Some people swear by the West Coast. Others would never leave the East. But anyone who’s lived in Colorado will tell you that a state doesn’t really need an ocean to be great. We have 54 mountains towering over 14,000 ft instead.
Colorado (or Colo-RAD-o according to some gift shop t-shirts) is the state where I grew up. To this day, Denver is still one of my favorite cities in the US. It’s really beautiful with industrial architecture and panoramic mountain views spanning some 140 miles. There are seven professional sports teams, 300 days of sunshine, and at least 72 breweries. It’s cool without being overly trendy. It’s a little bit international and always down-to-earth. There are unique things to do in Denver that you can’t really find anywhere else in the country. And if you dig the outdoors, you’re unlikely to find another American city that offers better access.
Looking to explore the Mile High City? It’s definitely worth the time. Here are 51 of my favorite unique things to do in Denver and beyond.
51 fun+ unique things to do in Denver
Very Denver Experiences
1. Catch a show at one of the world’s best music venues – Red Rocks Amphitheater
2. Head to the 1UP Arcade Bar on LoDo for a night of classic arcade games and beer.
3. No rental car? There are more than 85 miles of paths, so explore the city by B-Cycle instead
4. Pick up some park snacks and bring your picnic to Wash Park or Cheeseman Park
5. Escape the city and hike a Colorado 14er like Grays or Mt. Bierstadt. Note: These are tough and require preparation and gear! Plan ahead if you want to take on a 14er.
6. Check out public art like the Lao Tzu sculpture, the Big Blue Bear, or The Big Sweep
7. Boarders & bladers, take on the 60,000 ft2 Denver Skatepark
8. Catch up on your reading at the Tattered Cover, one of Denver’s best independent bookstores
9. Buy some peanuts and Cracker Jacks and catch a Rockies game at Coor’s Field
10. See live music at the very cute and century-old Bluebird Theater
11. Grab tickets for an off-Broadway show at the Buell Theater
12. Scan through the massive vinyl collection at Wax Trax in Capitol Hill
Photo by Natalie Cardona on Unsplash
13. Take an urban run on one of Denver’s scenic running paths
14. Get a mile high at one of Denver’s 200+ legal weed dispensaries
15. Shop for Palisade Peaches, artisan meats, or local honey at the RiNo Fresh Market
Eating Denver
16. Seek out the giant milk jug and get a scoop of ice cream at Little Man Ice Cream
17. Go vegan for the day at Capitol Hill’s most delicious vegetarian restaurant, City O City
18. Experience the best sushi you’ll ever have in a landlocked state at Sushi Den
19. Have a completely strange and very experimental dessert at The Inventing Room Dessert Shop
20. Find out what green chili is all about at Santiago’s drive-thru
Drinking Denver
21. Swing by Prohibition for some damn good cocktails and Monday Night Trivia
22. Sip Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout at Wynkoop (hint: drinking it takes balls)
23. Sneak into a speakeasy at Williams & Graham in Lo-Hi
24. Drink to the 3 margarita limit at The Rio Grande
25. Go on a Coor’s Brewery Tour. Even if their beer isn’t your thing, it’s a fun way to kill an afternoon
Events + Festivals in Denver
26. Watch Denver get covered in chalk art at the Denver Chalk Art Festival
27. Eat the best of the city at Denver Restaurant Week
28. Head to the Arts District on Santa Fe for the First Friday Art Walk
29. Summertime? You can also head to Red Rocks for the ultimate unique thing to do in Denver – an outdoor film screening at Film on the Rocks
30. Fill your cup again and again at the Great American Beer Fest
31. Sharpen up your backcountry skills in an REI Workshop
32. Head to Telluride for some blues rock at the RIDE Festival
Keeping Denver Weird
33. Brush up on your circus skills and try out aerial silks at the Aerial Cirque Over Denver
34. Embrace the absolute kitsch of Casa Bonita in nearby Lakewood
35. Lace up your running shoes for the charitable Denver Gorilla Run (it’s exactly like it sounds)
36. Make yourself look as dead as possible and join in on the annual Zombie Crawl
Denver + Beyond
38. Getaway to the crunchy university town of Boulder for the day
40. Get a car and make the trip into Estes and Rocky Mountain National Park (see tour options)
41. Head to Breckenridge for a skiing or snowboarding trip (explore tour options)
42. Check out some of the world’s weirdest rock formations in Garden of the Gods (take a tour)
43. Drive 6 hours down to Mesa Verde, one of the best-preserved Puebloan archeological sites in North America
44. Venture to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, one of the wonders of Colorado
45. Go sandboarding at Sand Dunes National Park
46. Plan a whitewater rafting trip on the Arkansas or Colorado River
47. Drive up the 14-mile Mt Evans Scenic Byway to the summit of Mt Evans, the highest navigable auto road in the country.
48. Hop on the steam train in historic Georgetown
Just Because
49. Support independent publishing and explore a collection of more than 15,000 zines at the Denver Zine Library
50. Join a swing dance class at the Mercury Café
51. Check out the free things to do in Denver this weekend at MileHighontheCheap.com
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