Here’s my list of a dozen enjoyable, relaxing, and fun things to do in the Mile High City: 

1. Visit the Denver Art Museum (south end of the Civic Center on 14th Avenue Parkway).  Its facade of glass tiles makes the building itself a work of art (in photo above).
2. Visit Colorado’s State Capitol building (between East 14th and East Colfax).  Go up the steps at the west entrance, and stand on the 13th step.  You’ll be one mile above sea level – enjoying the Mile High City.
3. Visit Larimer Square (1400 Larimer Street) to see Civil War-era buildings revitalized into a historical downtown shopping area, restaurant district, and entertainment center.
4. Make a mint, or at least watch the process of coins being made, at the U.S Mint (320 West Colfax).
5. Take a stroll through the Museum of Outdoor Arts in the Englewood Civic Center.  Over 100 pieces of art are on display throughout the Civic Center and the Greenwood Plaza Business Park.  Maps can be picked up at the museum’s indoor gallery on floor two of the Civic Center (1000 Englewood Parkway, Suite 2-230).
6. Go to back to college with a visit to one of several campuses, including the University of Denver (2199 South University Boulevard) and a branch of the University of Colorado Denver (downtown at Speer Boulevard and Auraria Parkway).
7. Commune with nature at the Denver Botanic Gardens (1005 York Street), as you discover and appreciate the flora of the Rocky Mountain State.
8. Relax in City Park in photo right), enjoying Duck Lake as well as the gardens, fountains and monuments in the park (between 17th and 23rd Avenue and York Street and Colorado Boulevard).
9. Kid around with mountain goats and other creatures at the Denver Zoo (2300 Steele Street, located in City Park.
10. Celebrate the American spirit with a visit to the home of the political activist, the“Unsinkable” Molly Brown, now the Molly Brown House Museum (1340 Pennsylvania Street).  This item is my only nod to the politics of the week.
11. (Visit some real sharks at the Downtown Aquarium (700 Water Street in Qwest Park).
12. Pretend you are in Venice, with a gondola-style boat ride on the South Platte River.  Boats leave from Larimer Street, between 14th Street and Speer Boulevard.

Please add you favorite Denver escape to the list! 

Photo credit:  Denver Art Museum; City Park

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Post from: The Denver Traveler

About ten minutes east of downtown Denver are 23 acres of gardens and plants that will make you feel like your much further away from the concrete of the city.  The Denver Botanic Gardens (1005 York Street, Denver) contain 45 gardens and over 32,000 plants.  (I discovered the York Street gardens while on a shopping expedition; they are very near the Cherry Creek Mall.)

The gardens represent a wide range of gardening styles and plant collections, covering diverse parts of the world.  It’s an interesting blend or culture with flora and fauna.  And, because this is the mile high city, there’s some focus on high altitude climate and how that can impact a garden.

While it’s hard to believe that a botanical garden can be even “greener," Denver seems to have done it with the city’s first green roof.  It’s a real-life example of how green roofs can be used for individual building owners, and for larger communities, in creating an eco-friendly urban environment.  Green roofs provide habitat for a variety of creatures, and help reduce pollution and decrease noise.  They’re economically friendly too, as green roofs help reduce heating and cooling costs as well as help extend the life of the roof.

The Denver Botanic Gardens are open year round.  Summer hours are Saturday – Tuesday, 9 am – 8 pm; Wednesday – Friday, 9 am – 5 pm.  The rest of the year the gardens are open 9 am – 5 pm daily.

Admission is $10.50 for adults; $7.50 for seniors (65+) and military; $6 for youth (4-15) and students; and FREE for children 3 and under.

There are also three satellite locations, each offering a distinct experience:

• Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield
• Mount Goliath
• Centennial Gardens

While it’s tempting to think of the gardens as a summer destination, each seasons brings a new experience.  So go back often!  It will be a new experience every time.

Photo credit:  flickr

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Post from: The Denver Traveler

Want a place that makes you feel at home? Need a spot where they’d scream your name in greeting if they knew it? Tired of going out late to find no grill open?

Shelby’s is the place for you! Shelby’s Bar and Grill- where the locals have been gathering since 1906. Located at 18th and Glenarm, Shelby’s is the last free standing bar in Denver. The building started as a private home and even did a stint as a mortuary! Now, however, it is an unassuming and delightful treat of an establishment. Dark green booths and wooden tables, a small back room with books lining the walls with publication dates that ring back to the 1880’s. Drink specials and a menu that has something for everyone, whether you are craving bar food or something more substantial. The drinks are the tried and true kind, nothing frue frue or blended, but something that will pack a punch and make you say, “Cheers!” with abandon.

Open Monday through Saturday from 11:00am to 2:00am.
Shelby’s also hosts two separate Happy Hours:
4:00pm to 6:30pm
11:00pm to 1:00am

519 18th Street
Denver, CO 80202
303-295-9597

[photo-SXC]

Post from: The Denver Traveler

As part of the Daniels and Fisher department store, the D & F tower became the tallest structure in Denver. You may have heard or have a memory of May D & F, this is because in 1957 the May Company bought Daniels and Fisher department store and merged their names. The tower remained intact and held the honor of the tallest building in Denver until that same year when it was succeeded by a building at 621 17th Street. In 1971, the remaining building from the original Daniels & Fisher department store was demolished. The tower was saved from the wrecking ball and was turned into lofts and offices.

The D & F Tower is situated comfortably on the 16th Street Mall at the cross street of Arapahoe. It has maintained its old world charm and it is most definitely a highlight in the skyline of Denver. There are four clocks atop the tower, one on each side, and a nostalgic steeple points to the clouds.

Many businesses have taken up residence in the tower over the years. Currently the most exciting new tenant is in the basement: Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret! Established by local Denver celebrity, Lannie Garret, The Clocktower Cabaret adds swing and pizzazz to an evening any night of the week.

Day or Night- The Daniels and Fisher Tower is a sight to be seen!

[photo-Flickr]

Post from: The Denver Traveler

Have no fear, if you are visiting Denver from the east, or have always longed to see the Cyclone up close and personal- we have one here.

Lakeside Amusement Park is the proud home of The Cyclone roller coaster- built in the honor of the original in New York. It is tall, intimidating, and- true to form- wooden. There are people who travel the world over to ride on wooden roller coasters and in all of these groups Lakeside’s Cyclone is on the list. I have ridden both of these roller coasters and they are indeed worth the thrill. Lakeside’s Cyclone was an experience from my youth and I remember being quite taken a back by its rickety-ness and very obvious weathered wood. It was just a few years ago that I rode Coney Island’s Cyclone and I was so scared I couldn’t scream.

Go for it thrill seekers, why not let the western version of the Cyclone take you away.

Lakeside Amusement Park is located at 4601 Sheridan Boulevard , just off of I-70 and Sheridan. You can’t miss it! They can be reached by telephone at 303-477-1621, and are open every weekday at 6pm, with all major rides operating by 7 and by noon on weekends. The Kiddie Playland opens at 1 pm every day, so bring the little ones along! It’s just 2.50 per person to get inside!

[Photos- SXC 1 2 ]

Post from: The Denver Traveler

Red Rocks reputation is solid in its splendor and lore. U2 recorded Under a Blood Red Sky Red Rocks. The Dave Matthews Band recorded Live at Red Rocks there as well. Red Rocks is also the first concert venue that The Beatles did not sell out! In my youth I saw Depeche Mode and Howard Jones at Red Rocks. In my sappy early thirties, I spent a night on the Rocks with my great friend Janelle and the late Dan Fogelberg who was one of the 10 initial inductees into the Red Rocks Hall of Fame.

Colorado translates to the color red and there is no misunderstanding of our state’s name when you see Red Rocks. Plan a picnic, wear a hat and walk through the park- it is beautiful. If there is no concert scheduled you can walk through the amphitheatre as well! Be careful and bring lots of water as you will be in the foothills which means thinner air and higher altitude. Climbing the stairs from the bottom of the concert venue to the top is a feat for the healthiest among us, so take your time and take lots of breaks to see every inch along the way. If you get a chance to see a concert or a film at Red Rocks, you will regret it if you pass up the opportunity. It is an experience that memories aspire to be.

This past weekend, 28 of Red Rocks original redwood benches were auctioned off to the highest, and no doubt sentimental, bidders. The Benches have been in the natural amphitheatre since it was constructed and the weather has finally gotten to them. Now 28 bidders claim them as their own slice of history. How nice to lay down upon one of these benches whenever you want. I would close my eyes and press my ear into the wood and relive concert after concert.

It is no wonder that Red Rocks was originally known as The Garden of Angels. It is a magical place that could possibly move an atheist to pray. Get yourself up there and breathe in the majestic site of Red Rocks.

[Photos- SXC 1 2]

Post from: The Denver Traveler

Soundwalk is an art installation by Jim Green and was set into the northwest sidewalk of Curtis Street in 1992. If you can plan a walk down this block every day you are in town, we highly suggest it- for the sounds change and you never know what you might get to experience. When I first indulged in the pleasure of Soundwalk I was delighted to hear elephants roar and Tap Dogs tapping! When I took Alicia to Soundwalk we heard a train speed under us in succession as we passed over the grates.

The six grates produce 40 to 100 different sounds an hour from a tape recorder in a nearby building. Though I like to believe it is magic! Whether you like the wizardry of sound unveiled or prefer to remain whimsical like me- Soundwalk is a Must Hear! If you get a chance to take this walk and are intrigued by the innovative work of Denver Artist Jim Green, take a side trip to the DAM, Denver Art Museum, to witness Mr. Green’s Singing Sinks or head over to the Convention Center for his Laughing Escalator.

[Photos - SXC 1 2]

Post from: The Denver Traveler

Denver’s Union Station hearkens back to the days of old with a futuristic appeal. The tall wooden benches are surprisingly comfortable and cool. The vast tall ceiling leaves lots of room to imagine where you might want a train to take you. The old tiled destination markers click and spin as one may see in a reminiscent movie.

Walk down the cool corridors and let them take you back. Breathe in and you can feel the hectic passage ways fill up around you in memory of Victorian Bustles and Overalls, all clamoring to get into the promise of the city. Take a break on the darker benches of the hallways and let the years and the history sink in. Gaze at the photos that line the walls, look into the eyes of the pioneering travelers, pick one that mirrors your spirit and introduce yourself.

Head on back to the counters and pick a destination. From Denver’s Union Station you can go to practically any point on the map after first boarding the California Zephyr Route. Treat yourself and travel in the luxurious atmosphere of a train, where you can see the land unfold before your eyes and get up to walk around at anytime. No need to worry about the seat back in front of you ending up in your lap!

Daytrips up into the mountains are a fantastic idea as well. Hop a train up to Winter Park in the summer to hike or to take a hay ride. In the winter, ride the Ski Train to the slopes. In any season it is the perfect solution to beating traffic and giving yourself a break.

Making Union Station a destination on its own is highly recommended. Step through where the Mizpah Arch used to be, look up at the sign, browse through the main station and down the dark hallways. Lift yourself up onto the platforms and gaze down the tracks. Listen for the trains and watch them come and go. The trains and the tracks are strong enough for whatever you may dream and Union Station will hold the memory for a lifetime.

Union Station is on what feels like the bottom of downtown, yet it is actually on the northern end. 1701 Wynkoop Street at 17th Avenue. Union Station is open from 5am to 10pm seven days a week. The ticket counter and baggage check are open from 6am to 10pm seven days a week. The 16th Street Shuttle stops at Market Street Station- only two blocks away.

[photo-SXC]

Post from: The Denver Traveler

Ironically, Margaret Tobin was from Missouri and did not ever go by the name Molly in her lifetime. She did come west with her brother to be near her sister in Leadville, Colorado amid the gold rush frenzy. She worked, learned to read & write and met Johnny ‘J. J.’ Brown. Johnny was a mining engineer and a mountain man through and through. The two wed, had two children, Johnny helped find the gold in the Little Johnny Mine, and The Brown’s moved to Denver and into The Lion’s House.

That Victorian House still stands exactly where it was built on the posh Pennsylvania Avenue of their time and it is this Monday’s Must See! What better than a slice of history to round out your visit to Denver, and for those of you who live here- why not revisit an authentic piece of our legacy. Tell the cab driver or chauffer to let you off at 1340 Pennsylvania Avenue, or take the #15 bus to Pennsylvania and walk down two blocks until you see the lions on the banisters welcoming you.

The Molly Brown House Museum has been preserved to give the actual feel of visiting the Brown’s for Dinner anytime during open hours, which change seasonally. Regardless of the hours the last tour is at 3:30pm. The Museum also hosts occasion high teas and lectures. Admission to the House is $4.00 to $7.00 and tea packages start at $15.00 per person.

Now, please be advised, if you are thinking of Molly Brown’s House as it was gloriously portrayed in The MGM musical, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, the view you will see in reality is not quite as technocoloricious. The House was grand in its day, as all the neighboring houses would have been. However, over the years the neighborhood has changed many times and at present it has eclectic Houses and Apartment Buildings and even Office Buildings surrounding Molly Brown’s House. In the same sense of honesty, we shall reveal that as people have grown bigger- so has our taste in what we call luxurious and grand. However, none of this makes a trip to Molly Brown’s House any less enjoyable- simply take it all in through the eyes of an aspiring socialite of the 1800’s.

If you are coming to Denver for DNC 2008- The Molly Brown House Museum is offering a free lecture about the 1908 Convention on August 13th. Or, if that seems too far away- why not head over for Brunch on July 19th to celebrate Molly’s Birthday! Please note that NO PHOTOGRAPHS are allowed inside the house, so bring your best photographic memory! Outside pictures are allowed, of course.

As the house is located in the middle of the hectic and popular Capitol Hill Neighborhood of today, parking might be an issue. Beyond that- nothing should stand in your way of enjoying this little treasure Denver has preserved in honor of one of its most famous and notorious chosen citizens. See for yourself how and where this self educated activist, suffragist, relief worker, mother, wife, daughter, reporter and philanthropist lived. Don’t forget to raise your pinky from your teacup, curtsy or tip your hat to Our Gal Molly and the house of her dreams.

Post from: The Denver Traveler

The 16th Street Mall

Spanning the expanse of Downtown, The 16th Street Mall is one of the most convenient and accessible places Denver has to offer. Pick an end of Denver, either Civic Center at Broadway and Colfax, or Market Street Station- the 16th and Market side or hop on one of the FREE 16th Street Mall Shuttles and ride the Mall from start to finish.

The Shuttle Buses run every few minutes and the Shuttle stops are on every block on both sides of the street. They are free, handicap accessible and you can bring your bike on with you. Many residents and tourists utilize the readily available shuttle buses to get to all points in Downtown Denver. This works fantastically as 16th Street is fairly central, so once you get to the block you need it is only a few blocks walk to where you are going!

One can truly use the 16th Street Mall as an epi-center and its Shuttle to navigate all of your Downtown Viewing or Business. Take it to Civic Center and you are across the street from the Capitol, The City and County Building, The Central Library, The Courthouses and the Basilica. Hop off at Arapahoe Street and you are two blocks away from The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, The California stop brings you within two blocks of The Convention Center. The possibilities are endless!

16th Street Mall has something to offer everyone with plenty of shopping, a plethora of restaurants for your every taste and craving, and Civic Parks for relaxing in the shade. There are many hotels either on the mall itself or within walking distance so that you may stay in the heart of the action, and businesses that cater to anything you could think you might need – including barbers, drugstores, knick knack shops and sundries. Don’t miss the Street Vendors, buskers, game tables, the public art installations, and so much more!! And don’t forget – transportation up and down the mall is free with the shuttle, but if you must drive, the parking meters are free on Sundays!

If people watching is your sport of choice- plan a visit around lunch time and the 16th Street Mall will delight your senses even more as the business folk mingle with the teens who are mingling with the performers who will no doubt mingle with you!

Post from: The Denver Traveler