The Top 6 Things to Do in Denver, Colorado

Is it just me, or is everyone obsessed with Denver these days?! Everyone seems to be moving there or wanting to. My friends and I joke that we need to move to Denver to live our best lives. It seems like Denverites are always hiking, skiing, and loving life. If you’re not packing your bags anytime soon though, you should do the next best thing – visit! Denver has so many different things to do that you’re guaranteed to have a good time. Here are my top six things to do in Denver!

1. Visit a Brewery

Denver is definitely a place for beer lovers. Just look at this map. There are breweries everywhere! You probably shouldn’t drink the first day you’re there because of the altitude, but I said yolo and headed over to 10 Barrel after dropping off my bags 😉. I liked it so much I also visited the Portland location a year later!

Another fun activity is the Coors Brewery Tour. Make a day of it and head on over to Golden for lunch. Then drive over to the southeast corner of the Coors Brewery parking lot to line up for the tour. The line is typically pretty long but it moved faster than expected. I think we waited for about an hour. Once it’s your turn, you’ll be bused over the brewery to purchase tickets. Opt for the full tour for only $10, or $5 for Colorado residents. It’s a 30-minute self-led audio tour about the history of Coors and the brewing process. The tour ends at the Hospitality Lounge, where you are able to enjoy three 8 oz. samples. Rumor has it that Coors tastes better in Colorado because the water comes directly from the mountains. I think it’s true!

2. Go to a Concert

Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre is one of the coolest music venues in the country. According to Red Rocks Online, it’s “the only naturally-occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheatre in the world.” How cool is that! Check out the Red Rocks concerts calendar for upcoming shows.

If you don’t have time to catch a show, I still recommend visiting Red Rocks. It’s only a short drive from Denver (15 miles away), and admission is free. I went just to see the amphitheatre and rock formations around it. There is also a visitor center, the Colorado Music Hall of Fame exhibit at the Trading Post, and a few hiking trails in the park. Which brings me to the next thing on my list…

3. Take a Hike

Living in Chicago, there isn’t much nature to explore, so I jumped at the chance to get outside and take a hike! My friend Erika took me to the Rattlesnake Gulch Trail in Eldorado Canyon State Park. This trail is 3.7 miles roundtrip and overlooks the Crags Hotel Ruin and Continental Divide. Erika likes to takes visitors like me on this trail because it’s a moderately easy hike despite some elevation at the beginning and has spectacular views.

Denver is only 1.5 hours away from Rocky Mountain National Park, so there are hiking opportunities galore in the area. I highly recommend taking advantage of them while you’re visiting. The Rocky Mountains are absolutely breathtaking and should not be missed!

4. Enjoy the Scenery

If physical activity isn’t your thing, there are still other ways to see some incredible views. We drove up to Lookout Mountain Park to enjoy the scenery and take some pictures. Lookout Mountain Park is a 30-minute drive from downtown Denver. Buffalo Bill’s gravesite and the Buffalo Bill Museum are also in the park.

5. Visit a Historic Landmark

Union Station was established in 1881 and remains one of the focal points of Denver. It serves as the city’s transportation hub, with an Amtrak station, RTD rail line, and bus stop. Union Station is so much more than that though. It houses a variety of restaurants, bars, shops, and even the Crawford Hotel. On one randomly snowy day in October (I swear Chicago weather haunts me wherever I go), my friend Jackie and I stopped by Union Station to escape the cold and leisurely browse around the Tattered Cover Book Store and other shops.

6. Catch a Ballgame

Don’t forget to relax on your trip to Denver! Grab a hot dog and beer and catch a ballgame. Located right in downtown Denver, Coors Field is home to the Colorado Rockies. The season was unfortunately over when I was there, but it’s always fun to visit different ballparks throughout the county. If you’re a big baseball fan, you can take a tour of Coors Field for only $12. Just make sure to buy tickets in advance.

Although these are my top six things to do in Denver, they are just the tip of the iceberg. Denver and the surrounding areas have so much to offer that it’s no surprise everyone is dreaming about moving there one day. You should see if the hype is real for yourself!