“The mountains are calling and I must go.”
I can’t look at the photos from our babymoon in Denver without thinking of that famous quote. What is it about the mountains that makes you feel so at peace? I equate it to the beach — there’s just something about the grandness…the openness…that both calls to and humbles someone. If I could sum up all the top things to do in Denver with one recommendation, it’d be simply the word “Mountains”. But of course, there’s so much else, which I’ll get to below!
Colorado holds a special place in our hearts. A few years back for Doug’s 30th birthday, I surprised him with a trip to the state. Though he’d always been drawn to it, he’d never been before, and so off we went to explore Denver, Estes Park, and Boulder. We came back thinking, “We have to go again,” and the perfect opportunity arose when my step-brother and his fiance moved there recently. We decided to visit them while turning it into a little babymoon, and the rest was history!
Our trip was short but sweet, and while I know we only scratched the surface of all there is to do, I have to say that I think we did an exceptional job at making the most of a mere 48 hours there! We did a little of everything — city exploring, indulging in delicious bites, mountain hiking, and taking in the scenic views.
In today’s post I’m excited to share all we did on our trip, and the many reader recommendations that were sent our way as well. I hope this serves as a great Denver starting point for anyone who, like us, loves to explore with a variety of activities!
Top Things To Do In Denver: Highlights Of Our 48 Hour Trip
Watch The Sunrise At The Red Rocks
Watching the sunrise at the Red Rocks was such a cool experience, and it was surprisingly easy to do. We looked up what time the sun would rise, hopped into our Avail rental car early morning, and were at the Red Rocks in no time. It was quiet, serene, and pitch black at first, and as the run rose it revealed a magnificent view of the surrounding mountains and valleys. I’m sure it gets busier in the warmer-weather months, but even in January, there were about 30 others there enjoying the view with us. Some were using the steps as a great place to work out, but most were like us and just enjoyed the view with a warm cup of coffee.
When we went to Denver years back, we saw the Avett Brothers concert at the Red Rocks, which was again such a cool experience! I think whether you’re seeing a concert or just going to enjoy the views, it’s such a unique place to take in the scenery, and should on your “Must-Do” list if visiting the area.
Spend Time At Union Station
When we asked people for their top recommendations on things to do downtown, “Union Station!” was always among the list. I see why! It’s a really cool train station downtown with everything from coffee and book shops, to delicious restaurants, that just begs for you to stay a while. We went to Snooze, which was the most common recommendation for brunch that we received, and it was INSANELY good. I also loved people watching while siting in the main terminal for a while.
See Government At Play At The Capitol Building
We initially went to the Colorado Capitol Building to see the famous “One mile above sea level” step, and unexpectedly ended up staying for a few hours. While walking around, we came to a huge press conference with the Governor, which we stopped to watch. After, we went upstairs to explore and thought it was so interesting to see the rooms where the House of Representatives and Senate conduct meetings. We even managed to get a private tour of the space from a nice man who worked there, who let us go out onto a secret balcony with an incredible view of Denver, stemming from the House of Representatives room.
The experience was educational, and definitely a highlight of the trip. One of the things I love most about exploring with no agenda is taking unexpected diversions like this! If you’re into things like this, there is a more formal tour of the building that you can take. Here, they go to the top of the building’s dome, where I can imaging the view is even better than the one we saw on the balcony!
Channel Your Inner Creative At The Denver Art Museum
What an impressive museum! We specifically went to see the Monet exhibit, which sadly is only showing for a short time period. It was truly incredible — Monet has long been one of my favorite painters and I felt lucky to see so much of his work in display in one location. Beyond that exhibit, however, it’s definitely worth a visit if you’re into art!
Walk Around RiNo
RiNo stands for the River North Art District. I love finding the places in cities that are up and coming, and RiNo is definitely a main hub of this for Denver! The biggest recommendation for this area was to swing by the Denver Central Market, which is a marketplace filled with local food and drink vendors. Here, we got drinks (a Mohito mocktail for me!), some lunch, and relaxed for a bit.
Beyond the Denver Central Market, we also enjoyed driving around and checked out the many murals that are like eye candy everywhere you look.
Enjoy The Delicious Cuisine
We received a TON of restaurant recommendations for Denver – I wish my stomach was big enough to try them all! The ones we went to and loved were:
- Linger – Small plates with a hip ambiance. Love that the small plates include options from across the globe, including Asia, India and the Americas! Great for sharing and trying a ton of different things.
- Safta – Food with influences from the Middle East, Europe and North Africa. Doug and I both agreed that their Muhammara was the best we’ve ever had.
- Snooze – There are a few locations around Denver (we went to the one in Union Station) and this was the most commonly recommended place. Delicious brunch!
Here’s a roundup of other places that came highly recommended that we’re keeping in our back pocket for next time:
Explore The Little Town Of Golden
Next up: Golden! It’s about 20 minutes outside of Denver, and is such an adorable town. This is where my step-brother and his fiance live, and after visiting, I totally get why they moved here. The downtown is quaint and filled with lots of western-inspired shops, and it’s surrounded by mountain views.
We stayed at the Table Mountain Inn while there, and I couldn’t believe the colors that greeted us in the morning as the sunrise came over the mountains. If you stay there, definitely get a room with a balcony – it’s absolutely worth it!
While here, we also grabbed a quick breakfast at Tributary – a food hall with some great local vendors – and I highly recommend! I got a fruit bowl and bagel, and Doug got a Burrito Sandwich, and all were amazing.
Other restaurants that were recommended in Golden include:
Have A Night Out In Central City
Another place we went to that’s not shown through imagery here is Central City. From Golden, it was about a 40 minute drive into the mountains, and we went there as a fun night outing. It’s basically an old mining town, turned into a mini-Vegas. We played Blackjack and – hey-yo – we even won!
It was pretty empty when we went, but it supposedly gets packed during the warmer months. The town itself is really cool to see if you like historic places — I felt like I was back in the midst of the “Wild, Wild, West!” Definitely an experience, if you have time (And a car!)
Enjoy The Great Outdoors
There are so many places to hike and be outdoors around the area. This is clearly one of the top things to do in Denver, without a doubt! The one we chose was a drive into the mountains from Golden, called Echo Lake. We chose this for the scenic drive up, and because the hike around the lake is pretty easy. My preggo belly wasn’t about to do a tough climb, trust me! This was probably my favorite part about our trip – I just loved being outdoors, in the mountains, and breathing the fresh air. There’s nothing like it!
Here are some other Denver-area hikes and trails that were recommended:
- Clear Creek Canyon – Noted as a great place to walk and see the mountains.
- Maxwell Falls
- Enchanted Forest Trail – Wildflowers in the Spring are incredible!
- Lost Lake via Hessie Trail
- Mount Evans – Summit Lake in the summer, and Kenosha Pass in the fall
- Mt. Bierstadt
If you’re into hot springs, the Strawberry Hot Springs in Steamboat were noted as a favorite!
Don’t Miss Lookout Mountain
THE VIEWS HERE. Lookout Mountain is truly the best you’ll find in the entire area surrounding Denver/Golden. One one side you can see rolling mountains, and on the other you can see all of downtown Denver, Golden, and beyond.
There’s SO much to see and do in the area – what other recommendations are on your list? Leave them in the comments below!
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2 comments
Yes!!!! Adding these all to my Colorado Bucket List! We can check some off on your next visit out west 😀
Can’t WAIT!