The Mile High City Has Miles to Offer: Denver, CO 🥾
Where craft culture, red rock, and frontier ambition meet at 5,280 feet 🏔️
Denver is one of those cities that rewards you for paying attention. It sits at the edge of the Great Plains, the Rockies visible on nearly every clear day, and it carries that geographic tension into everything it does. The neighborhoods are distinct, the energy shifts block by block, and there is always something more to find if you are willing to look for it.
Transportations:
Southwest | WN 472: Philadelphia ➡️ Denver
🛫 16:13 EDT PHL (13m Late)
🛬 18:47 MDT DEN (37m Late)
Duration: 4 hr, 34 min (Slightly longer flight time due to a weather-related detour.)
Stay:
Kimpton Claret Hotel (4-Star Hotel | 4.2 ⭐️ 🏳️🌈)
6985 E Chenango Ave, Denver, CO 80237
Located in the Denver Tech Center, about 5 mins walk to the RTD Belleview Station.
Complimentary drip and cold brew coffee are available in the lobby each morning, with a wine happy hour starting at 4 PM.
The hotel is part of The Edit by Chase Travel & Chase Select Hotel program.
Eligible for the $250 hotel statement credits.
Daily breakfast up to $30 per day at the on-site restaurant.
$100 property credit for restaurant, bar, and room services.
Guaranteed 4PM checkout.
Must be a Chase Sapphire Reserve Cardholder and book through Chase Travel to receive the benefits.
Dining:
Saverina (4.4 ⭐️ 🏳️🌈 $$$) Italian
6985 E Chenango Ave, Denver, CO 80237
One of the on-site restaurants at the Kimpton Claret Hotel.
The restaurant is on the pricier side. But the food is really tasty, with a well-thought-out recipe.
For one of the breakfasts, I ordered an Egg in a Hole. It comes with a crispy eggplant with a poached egg in the middle, served with prosciutto, tomato sauce, and basil purée.
Lunchboxx (4.3 ⭐️ $$ V VG 🏳️🌈) Contemporary
2669 Larimer St Unit 9, Denver, CO 80205
One of the food vendor at the Denver Central Market.
Lunchboxx offers a fast-casual dining experience serving everything from Donburi Rice Bowl to Tzatziki Wrap and from Grilled “Prime” Sirloin Steak to Vietnamese Lettuce Wraps.
Tokyo Premium Bakery (4.8 ⭐️ $ V VG) Bakery
1540 S Pearl St, Denver, CO 80210
Located in Platt Park, about a 10-minute drive south of Capitol Hill.
One of a few bakeries in the Denver area that opens early. Serving customers Tuesday through Sunday from 6 AM to 4 PM.
The bakery carries an impressive selection of Japanese-style breads and pastries. The Matcha Cream Bread and Ham & Egg Sandwich are highly recommended.
Note: Visit early as all items are baked fresh daily and may sell out.
Activities:
Denver Botanical Garden (4.8 ⭐️ 🏳️🌈)
1007 York St, Denver, CO 80206
Admission: $18.25 Adult | $12 Children (3-15) & Student w/ ID
The Denver Botanic Gardens occupies twenty-four acres in the Cheesman Park neighborhood and stands as one of the finest botanical collections in the Western United States.
Red Rock Park and Amphitheater (4.9 ⭐️ 🏳️🌈)
18300 W Alameda Pkwy, Morrison, CO 80465
Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater is about 30-mins west of the city and it is one of the highest-altitude amphitheater in the world, sitting at an elevation of 6,450 feet. The natural sandstone formations rise hundreds of feet above the stage, creating an outdoor venue with no real equivalent anywhere in the world.
Free admission during the non-event hours. Open daily one hour after sunrise and sunset.
Red Rock Visitor Center (4.9 ⭐️ 🏳️🌈)
18300 W Alameda Pkwy, Morrison, CO 80465
Before you leave the park, make time for the Red Rocks Visitor Center. The center was opened in 2003 to exhibits the history and geology of the park, the Heart of the Rock Theatre, and the Red Rocks Hall of Fame. The Ship Rock Grille and Huckleberry Roasters are on site for those who need a meal or a coffee before heading back down the mountain.
Hours run from 7AM to 7PM daily between March and October, and 8AM to 4PM from November through February.
Geologic Marker at Red Rocks Park
Parking at the trailhead is limited. Drive slowly and cautiously, as the access road is narrow with two-way traffic.
1103 County Highway 93, Golden, CO 80401
Part of the Jefferson Country Parks & Open Space.
Denver Union Station (4.6 ⭐️)
1701 Wynkoop St, Denver, CO 80202
The restored beaux-arts landmark at the center of Lower Downtown (LoDo) is more than a transit hub. Denver Union Station is a gathering place, with a bustling food hall, a hotel, and a lobby that hums with locals and visitors sharing the same unhurried afternoon.
Denver Art Museum - DAM (4.7 ⭐️ 🏳️🌈)
100 W 14th Ave Pkwy, Denver, CO 80204
The Denver Art Museum is a destination in its own right. Its collection spans Native American art, pre-Columbian works, western American painting, and contemporary pieces, all housed across two architecturally striking buildings in the Golden Triangle Creative District.
Admission is $30 for adults. Colorado residents receive a $5 discount.
South Pearl Street Farmers’ Market (4.7 ⭐️ 🏳️🌈)
1527 S Pearl St, Denver, CO 80210
The South Pearl Street Farmers' Market is located in the Platt Park neighborhood. It runs on every Sunday from 9AM to 1PM in May to November.
Note: Dogs are not allowed at the farmers’ market.
Denver Trolley (4.6 ⭐️)
1400 Water Street, Denver, CO 80202 (Behind the REI, along with the South Platte River)
Denver Trolley runs along the South Platte River and offers one of the more relaxed ways to see the city from a different angle. The narrated ride gives context to the neighborhoods and landmarks you pass, and the pace of it encourages the kind of quiet observation that faster modes of travel do not allow.
Service runs Thursday through Monday from 10 AM to 5 PM, Memorial Day through mid-August, and during concert and football seasons.
The train runs every 30 mins for $10 or $15 during events.
