Denver Activity Guide!

What to do with a full day:

Urban adventures:

• Take in a Colorado Rockies Baseball Game at Coors Field.
• Peruse the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, followed by a stroll across City Park, landing you at the Sie Film Center Complex. Before your film, browse albums at Twist & Shout or books at the Tattered Cover Book Store. Okinawa Japanese Cuisine is right across the street.
• Bend your mind at Meow Wolf Convergence Station. Clear said mind with a stroll along the Platte path to Confluence Park, where you can dip your toes in the Platte River. Meander through REI (housed in the old Forney Railroad Museum) before grabbing burgers and beer at Denver institution My Brother’s Bar. Tea and ice cream also live along Platte Street, but cross the 15th street bridge for the LoHi restaurant and bar district. Speakeasy Williams & Graham serves the best mint juleps!

Nature adventures:

• Hike Red Rocks/Dinosaur Ridge or Roxborough Park. Paddle board and swim at Chatfield State Park or Bear Creek Lake Park (Soda Lake). These are all a reasonable drive from the Denver Tech Center Marriot. If you’re at one of the parks west of the city, check out the cool hippie enclave of Morrison.
• Hike and/or mountain bike in Breckinridge and/or Dillon. Lily Pad Lake is an easy out and back to a lake covered in lily pads (no way!) and Dillon and Breckinridge are connected by a lovely paved trail for walking and biking. Paddle board or kayak on Dillon Reservoir and finish up at the Breckinridge Brewery. Dillon is about an hour straight west on I-70. Breckenridge is about 20 minutes south of Dillon on Hwy 9.
• Hike Kenosha Pass, part of the Colorado Trail. If you take Hwy 285 south to the pass (about an hour and 20 minutes), hike the eastern portion for stunning views of the real South Park and Lost Creek Wilderness. This also makes for a great drive, if you’re looking for a mellow scenic trip; consider going all the way to Buena Vista. On the way back, stop in Bailey for Chinese Village Chinese food before visiting the Sasquatch Outpost store and museum. Yes, you read that correctly. Bailey houses a Bigfoot museum. Socks. Shot glasses. Mouse pads.
• Spend the day in Rocky Mountain National Park exploring alpine wildflowers, marmots, and cool forested paths. Estes Park serves as your base camp, full of coffee shops, restaurants, and the haunted Stanley Hotel, setting of Kubrick’s film The Shining.

What to do in the evenings:

• Stroll across I-25 a few minutes from the hotel to the Belleview Beer Garden. Open until 9am most days, Tuesday is Taco Night.
• Across from the beer garden is El Tule Mexican Cuisine & Bar for both patio and inside drinks and dining.
• Grab dinner and drinks in the South Broadway neighborhood, Broadway just south of Colfax Ave. Highlights include the Skylark Lounge, Thai Monkey Club and HQ for live music.
• Check out the dining and drinking variety in the Highlands (LoHi) neighborhood. Little Man Ice Cream is at 30th and Tejon St.

What to do on Tuesday afternoon:

• Stroll around the Denver Botanic Gardens, keeping in mind that the gardens hosts both live music and art exhibitions. Wander into the haunted Cheesman Park right next door, built atop one of Denver’s oldest cemeteries. I kid you not.
• Consider visiting one of the Front Range parks listed below for an afternoon hike, swim, or paddle board.
• Spend a few hours at the Denver Art Museum, followed by a snack at the City O City restaurant.
• Stroll around the historic (and haunted) Union Station, grabbing classic cocktails and appetizers at the famous Oxford Hotel’s Cruise Room right across the street from the station.