Things To Do in Denver

Denver, an intriguing combination of modern American city and overgrown Old West town, offers a wide variety of attractions, activities, and events. Thanks to its geographic isolation, it’s a true cultural hub for a significant chunk of the country: You’ll discover art, history, sports, recreation, shopping, and plenty of nightlife. It is quite easy to spend an entire week of vacation in the city, but Denver also makes a convenient base for trips to Boulder, Colorado Springs, and the mountains.

Historic Buildings

Denver encompasses 17 recognized historic districts, including Capitol Hill, the Clements District (around 21st St. and Tremont St., just east of downtown), and 9th Street Park in Auraria (off 9th St. and W. Colfax Ave.). Historic Denver (tel. 303/534-5288; www.historicdenver.org) offers publications covering many of these areas and organizes several annual events.

Museums & Galleries

The Colorado History Museum closed in 2010 to make way for the new History Colorado Center, a block south of the old museum at 12th Avenue and Broadway. Construction was underway at press time; officials expect the new museum to open by the end of 2011. Consult www.coloradohistory.org for up-to-date news on the opening date.

Delayed but also slated to open by the end of 2011, the Clyfford Still Museum (www.clyffordstillmuseum.org) will house 2,400 of the late abstract expressionist works in a “bold and iconoclastic building” adjacent to the Denver Art Museum.

Brewery Tours

Whether or not you drink beer, it can be fun to look behind the scenes and see how beer is made. Denver’s first modern microbrewery, the Wynkoop Brewing Co., 1634 18th St., at Wynkoop Street (tel. 303/297-2700; www.wynkoop.com), offers tours every Saturday between 1 and 5pm. Housed in the renovated 1898 J. S. Brown Mercantile Building across from Union Station, the Wynkoop is also a popular restaurant. At least 10 beers are always on tap, including a few exotic recipes--the spicy chile beer is my favorite. If you can’t decide which one to try, the “taster set” provides a nice sampling: nine 4-ounce glasses of different brews. For non–beer drinkers, the Wynkoop offers some of the best root beer in town. On the second floor is a top-notch pool hall with billiards, snooker, and darts.

Also downtown, Great Divide Brewing Co., 2201 Arapahoe St. (tel. 303/296-9460, ext. 26; www.greatdivide.com), has a terrific taproom and free samples. Tours are offered Monday through Friday at 3 and 4pm and on the hour on Saturdays from 2 to 7pm. Great Divide is known for being a beer-lover’s brewery, crafting such favorites as the rice-based Samurai and the aptly named Yeti Imperial Stout.

Since it opened in 1991, Rock Bottom Brewery, 1001 16th St. (tel. 303/534-7616; www.rockbottom.com), has been one of the leading brewpubs in the area. Tours, which are given upon request, offer great views of the brewing process, plus a sampling of the product.

A mile south of downtown, Breckenridge Brewery, 471 Kalamath St. (tel. 303/573-0341; www.breckenridgebrewery.com), also lets you see the brewing process. Free brewery tours are given by appointment. In addition to its award-winning ales, the brewery serves traditional pub fare.

East of downtown in the Uptown neighborhood, the same folks behind Mountain Sun in Boulder opened Vine Street Pub & Brewery in 2008; it’s at 1700 Vine St. (tel. 303/388-2337) and has a fun and funky neighborhood vibe with a healthful bent to its menu. In Cherry Creek, Bull & Bush Pub & Brewery, 4700 Cherry Creek Dr. S. (tel. 303/759-0333; www.bullandbush.com), produces about 10 handcrafted ales and will give tours of its facilities upon request.

For a look at the other side of the coin, take a trip to nearby Golden for a look at Coors, one of the world’s largest breweries.

If you’re in Denver on foot, you’ll find that most visitors do their shopping along the 16th Street Mall (the mile-long pedestrian walkway btw. Market St. and Tremont Place) and adjacent areas, including Larimer Square, the Shops at Tabor Center, Writer Square, and the newest retail development downtown, Denver Pavilions.

Outside the downtown area there are more options, primarily the huge Cherry Creek Shopping Center--a shopper’s dream--south of downtown. There are also numerous funky urban retail areas within the city limits, as well as suburban shopping malls.

Business hours vary from store to store and from mall to mall. Generally, stores are open 6 days a week, with many open on Sunday, too; department stores usually stay open until 9pm at least 1 evening a week. Discount stores and supermarkets are often open later than other stores, and some supermarkets are open 24 hours a day.

Antiques

Denver’s main antiques area is Antique Row (www.antique-row.com) along South Broadway, between Mississippi and Iowa streets, with hundreds of dealers selling all sorts of fine antiques, collectibles, and junk. Wandering through the wide variety of stores, where each dealer has his or her own unique bent, is great fun. Just remember that prices are often negotiable; unless you’re quite knowledgeable about antiques, it wouldn’t hurt to do some comparison shopping before making a major purchase.

Art & Fine Crafts

The preeminent arts destination in Denver is the ArtDistrict on Santa Fe. In recent years, Santa Fe Drive has emerged as home to about 40 galleries and studios between 5th and 11th avenues. Most of the galleries are contemporary or Latin American and there is a popular First Friday Art Walk here from 6 to 9pm the first Friday of every month. For additional information, visit www.artdistrictonsantafe.com.

Also, the renaissance of Denver’s lower downtown (LoDo) has resulted in the creation of the Lower Downtown Arts District, where you can explore a number of galleries. The district runs from Larimer to Wynkoop streets between 14th and 20th streets. Call tel. 303/628-5428 or browse www.lodo.org for additional information.

A mile to the southeast, the Golden Triangle neighborhood, bordered by Lincoln Street, Speer Boulevard, and Colfax Avenue, has more than 25 galleries and a number of museums. The Golden Triangle Museum District (tel. 303/534-0771; www.gtmd.org) puts together an open gallery event the first Friday night of every month, complete with a free shuttle.

The most recent neighborhood to blossom with studios is River North, aka RiNo in the formerly industrial nether-regions north of downtown; the neighborhood has an open gallery event on the first Friday of the month. For more information, visit the River North Art District'swebsite at www.rivernorthart.com.

Books

There is a sizable downtown Barnes & Noble anchoring the Denver Pavilions at 500 16th St. (📞 303/825-9166), with a coffee shop and free Wi-Fi.

Tattered Cover The Tattered Cover is always near the top of the list when it comes to the country's best bookstores. The flagship is on the east side of town in a converted performing arts center, but the LoDo location is also excellent. 2526 E. Colfax Ave. 📞 303/322-7727. www.tatteredcover.com. There are also locations at Denver’s LoDo at 16th and Wynkoop sts. (📞 303/436-1070) and in Union Station, as well as in the Town Center development in Highlands Ranch (📞 303/470-7050).

Fashion

Rockmount Ranch Wear Jack A. Weil invented the Western snap shirt in 1946 and headed the company until he died at age 107 in 2008. In the intervening 61 years, everyone from Elvis Presley to Woody Harrelson has worn a Rockmount shirt. Today Weil's grandson Steve Weil runs the business, which sells its signature snap shirts at its historic LoDo warehouse. The 1908 brick building doubles as a museum of Western shirts, and the embroidery is nothing short of artful. The inventory also includes cowboy hats, belt buckles, and scarves. 1626 Wazee St. 📞 303/629-7777. www.rockmount.com.

Food & Drink

King Soopers, Safeway, and Albertson’s are the main grocery-store chains.

The Market at Larimer Square- Hit here to grab coffee, baked goods, or a sandwich for your rambles in downtown Denver. There are also shelves stocked with a variety of gourmet specialty foods. 1445 Larimer Sq. 📞 303/534-5140. www.themarketatlarimer.com.

The Source- Located north of downtown in RiNo, this 26,000-square-foot warehouse is the latest, greatest market in Denver, with local providers like the Crooked Stave brewery, a bakery, a butcher, and several shops and restaurants. The focus is squarely on local and artisan products. 3350 Brighton Blvd. 📞 720/443-1135. www.thesourcedenver.com.

Gifts & Souvenirs

I Heart Denver Store - Samuel Schimek has created the most original souvenir and gift shop in the city by working exclusively with local crafters and artists. Most of the T-shirts, posters, cards, and other products have a Denver or Colorado theme. On Level 2 of the Denver Pavilions, 500 16th St., #264. 📞 720/317-2328. www.iheartdenver.info.

Sporting Goods

Those in need of a bike should talk to the experts at Campus Cycles, 2102 S. Washington St. (tel. 303/698-2811), which carries the Gary Fisher, Trek, and Electra brands. Sports fans looking for that Rockies cap or Broncos shirt will have no trouble finding it at Bill's Sport Collectibles, 2335 S. Broadway (tel. 303/733-4878). There are also all sorts of collectibles here, from action figures to signed jerseys.

Sports Authority Sportscastle - Five stories of sporting goods fill this longstanding retail location just south of downtown, located in a former Chrysler dealership. Besides sales of skis, bikes, clothing, and camping equipment, the store offers a wide range of services, from tank refills to hunting licenses. 1000 Broadway. 📞 303/863-2260.

Toys & Hobbies

Caboose Hobbies- Here in the Baker neighborhood is the world's largest train store, with nearly 20,000 square feet of floor space and 100,000 train related products in every scale. Even if you're not a certified train-iac, the store is worth a peek for the numerous showcase displays of model-train dioramas that are out of this world. 500 S. Broadway. 📞 303/777-6766. www.caboosehobbies.com.

Wizard’s Chest- There are three areas of focus at this castle-themed shop in Cherry Creek North: costumes, magic, and toys and games. Upstairs, the costumes run the gamut from princesses to monsters, and the lower level has all sorts of miniature animals and dragons, a wide range of board and role-playing games, and a dedicated magic counter where old pros reveal their secrets to prospective buyers. 230 Fillmore St.  📞 303/321-4304. www.wizardschest.com.

For information on where to rent sporting-goods equipment, see the “Active Pursuits” section.

The anchor of Denver’s performing arts scene, an important part of this increasingly sophisticated city, is the 4-square-block Denver Performing Arts Complex, located downtown just a few blocks from major hotels. The complex houses nine theaters, a concert hall, and what may be the nation’s first symphony hall in the round. It is home to the Colorado Symphony, Colorado Ballet, Opera Colorado, and Denver Center for the Performing Arts (an umbrella organization for resident and touring theater companies). In all, Denver has some 30 theaters, more than 100 cinemas, and dozens of concert halls, nightclubs, discos, and bars. Clubs offer country-and-western music, jazz, rock, and comedy.

Current entertainment listings appear in special Friday-morning sections of the Denver Post. Westword, a weekly newspaper distributed free throughout the city every Wednesday evening, has perhaps the best listings: It focuses on the arts, entertainment, and local politics. Also pick up the Denver/Boulder edition of The Onion, which also has a nice arts and entertainment section after all the funny and phony news stories.

You can get tickets for nearly all major entertainment and sporting events from Ticketmaster (tel. 303/830-TIXS [8497]), which has several outlets in the Denver area.

Classical Music & Opera

Colorado Symphony Orchestra—Denver's orchestra performs about 100 concerts a year at venues all over the metro area, including the Denver Performing Arts Complex. 📞 303/623-7876. www.coloradosymphony.org.

Opera Colorado—From February to May, Opera Colorado produces three different operas, typically performing at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. tel] 303/468-2030 for tickets, or 303/778-1500. www.operacolorado.org.

Theater & Comedy

Buntport Theater- This is the best—and zaniest—original theater company in Denver. At their warehouse-turned-theater in the Art District on Santa Fe, Buntport stages four plays a year as well as events like “The Great Debate,” with actors debating bacon the food versus Kevin Bacon, for example, on the third Tuesday of the month. Recent productions have included an off-kilter adaptation of Shakespeare's “The Tempest” and a play starring a life-sized Tommy Lee Jones puppet. 717 Lipan St. 📞 720/946-1388.www.buntport.com.

Comedy Works- Comedy Works is one of the anchors of Larimer Square. Top touring comedians and rising stars of Denver's local laugh scene take the stage here. 1226 15th St. 📞 303/595-3637. www.comedyworks.com.

Denver Puppet Theater- This beloved theater in the Highlands area showcases puppets of all kinds in regular performances of fairy tales and other kid-oriented fare, as well as more mature entertainment in the evenings. Tickets cost $7. There is an ice cream parlor onsite. 3156 W. 38th Ave. 📞 303/458-6446. www.denverpuppettheater.com.

Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center- One of the pillars of the local Hispanic arts community, El Centro produces bilingual performances that include poetry festivals, film screenings, dramas, and musicals at the historic Denver Civic Theatre in the Art District on Santa Fe. 721 Santa Fe Dr. 📞 303/296-0219. www.suteatro.org.

Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret- Named for Lannie Garrett, a.k.a. “Patsy DeCline,” this eclectic venue in the basement of the landmark D&F Tower on the 16th Street Mall serves up burlesque, comedy, and musical theater. In the D&F Tower, 1601 Arapahoe St. 📞 303/293-0075. www.lannies.com.

Dance

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance- The eponymous founder of this contemporary dance company has been one of the shining stars in Denver since launching it in the 1970s, and her international reputation is well deserved. Annual spring and summer productions are the hallmark of the local calendar, but the company tours the country as well. 119 Park Ave. W. 📞 303/295-1759. www.cleoparkerdance.org.

Colorado Ballet- The state’s top professional resident ballet company, the Colorado Ballet produces both classical and contemporary works as well as “The Nutcracker” in December. 1278 Lincoln St. 📞 303/837-8888. www.coloradoballet.org.

Major Concert Halls & Auditoriums

Fillmore Auditorium- Formerly a roller-skating rink, this theater got a slick redo in 1999 and has emerged as one of the top music venues in the downtown area. Jam bands like to stop here for multiday stands, but musical talents ranging from Slayer to Robin Thicke have played here in recent years. 1510 Clarkson St. 📞 303/837-1482. www.fillmoreauditorium.com.

Paramount Theatre-This has been a focal point of local culture since it opened in 1929. Now an anchor of the 16th Street Mall, the venue has recently been graced by the likes of Tom Waits and Queens of the Stone Age. 1621 Glenarm Place. 📞 303/623-0106. www.paramountdenver.com.

Red Rocks Amphitheatre- With a scenic view of the city and incredible scenery in every direction, there is no finer outdoor music venue in the United States. Flanked by fins of red rock that provide near-perfect acoustics, the 9,000-seat amphitheater is the place to see a concert in Colorado in the summer. The Beatles played here in 1964—it was the only non-sellout on their initial U.S. tour—and in the time since has been the site of concerts by everyone from Jimmy Cliff to The Flaming Lips to Widespread Panic. For the record, however, Willie Nelson has played here more than anyone else, a title he took from The Grateful Dead in 2003. Whether there is a concert or not, Red Rocks is a great attraction, featuring trails, a museum, a restaurant and more (). 18300 W. Alameda Pkwy., Morrison. 📞 720/865-2494. www.redrocksonline.com.

The Bar Scene

The first permanent structure on the site of modern Denver was supposedly a saloon, and the city has built on that tradition ever since. Today, there are sports bars, dance bars, lots of brewpubs, outdoor cafe bars, English pubs, Old West saloons, bars with views of the city, Art Deco bars, gay bars, and a few bars we don’t want to discuss here.

Appropriately, the newest Denver “in” spot for barhopping is also the oldest part of the city--LoDo--which has been renovated and upgraded, and now attracts all the young partyers and upwardly mobile professionals. Its trendy nightspots are often noisy and crowded, but if you’re looking for action, this is where you’ll find it.

Other popular “strips” are along Broadway (centered on 10th and Ellsworth aves., respectively), and along East Colfax Avenue from about Ogden to Monroe streets. For those who prefer caffeine to alcohol, a number of good coffee bars abound throughout downtown Denver, as well as in the Capitol Hill and Uptown neighborhoods.