Denver Area Attractions ---- Things to do in Denver
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Denver’s most popular museum is undoubtedly the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, not surprisingly since Denverites take such pride in their pristine mile-high, Rocky Mountain metropolis. With an IMAX theater and interactive exhibits, the Denver museum is a hit with families and visitors. Paying homage to Denver’s rail history (Denver’s scenic Rio Grande railway that blasted through the Rocky Mountains instead of going around), Denver’s Forney Museum of Transportation is a unique Denver museum devoted to everything that travels on track. Home to the massive Big Boy, Denver’s rail museum is a must for transportation buffs. A cosmopolitan city with a Western heart, Denver’s Art Museum houses an impressive collection of Western American art and significant collections of world, Native American and textile art.Denver Zoo
One of Denver’s Favorite Family Attractions2300 Steele St., Denver CO 80205; Tel. 1.888.638.5648
Whether you’re young or old, a trip to the zoo is always an exciting thing. At the Denver Zoo, kids and grown-ups alike can marvel at over 4,000 animals, from lions and tigers to kangaroos and giraffes to grizzly bears and arctic wolves. Visitors can explore recreated rainforests, wander down pathways flanked by tundra wildflowers, study Asian elephants in their natural habitats and have a picnic without ever leaving the park. The Denver Zoo is one of the most exciting family-friendly attractions in Denver. more on Denver Zoo
Red Rocks
8300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison, CO 80465; Tel. 1.720.865.2494The 868-acre Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, nestled in the Rocky Mountain Foothills just 15 miles outside of Denver near Morrison, was once listed among the Seven Wonders of the World–and with good reason. Ship Rock and Creation Rock, the largest of the monoliths, tower 300 feet above the Red Rocks Amphitheater. These massive brick-colored sandstone monoliths are taller than Niagara Falls. more on Red Rocks
16th Street Mall
16th St., Denver, CO 8020216th Street Mall is Denver’s hub of shopping, dining and entertainment that stretches for 16 blocks in the heart of downtown between Market and Broadway Street. Locals and visitors alike enjoy strolling down the Mall’s wide, pedestrian friendly sidewalks to people watch and visit with friends. The street is also wi-fi friendly for business people and students. more on 16th Street Mall
Colorado State Capitol
Lincoln and Colfax Sts., Denver CO; Tel. 303.866.2604Denver is well known as "the mile-high city," but visitors will be surprised to find that it is also one of the flattest major U.S. cities-- it’s actually located on a wide Rocky Mountain platte. For confirmation that you really are a mile high, climb the front stairs of the State Capitol Building until you reach the 15th step (marked for your convenience), an official 5,280 feet above sea level. In addition to being able to check off another box on your list of Denver tourism stops, take a tour of the Corinthian-style Colorado granite Capitol with its gold leaf covered dome.
Denver Botanic Gardens
1005 York St., Denver CO; Tel. 720.865.3500There are several reasons that Denver's fine botanic paradise in the city was just named one of the top ten such public gardens in the nation by Country Living Gardener magazine, but here's one of the most touching: This garden takes advantage of all the senses, providing touchable, smellable, tasty, colorful and aural outdoor experiences all rolled into one. The therapeutic garden also serves as a landscape-design model for the facilities that cater to patrons with disabilities or special needs, featuring wheelchair-accessible paths, raised beds, container plantings and other amenities. (Review: Westword)
Elitch Gardens,
2000 Elitch Circle, Denver, Colorado; Tel. 1.303.595.4386Imagine an amusement park located a quick five-minute drive from downtown Denver’s excitement. Load the kids into a taxi and head to Elitch Gardens, home of the Minderaser coaster and the looming Tower of Doom, both of which offer stunning views of the mountains and downtown–at a price. Should you have a heart murmur, or just a fear of free falling, visit the 350-foot observation tower at Denver’s Elitch Gardens or relax on the vintage 75-year-old carousel. Over 40 other rides and a Looney Toons playland for the kids complete the amusement park experience.
LoDo (Lower Downtown)
Designated a Historic District in 1988, this redbrick Victorian neighborhood had fallen on hard times until a massive revitalization project reclaimed the 26 block area LoDo District in Denver. Since then, live-work lofts and hip and high-end restaurants have dominated the streets. The famed Tattered Cover bookshop is here, as is Denver’s historic Union Station. LoDo is also the center of Denver nightlife and as the sun sets in the Rockies, the streets pack with tourists and locals alike, taking advantage of jazz clubs, upscale techno and retro dance clubs, as well as assorted cocktail lounges and local bars. Anchoring the Northern edge of Denver's LoDo is the sparkling brick edifice of Coors Field–home to Major League Baseball’s Colorado Rockies, one of the only professional sports stadiums in the country that sits about one mile above sea level.The Molly Brown House Museum
1340 Pennsylvania St., Denver CO; Tel. 303.832.4092The looming quasi-mythic figure of "the Unsinkable Molly Brown," a survivor of the Titanic’s demise, exists on the periphery of America’s cultural memory. However, this educated, dismissed-by-high-society doyenne deserves a more extensive handling. After her husband J.J. discovered gold in nearby Leadtown, Margaret "Molly" Brown moved into a quaint stone home on Capitol Hill. Denver society grudgingly accepted her while feeding media smears on a woman they perceived as brash and uneducated. In the years following her death, her house was sold and became a home for wayward girls, but was reclaimed and restored by a Denver preservation society. Women in period dress, some modeled after Molly’s actual dresses, lead you through the three-story home while educating you on some of the historic dame’s exploits.
U.S. Mint
320 W. Colfax, Denver Colorado; Tel. 1.303.405.4761Originally opened in the mid-1800s to change gold and silver found by miners and prospectors in the surrounding hills into coins and ingots, the Denver facility was bought by the US Treasury in 1863 and transformed into a US Mint. However, it wasn't until 1906 that the Denver facility began actually minting coins after being an Assay Office for the interim years. Today, free twenty-minute tours at the Denver based US Mint show visitors how blank ore become treasury coins.
Children’s Museum of Denver
2121 Children's Museum Dr., Denver CO 80211; Tel. (303) 433-7444A hands-on children's museum for newborns to eight-year-olds and their parents, the Children's Museum of Denver features mini-sized 'Playscapes' for children, an 'ARTS a la carte' attraction where children can sing, act and create, a pretend grocery store and a giant magnetic wall for building over-sized words and numbers.
Denver Art Museum
100 W 14th Ave Pkwy., Denver, CO 80204; Tel. (720) 865-5000Founded in 1893, the Denver Art Museum has one of the largest collections of world art in the West and houses especially thorough collections of Native American and Spanish Colonial art. An accessible and user-friendly museum, the Denver Art Museum is one of Denver's top attractions.
Forney Museum of Transportation
4303 Brighton Blvd., Denver CO 80216; Tel. 303-297-1113A unique Denver museum dedicated to everything that rolls, including antique cars and rail cars. Highlights of the Western-themed Denver museum include Amelia Earhart's "Gold Bug" Kissel, custom Brewster's and the Big Boy rail engine. Housing over 500 exhibits, the museum also hosts antique carriages, tractors, buggies and cycles.
Mizel Museum of Judaica
350 S. Dahlia St., Denver CO 80246; Tel. (303) 399-2660The museum's flagship programs, 'Bridges of Understanding,' promotes intercultural awareness via educational programs for children and adults and presents the contribution of the Jewish people to the world through the arts.
Museo de las Americas
861 Santa Fe Dr., Denver CO 80204; Tel. 303-571-4401Denver's Museo de las Americas (Museums of the Americas) features Ancient, Spanish Colonial and contemporary art emphasizing the artistic and cultural achievements of Latinos. The museum is located in a the burgeoning cultural center of Denver's Latino community in downtown Denver.
Colorado History Museum
1300 Broadway Arvada, CO 80203; Tel. 303-866-3682Explore Colorado’s past and present. The museum hosts one of the most comprehensive exhibit experiences about the state’s American Indians. Imagine covered wagons, a rendezvous of fur trappers, Indian buffalo hunts, mining the Rocky Mountains, and life in early Denver. Discover the diversity of Colorado from its earliest inhabitants to its pioneer families. Explore Colorado's own museum with fascinating collections, detailed dioramas, historic photographs, artifacts, and more.
Wings Over the Rockies Museum
7711 East Academy Boulevard Denver, CO 80230; Tel. (303) 360-5360The Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum is Denver's newest major historical and educational facility. The museum is dedicated to reminding us of the rich history of flight in the Rocky Mountain region, and to teach the younger generation about the science of aviation and space travel. With 30 aircraft and special exhibits, there is something of interest in the museum for everyone.
Black American West Museum
3091 California Street, Denver, CO, 80205; Tel. 303-482-2242The Black American West Museum & Heritage Center tells the little-known story of African American pioneers through its collection of more than 35,000 artifacts–everything from photographs and cowboy boots, to old newspapers and oral histories. Housed in the former home of Dr. Justina Ford, Colorado’s first Black female doctor, this culturally rich museum can be found in the heart of Five Points–one of Denver’s most historically significant neighborhoods.
Denver Public Library Kid’s Events
10 W. 14th Ave. Parkway; Tel. 720.865.1111The librarians in the Children’s Library are specialists available to help the public in a variety of ways including research, homework help, book recommendations, and general library information. In addition to educating young customers through a strong collection and great services, the Denver Public Library hopes to entertain and inspire them through a variety of programs including storytimes, crafts, read-alouds, and family programs.
Coors Field: Home of the Colorado Rockies
2001 Blake St # A Denver, CO 80205; Tel. (303) 292-0200The 76-acre ballpark stands at 20th and Blake streets in Denver's lower downtown ("LoDo") district. Fans sitting in the first-base and right-field areas are treated to a spectacular view of the Rocky Mountains. Every year since it opened in 1995, Coors has been a league leader in attendance. Most of the stadium seats are green. However, the upper deck's 20th row is painted purple, signifying exactly one mile above sea level.
Rocky Mountain Audio Guides: Walking Tours
P.O. Box 22963 Denver, CO 80222-0963; Tel. (303) 898-7073There's a whole lot of history between Cherry Creek and Coors Field. If you'd like to impress your out-of-town guests with how much of it you know, pick up a copy of the CD Walking Tour of Denver's Historic Lower Downtown (LoDo), a self-guided tour of the neighborhood where our fair city began. You can explore the 2.25 miles from Union Station to Skyline Park at your own pace.
Denver History Tours
1555 California St., Suite 300 Denver, CO 80202; Tel. 303-892-1112Denver History Tours is a new company that offers historically-themed tours of Denver, Colorado, and the Rocky Mountain region. These tours are guided by trained historians, but the primary objective is that they are fun! History is alive all around us, and DHT aims to take this history to the streets, showcasing Denver's unique western heritage and providing clients and visitors with a high quality, enjoyable experience.