Left a piece of my heart in Denver, Colorado. Loved exploring the city with a handful of awesome recommendations from friends and co-workers familiar to the area. From exploring Denver points of interest, to trying beer at the best Denver breweries, to attending a baseball game and getting lost in the botanical garden, here is glimpse at my Denver experience and things I would highly recommend.
Lay Of The Land
Chimney Gulch Trail at Windy Saddle
Our hotel was in downtown Denver, but we really wanted to go on a hike and explore what Colorado had to offer. We decided on the hike at Chimney Gulch, which was about a 25 minute drive from our hotel. We were not disappointed in our choice. The over-all hike distance is 5 miles round trip and it was ranked moderate to difficult. From the top, you can see a beautiful view of the city as well the Rocky Mountains.
Location: 6TH The Ln Rd, Golden, CO 80401
Other Hike Recommendations:
Tabletop Mountain
Lookout Mountain
Denver Botanic Gardens
I adore a good botanic garden. Denver Botanic Gardens ended up being one of my favorite spaces and I could have spent hours there. If you are a plant lover like myself, this is a gem of a place that connects you with plants from the Rocky Mountain region. The 23-acre park contains a conservatory, a variety of theme gardens and a few ghost stories. It was a treat to see figures from the Craig Ponzio Sculpture Collection throughout the park.
Website: https://www.botanicgardens.org
Tickets: $12.50
Cherokee Ranch and Castle
The reason we were actually in Denver was for a good friend’s wedding. It was hosted at Cherokee Ranch and Castle and it was absolutely beautiful! The unique architecture of the castle combines aspects of the Western United States and 1450s Scottish-style. It was built in the 1920s. How do I know this? Because the wedding offered tour guides of the castle that gave us all the insight about the wedding venue we could ever want. The Castle is home to historic collections of fine art, furnishings and memorabilia from around the world. The Castle’s breathtaking views of the Rocky Mountains make it an unforgettable destination. The wedding was spectacular for so many reasons, but I loved the whole location experience.
Website: https://cherokeeranch.org
City Sites
Hillbilly Bus Tour
Yes, you read that right. Banjo Billy’s is a tricked out old school bus turned into a traveling hillbilly shack. The bus takes you on a history tour of Denver. Pack the bus with beverages (21+ events), and drive through the city with a tour guide knowledgeable in the ghost tales, crime stories and the history of the city. Sit back on a couch, recliner or saddle chair and enjoy the city from this unique perspective. Our group had an absolute blast and I defiantly can say, I’ve never done something like that before.
Website: https://banjobilly.com
Rockies Game at Coors Field
Even if you’re not a huge baseball fan I’d recommend going to a game at Coors Field. I was told to get tickets in the beer garden type of area which is the rooftop section. I don’t regret listening to this rec at all! It provides a great view of the field as well as the city. The atmosphere is younger, plenty of bars to keep you hydrated, just remember your sunscreen.
Other Site Recommendations:
Foodie At Heart
Linger
Okay, this might be the coolest place to grab a bite to eat. Linger is an old mortuary that is now a lively restaurant with a rooftop lounge. Enjoy slushy rose and get down on some AMAZING small plates. I honestly could have sat here all day. 10/10 would recommend.
Website: http://lingerdenver.com
Tomayo
Another great place to experience is Tomayo, an amazing Mexican restaurant for brunch. I’m sure you hear that a lot about plenty of brunch spots, but get this… They do bottomless margaritas, mimosas or Bloody Marys paired with endless plates of delicious Modern Mexican brunch specialties. Pick and choose any plates you want and keep them coming up to 2 hours. $39 a person - OH SO VERY WORTH IT.
Website: https://www.eattamayo.com
Other Foodie Recommendations:
Cheers To That! Breweries of Note
Denver Beer Co.
Denver has a ton of breweries! Explore downtown and stop by Denver Beer Co. Great beer and an awesome place to sit and puppy watch. It’s a brewery-based taproom with an industrial vibe. I am pretty sure I got most of my tan from sitting on their patio, but loved every second of it. Hungry? They had a few food trucks covenantally located next door.
Website: http://denverbeerco.com
Address: 1695 Platte St, Denver, CO 80202
10 Barrel Brewing Co.
We had to stop by 10 Barrel Brewing Co. after the Rockies game. I believe this is just 1 of 7 locations however, it’s 10 Barrel’s largest brewpub featuring 24 freshly brewed beers on tap. They had an awesome rooftop patio, where we enjoyed watching a lighting storm roll in and a pretty damn good pizza.
Website: https://10barrel.com/pub/denver/
Address: 2620 WALNUT DENVER, COLORADO 80205
Other Brewery Recommendations:
Breckenridge Brewery
Blue Moon Brewery
Great Divide
Coors Brewery
I wanted to say thank you to my friend Hannah Fitzgerald for inviting us to her home city and letting us be apart of her special day. As well as my co-worker and friend Larkin Labrunerie for all the amazing recommendations she gave us that helped enhance our entire experience. You ladies are the best!
As always, thanks for reading!
Have CO recs of your own? Comment below! I know I will be back soon.