them for availability). You can make a reservation and eat there, /www.bluemoonbrewingcompany.com.
Also, another famous local brewery is the Great Divide sometimes they offer tours you can visit their website for more information. This is Denver’s largest packaging brewery, please contact the brewery for tours information this may vary due to covid 19: https://greatdivide.com/. Did you know that Coloradans also makes sake? a very innovative concept is Colorado Sake, you can start with some Horchata Sake or Blueberry Hibiscus. Beyond the very creative flavors, this place has a lot of events like trivia nights, Dim Sum Nights, and it hosts private events.
You can see their menu here: https://www.coloradosakeco.com/brewery-menu. If you have diet restrictions but you still want to drink, cider stem is a gluten-free drink please contact them for more dietary information at https://stemciders.com/. They also have trivia night and food trucks. Strolling and exploring the RINO neighborhood is one of the greatest experiences in Denver, the graffiti art on their building walls and the very urban-underground vibes, make this neighborhood some of the best places to visit in Denver.
5.Lakeside Amusement Park.
Lakeside is a family-owned amusement park that has been operated since 1908. The park is very affordable, and we really like it, we took our nieces and they really enjoyed plus we are supporting a local family-owned business. The tickets may range between $20 to $30 depending on the day and the season. The park is an Art Deco style designed by Architect Richard L. Crowther included a great deal of neon lighting in his work(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakeside_Amusement_Park).
Lakeside offers cool rides like the classical rollercoaster, Auto Skooters (Bumper Cars),Cyclone Coaster,Crystal PalacelDragon,Ferris Wheel,Flying Dutchman,Heart Flip,Hurricane,Loop-O-Plane,Matterhorn,Merry-Go-Round,Orient Express (miniature railway),Rock-O-Plane,Roll-O-Plane,Round-Up,Satellite,Scrambler,Skoota Boats (Bumper Boats),Spider (replaced for 2018 season),Sports Cars,Tilt-A-Whirl.Whip,Wild Chipmunk andZoom It also has all kind of rides for small kids such as Coaster,Flying Tigers, Turtles, Wet Boats, Jolly Choo-Choo, Frog Hopper, Granny Bug,Horse & Buggy,Sky Fighters, Midge-o-Racers among others.
Please visit https://www.lakesideamusementpark.com/ for more information.
6.The Hale-Belleview Neighborhood
One of the best neighborhoods in Denver is the Hale-Bellevue neighborhood, this place exudes classic and modern charm, The Hale neighborhood is named after General Irving Hale, and there is a mix of diverse architectural styles, from Tudor to foursquare, to Queen Anne, to the ranch, to cottages and Bungalows. Just around the corner, there are ethnic restaurants on Colfax and other gems at your fingertips such, Marczyk’s supermarket, Park Hill Sushi, and Nuggs Ice Cream. Hot Chick at latte is another of my favorite spot to grab my coffee and breakfast go, this funky place with the concept of “Bikini Coffee and it is located on Colfax and Dahlia avenue https://www.hotchickalatte.com/ and If you want to treat yourself with a handcraft donut just walk a few more steps and grab a donut at City Donuts is a locally owned shop,a delicious treat to accompany your coffee: http://www.citydonuts.net/
You also have the new redevelopment for shopping, dining, and entertainment within only five blocks away located at 9th & Colorado Blvd. Visit City Park, Denver Zoo, Denver Nature Museum of Science within only a 5-minute drive and within 5 more minutes, you are at Denver Botanic Gardens, Cheeseman Park, or Downtown Denver. The location, the safety, and the charm of this neighborhood make it one of the best places to stay in Colorado. If you want to experience the neighborhood and its charm book with us to stay in an eclectic boutique bungalow here.
7. City park
City Park is just a few blocks from the Hale neighborhood, and it is another one of the best neighborhoods in Denver. City Park is 330 acres of park in the heart of the city and one of the oldest public spaces in Denver. City Park was inspired by the English pastoral gardens and Central Park in New York City with a flowing, casual design, which some touches of Spanish Architecture. Built in 1880 the park has green areas with lakes It also has tennis courts, a golf course, the Denver Zoo, the planetarium, and the Museum of Science and Nature is there. The park is the house of a series of free concerts during summers, boat rentals, both standard paddleboats, and some shaped like various water creatures like pelicans and ducks. There is no fee to enter the park, enjoy this beauty completely free. Visit their website for more information:
8. The State Capitol
The Colorado State Capitol building was constructed in 1890 and it is the house of the Colorado general assembly and the offices of the Governor. The Capitol is famous for the gold on its dome. The dome is covered in copper panels that are covered with Colorado gold; this was made to honor the Colorado Gold rush era in 1908.
The inside of the building is decorated with different marbles originally from the state such as Colorado Rose Onyx and White Yule Marble. The windows of the building present different historical passages of the state. The official elevation of Denver is measured on the w0est steps outside the building, where the fifteenth step is engraved with the words “One Mile Above Sea Level.” From this step, at 5,280 feet (1,609m), the sun can be seen setting behind the Rocky Mountains (https://capitol.colorado.gov/history-capitol). Tours are offered Monday -Friday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, but for a group of more than 10 people reservations are needed.
9. 16TH street mall
One of the first places that I visited when I moved to Denver was the 16th street mall. This pedestrian strip is full of restaurants, shops, bars, movie theaters, hotels, and street artists. The architect who designed the mall was I.M. Pei, who is the same architect that designed the inverse pyramid of the Louvre in Paris.
The place is very interesting if you just want to spend an evening watching people or exploring the place. Besides all the restaurants and bars, you can always stop at the D&F Tower and admire this historical landmark which is a two-thirds replica of the Campanile of St. Mark’s in Venice, Italy. If you don’t want to walk the pedestrian promenade you can also take the shuttle and it is completely free.
https://www.the16thstreetmall.com/
10. Central city and Blackhawk.
Locals love to gamble! Denver is not Las Vegas but it has their little gambling getaway only 45 min from the city.
I would recommend Central City because is such a charming old mining town and it has six casinos, an easy street casino, the famous bonanza casino, dragon tiger casino, red dolly casino, Dostal Alley Saloon, and more.
However, if you want more variety or a more “Las Vegas kind of looking “Casino just walk or drive 5 minutes and there are more casinos in Blackhawk. Many of the casinos have hotels and food buffets which I like it better than gambling. https://centralcity.colorado.gov/casinos
Conclusion
You don’t have to travel to Switzerland to ski or do a winter sport, Denver has world-class winter resorts within an hour’s drive, depending on the high season. You don’t have to travel to Las Vegas to gamble and have fun, nor spend a lot of money visiting New York to visit good museums and city parks. Denver has everything to offer and a very affordable and less pretentious way. You have the best of a big city and the best of mother nature in one place without spending a lot of money.
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