With a backdrop of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains, Denver worked its magic on me more than three decades ago, and I’ve called it home ever since. It’s fun for me to brag about the Mile-High City and its eateries, brewpubs, neighborhoods, and nearly every-day sunshine. I want visitors to love my city as much as I do.
So, order an IPA and get ready to grin.
Nuts and Bolts for Your Weekend in Denver
The thin air in the Mile High City can make visitors feel light-headed. Remember to hydrate! You may want to try this electrolyte drink mix that helps you acclimate to altitude . The altitude can also increase the effects of alcohol. One Wynkoop Railyard Ale can equal two at sea level. Denver dining attire is casual, and jeans are acceptable at all but the finest restaurants. Neighborhoods like RiNo, Cherry Creek, and Lowry are easy 10-15 minute drives or Uber from downtown.
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08/17/2022 02:32 am GMT
Visit Denver is the best resource for more information.
Map of My Recommended Weekend in Denver Spots
To make your time in Denver easier, here’s a map you can use to get around with my favorite spots listed. You’ll see that not everything is downtown. Instead, I like to encourage visitors to branch out and go beyond the normal stops in downtown Denver. After all, that’s how the locals do it!
Day One In Denver – Downtown is Where it’s At
Morning – Location, location, location
Start your weekend in Denver at Union Station , at 17 th and Wynkoop Streets. Exploring a train station may not sound rousing, but Denver’s “living room” is an exception. The open-air, historic centerpiece of Denver offers the best in people-watching, dining, drinking, and lodging. Union Station underwent a major transformation and renovation in 2012 and opened to super reviews in 2014.
Check into Union Station’s Crawford Hotel with rooms that are small but well-appointed. Then explore the station, with shops to browse including a small version of Denver’s famous Tattered Cover Book Store, where they occasionally offer happy hour and encourage shoppers to bring a cocktail into the store and get a discount on books. During the holidays, a 40-foot tree with some 7,000 lights fills the atrium of Union Station.
Photo credit: Crawford Hotel
Begin your day at either Mercantile or Snooze an A.M. Eatery , both wildly popular in Denver. Snooze has several locations in Denver, and there’s a line around the corner for each.
Restaurants in Union Station range from basic to pricey. My husband and I love to sit in a large wooden booth with a classic bacon burger and a craft beer at the Terminal Bar . You’ll also find another favorite, Stoic and Genuine. You may not even notice the octopus graphic on the walls, because you’ll be digging into the Thai green curry mussels or lobster roll. Curious about the name? The two owners described their personalities in a word, and Stoic and Genuine were born.
Afternoon – Calling all Foodies
Food tours are one of the best ways to get to know and meet other travelers. Delicious Denver Food Tours is my favorite. My friend Donna and I joined this husband/wife company on a tour of some of Denver’s most interesting eateries in 2019.
Even as a local I learned about restaurants I hadn’t been to, like Biker Jim’s.
As we walked into Biker Jim’s, onions sizzled in a large skillet in the open-air kitchen, and the place buzzed with people laughing, eating, and talking motorbikes. And, yes, Jim is a real person. He originally owned a hot dog stand on Denver’s 16th Street mall and found fame after Anthony Bourdain (RIP) stopped at the stand and devoured a dog on his show No Reservations. The list of kudos for Biker Jim’s includes being voted the best Colorado hot dog, by People magazine.
Our group had so much fun on the tour that 30 minutes after the tour ended, we were still hanging out and exchanging email addresses.
In 2021, Denver Delicious Food Tours served over 7,000 guests, and since 2017, they have spent $500,000 at local restaurants and bars. Prices run between $69-$100 per person and the meeting point is walkable from Union Station. Tours last three hours. They also have an evening cocktails tour, RiNo food tour, and a Saturday wine walk. Donna loved the tour so much that she bought gift certificates for her family.
Discover where to find the best patios in Denver – go to Arvada
Afternoon culture – Books and Art
RTD’s free mall ride on Denver’s 16th Street Mall (Photo by Sherry Spitsnaugle)
After the food tour, catch the free 16 th Street Mall shuttle to Broadway and walk two blocks south through Civic Center Park to 14 th Avenue. Denver Art Museum is on Bannock. The newly remodeled museum opened to the public in June 2020. With $175 million in renovations, the museum dazzles.
DAM is located next to Denver Central Library with its own newly remodeled Children’s Library and renowned Western History & Genealogy Department that attracts scholars and history buffs from around the world. The Central Library is undergoing its own major renovation so some floors are closed to the public; however, many services are still available. The museum and library anchor the Golden Triangle neighborhood.
Evening – RiNo and Rhino Art
Your weekend in Denver just got even better. RiNo (River North) is the destination this evening. The first thing to know about River North is that to get there, you should bike, Uber, or Lyft. There’s construction on seemingly every street and little parking. Besides, you may have had an alcoholic beverage this afternoon, and you can enjoy another without getting behind the wheel.
River North is Denver’s newest and trendiest community and has it all: galleries, food courts, jazz clubs, breweries, coffee roasters, wine-makers…and rhinos.
Look for rhino art and murals as you stroll the streets of this community that Lonely Planet named one of the top ten neighborhoods to visit in the U.S. Or check out this Denver walking tour that includes both street art AND beer stops !
RiNo Street Art
Dine at Safta , located in the Source Hotel and Market Hall. Safta serves a blend of Israeli and Mediterranean cuisine. Opened in 2018, Safta’s hummus is a world away from what you may have eaten from a plastic container. Pita bread is made from flour purchased from a farm in Kansas (you’ll smell the lovely aroma of wood-fired pita before you arrive). Safta is the word for grandmother in Hebrew, and Chef Alon Shaya named the restaurant for his beloved NaNa. There’s even a NaNa martini.
Safta Restaurant
Day two in Denver – Check out the Nearby Neighborhoods
Most Denver itineraries don’t go beyond the downtown and RiNo area, but as a local, I want to take you further and find some of the hidden gems that only the locals know about!
Morning – North Cherry Creek for High-end Retail and an Affordable Burger
You could spend hours or weeks exploring the boutiques, galleries, and high-end stores in Cherry Creek North . Begin your day at Aviano with an espresso or cold brew, pastry, and people-watching. This woman-owned shop with its modern design and prime location is a local favorite
The sign at the Cricket may have seen better days, but this place brims with character. And good beer and burgers (Photo by Sherry Spitsnaugle)
Lunch is at Cherry Cricket , a lively local bar with 20 choices of beer including Guinness on tap. The cricket burger and chicken wings are crowd-pleasers. The always-packed Cricket is in the heart of the action in Cherry Creek North and was voted Best Burger in 2021 by 5280 magazine readers. If you want to take it up a notch, there’s also North or True Food, which both have patios next to the sidewalk.
Cross the street from Cherry Creek North to First Avenue and enter Cherry Creek Shopping Cente r, one of Denver’s top tourist destinations, which brings in some sixteen million visitors a year. With Neiman Marcus, Luis Vuitton, Saks Fifth Avenue, and dozens upon dozens of shops and restaurants, you’ll find no problem spending time-–and money—here.
Afternoon – Pedal the City
Mile High Bike Tours leads riders on tours around Denver’s neighborhoods on three-speed cruisers. Groups are ten people or fewer and you’ll bike about nine miles, so it’s a fairly mild day. Guides take riders on the excellent bike path system in Denver. Wheel Fun Rentals has great cruisers to rent for the entire family if you prefer to do a tour on your own. They offer information for an excellent self-guided tour that takes you from their location at City Park through town via the Cherry Creek Bike Trail.
If bicycling doesn’t sound good, visit REI , an outdoor recreation store that’s a tourist attraction all by itself. The flagship store is located on the Platte River at Confluence Park, west of downtown. REI has an indoor climbing route designed to resemble Boulder’s Flatirons.
Afternoon – Salute a Gin & Tonic in Former Lowry Airforce Base (just following orders)
Lowry, a neighborhood a 15-minute drive from downtown Denver, has restaurants, a beer garden, and one of my favorite places, Copper Door Coffee Roasters. Owner Hanna Ulbrich, master coffee roaster, knows her caffeine and is passionate about her product. She even chairs the U.S. Coffee Roasting Committee.
Formerly Lowry Airforce Base, the Lowry neighborhood celebrates the history of the base with places like the Officers Club . My friend Donna and I started going to the Officers Club mid-pandemic. It became habit-forming, and now, you can find us at the “club” about once a week. Here, you can get the best gin and tonic of your life. Simply called “The Gin,” the potency of this brilliant concoction is in the ice cubes. Made with top-shelf gin with a touch of lavender, you’ll salute this cocktail.
Have a drink on the patio at the Officers Club in the Lowry neighborhood as part of your weekend in Denver (Photo by Sherry Spitsnaugle)
Other cocktails include the “Flyboy,” (gin, lemon juice, lavender) or “Major’s Medicine,” (rum, pineapple, and orange juice served in a tiki glass). The “O Club” also makes an excellent Old Fashioned and has a year-round, flower-filled patio. The General’s bacon burger also commands a salute.
Evening – Larimer Square
Larimer Square , located between Fourteenth and Fifteenth Streets on Larimer, was once a disreputable and derelict area. Today, refurbished brick Victorian buildings, flower baskets, and chic cafés fill the oldest block in Denver.
