Denver, the mile high city, is chocked full of things to do. In this blog we are going to give you all the information we picked up on for Denver when we lived there. If you love fresh clean air with perfect (although bipolar) weather for 9 out of the 12 months, Denver is the place for you to travel to.
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Transportation
- DIA (Denver International Airport): Whoever was a part of the decision on where to this airport clearly wanted to expand, because it is in the middle of nowhere. From there, you would either take the light rail, rideshare, or rent a car.
- Regional Transportation District (RTD): The light rail service finally finished extending their service to reach the airport so this is a good form of public transportation when we would just explore downtown Denver. Located right next to the Westin Hotel, take the “A-Line” station to “Union” station, in the heart of Downtown Denver. From the airport to downtown, tickets are only $9 per person for the one way which is much cheaper than a taxi or ride share option. To ride the light rail for other routes, they have either a 1 day local pass for $5.20 or a 5 day local pass for $26.
- Other forms of transportation: Since we recommend exploring a little more than just downtown, be prepared to either rent a car or take a taxi/rideshare.
Accommodations
Living in Denver, we have not stayed at many hotels, but there are a few we would recommend in a heart beat and we will start with the best, in our opinion.
- Woolley’s Classic Suites: Be prepared to be treated like a king at this hotel! It is a 4 star family owned, boutique hotel with 5 star reviews. An all suite hotel, it is incredibly impressive and very inclusive with amenities. The price of the room includes a cooked to order breakfast, happy hour, airport shuttle service, and wifi. The hotel also has a salt water pool, 24 hour fitness facility, business center, and laundry (free). There is also an onsite restaurant, located inside the atrium.
Sleeping in the beds is like sleeping on a cloud, and we never wanted to wake up! Everything is clean, the staff is friendly and helpful, and the shuttle service is a breeze. Rates fluctuate for this hotel and it is best to book in as much advance as possible to get the best price ($180-$299 for a double queen room).
- The Westin Denver International Airport: This is another option if you are needing to be right there at the airport. We literally just had to walk out of the hotel and we were in the airport.
It does not include nearly as many amenities as the previous hotel mentioned, but it is still very nice, and you do pay for the convenience. This hotel includes a fitness facility and heated indoor pool. Wi-Fi is free in common areas and available for purchase for in-room service. Room rates vary but on average are around $220.
To-Do
- 16th Street Mall: Located in downtown Denver, this outside mall is a very fun place to shop, people watch, and just explore. There are many restaurants that cater to many different tastes as well as a plethora of shops.
It is especially magical at night, with the twinkle lights and horse drawn carriage rides. In the winter, there is ice skating.
- Elitch Gardens: This was another fun way that we would spend our days in Denver. Located in downtown, we could most definitely spend a whole day here. Tickets are $40 for adults, $35 for children. There are over 50 rides, including a water park.
If going from September 29th-October 29th, there is Fright Fest: a Halloween event on Friday-Sunday nights. There are haunted houses and many people dress up, including the park employees. As with any theme park, be prepared for semi pricey food.
- Denver Zoo: This zoo is made up of 80 acres of land hosting over 600 species of animals so there is plenty to see and not be bored. The price of admission is $17 per person for anyone over the age of 12 and $12 for anyone under 12.
If visiting Denver from December 2nd-January 1st, there is the Denver Zoo Lights. This is a special event where the zoo is lit up with all kinds of animal sculptures. You can still see animals and there is other entertainment as well. It starts at 5:30pm and tickets for this event are not included with the regular zoo pass. Depending on when you go, tickets are $13-$17 per person. This is a very sought after event in Denver so be aware that it will most likely be quite busy.
- Downtown Aquarium: Since we enjoy sea life as well as wildlife, we have visited this aquarium several times. They have 9 different exhibits with tons of different creatures!
They also have a 4-D theater inside the aquarium that shows different films with multiple effects. This is not included with the price of admission so if you want to see a movie here, make sure to purchase the aquarium exhibit plus pass. That is $25.5o instead of just paying the admission which is $20.50. We easily spend all day here as there is plenty to see and explore.
- Coors Field: Since Jonah is a big fan of baseball, we would try to catch at least one game a year at this ball park! It is a pretty new ballpark, only open since 1995 and they do a good job maintaining it.
Besides all of these great options for things to do, there are plenty of opportunities to get outside and do some hiking in nearby areas, right outside of the city. There are just too many activities for us to be able to list them all in one blog, especially when we start talking about things to do outside the city.
Food
- Sushi Katsu: This all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant is located in Aurora, a suburb of Denver. It is not too far from the city and is most definitely worth paying for a rental car to get over there or hopping in an Uber, Lyft, or Taxi. However you need to get there, do it! The sushi is absolutely delicious and the staff is very friendly. Plus, it’s a great deal for all the food you’re getting. It is $14.95 for lunch and $24.95 for dinner.
- Voodoo Doughnuts: This place is another favorite of ours for tasty sugary doughnuts. There are now 6 locations, located in Oregon, California, Florida, Colorado, and Texas. If you do not like sugar, do not go here. The doughnuts are quite rich and sweet. They have very unique doughnuts such as the “Oh Captain, my Captain” which is a doughnut sprinkled with Captain Crunch cereal on top. Our personal favorites are the Voodoo doll (raspberry filling with chocolate frosting and a pretzel stake), Apple fritter, Dirt (vanilla frosting with oreo cookies), the Portland cream (Bavarian cream filling with chocolate frosting) and the McMinnville Cream (Bavarian cream filling with maple frosting). They also offer vegan doughnuts. The doughnuts are about $2 per doughnut, depending on which kinds you are ordering.
Travel Tip: Parking is extremely limited as they are always very busy and do not have a parking lot. You may want to plan on parking somewhere down the street and simply walk there.
- Sam’s No. 3: Located right in downtown Denver, this fantastic diner has a huge menu! They have been around since 1927 so they obviously know what they’re doing! They had some amazing breakfast options and their lunch and dinner looked great as well. Many people come for the breakfast; it is one of the best breakfast restaurants in Denver. Their hours vary so check their website for the most up to date hours. Food prices were very reasonable.
- Casa Bonita: Now this restaurant we have a differing opinion on. Jonah thinks this restaurant has great Mexican food and Sierra thinks differently. This restaurant has an all-you-can-eat dinner for $17.12 per person and includes a hard shell taco, enchiladas, rice, beans, chips with salsa and queso, and sopaipillas. They have other items on the menu as well. Water dives off the indoor waterfall, gun fights, and gorillas make this not only a place to eat but also very entertaining. This is especially great for kids as they also have an arcade.
Denver, Colorado is definitely one city you should get to at least once in your travels. There are so many more things to see, eat, and explore than we could mention in this one blog post. So what do you think? Ready to travel to this upbeat city?
You forgot to mention Sports Authority Field, home of the Broncos.