Your Guide to a Stress Free Denver Getaway
It is wedding season, y’all!
I love a good wedding - I’m talking cry like a baby love - and so I was thrilled when we got the invitation to celebrate our lovely friends Kat and Alli in Colorado. The fact that Brendan and I would also get to travel for this wedding made it even better! We were so excited to see what all Denver has to offer.
The capital city of Colorado, Denver is known for its many breweries, art scene and it’s beautiful mountain vistas. Named the Mile High City (because yes, it is actually one mile high), there’s no shortage of things to explore here, whether you are a sports fanatic, an art lover, a zoo enthusiast or a beer drinker. Continue reading to see what all we did while visiting!
Pictured: The Dairy Block in Denver, CO
Your Guide to a Stress Free Denver Getaway
The Best Times to Visit Denver
Denver is a popular spot to visit. In addition to attracting a lot of tourists and winter sports enthusiasts, they also have a huge convention center so it is a busy hub. As a result, it’s always smart to check and see what events are taking place in the city so you don’t encounter high hotel rates. Here is a breakdown of what the seasons look like:
Summer - It gets busy in Denver in the summer so you’ll definitely want to plan ahead. Also, the temperatures can get high and July is usually quite rainy.
Fall - Fall is a good time for foodies to visit, as this is when events like Denver Food & Wine take place. As the Rocky Mountains are nearby, this is a great season for hikers as well. The weather tends to be warm in the fall with sharp declines at night so think lots of layers when packing.
Winter - Winter is the key time for winter sports lovers to visit, as the snowstorms occur steadily throughout this time, allowing for good ski conditions. As comes with snow, temperatures can get very cold so you’ll want to bundle up.
Spring - Spring is the best time to visit Denver, as the temperature is at its mildest. You might expect some rain, so pack a travel umbrella.
The Best Items to Pack
If you are heading to Colorado for skiing or snowboarding, you’ll definitely be following a specific packing list (and it’s cool to see the ski holders in the Denver airport if that’s not something you’re used to). You’ll need lots of warm clothes for the winter and cool clothes for the hot summer. Other than that, it is definitely best to go with lots of layers and comfortable shoes, as it’s a very walkable city.
Check out the end of this post for my Denver packing list!
Getting To & Around Denver
As Denver is quite far from Charlottesville, VA, flying was the obvious choice for our travel. The airport is actually quite a distance from downtown Denver, taking roughly 35 minutes by car. While Ubering was easy to do, we decided to take the train into the city upon arrival because we’d heard how easy it is to use.
Pictured: Taking the escalator from the airport to the train station; Brendan’s fear of heights made the ride down slightly unpleasant for him
We were not mislead - it was super simple to use the train! The airport leads right into the station and the process of purchasing tickets was nice and easy. Once on the train, it took about 35 minutes, as it stopped at a few places before reaching Union Station. From there, we took an Uber to our hotel, which only took a few minutes. All in all, while it’s not a fast commute, it was pretty simple.
As I mentioned, Uber is readily available. In addition to that, you’ll also find a ton of Lime Scooters and Bikes around the city and I was amazed at how many people I saw using these as modes of transportation. The city is pretty flat and easy to navigate, so I honestly would have felt pretty comfortable doing this as well.
Where to Stay
As Denver boasts a huge convention center, there is no shortage of hotels in the area. The Convention Center area has spots like the Hyatt Regency and the Hilton Garden Inn and there are plenty of restaurants to choose from.
If you want more of the boutique hotel feel in a thriving neighborhood, The Maven is located in the Dairy Block. There you’ll find a variety of restaurants, bars and shops to explore. The pedestrian alley will make you forget you’re in a big city.
Brendan and I love a good boutique hotel, so that’s often what we search for when we go out of town; however we were looking for something more unique than The Maven. The Ramble seemed to fit exactly what we were looking for when we found it online and it did not disappoint in person.
Located on Larimer and 25th, The Ramble is close enough to walk to a ton of places in the city. They also have a bar/restaurant called Death & Co, where you can find a menu full of delicious cocktails. The menu also includes mocktails and notes low ABV drinks, which I found a nice touch.
The one slightly odd thing about the restaurant is that it takes up all of the lobby, meaning you walk through it to get to check in and the elevators. We did get some weird looks when walking to the elevator when it was busy.
In addition to Death & Co, there is also an outdoor rooftop bar opened seasonally called The Garden. We were lucky to be there on its final night before closing for the colder months and it was lovely.
Pictured: Drinks at The Garden at The Ramble Hotel
To use the elevator, they have a key fob and then the rooms are actually opened with an old school key kept in a leather holder. It was a very unique touch I much appreciated - I was just sad to not be able to keep the key as I collect them as souvenirs.
The rooms are a really great blend of vintage and modern with fantastic bathrooms. Initially, we were overly confident and opted for the Bunk Room. When looking at it online we thought it would make for a fun twist on a hotel room stay. It is exactly what it sounds like: a tiny room with bunk beds. We were very excited.
The room was incredibly cool…but we quickly realized my husband’s fear of heights mixed with my claustrophobia didn’t mesh well with a small room with bunk beds. We lasted about five minutes before we realized we’d made a huge mistake, so so we quickly upgraded to the king size.
Pictured: Me, overly confident in the bunk room
Making the switch was a good call, as the bed was extremely comfortable, the room was beautiful and the bathroom had a fantastic vanity with lights. There was also a curated bar in the room and a lot of thoughtful amenities. They even had my favorite lip balm for sale in the room!
Pictured: Our bigger bed at The Ramble
I would like to state the Bunk Room would be a great option for a solo traveler, as it was lovely. It just was not the right room for us. Additionally, everyone working at the front desk was amazing; they were so nice about us switching rooms and had us all settled in with the new key hand delivered within five minutes.
What to See
There is a lot to do in Denver no matter what your interests. While we didn’t get to pack in everything we would have liked, we still got take in a ton and we’ll have to go back for the things we missed.
The Zoo
The Denver Zoo spans 84 acres and is home to over 3,000 animals. It’s an easy spot to get to and you can even grab a collectors mug of beer to carry along with you as you explore the exhibits.
In addition to seeing elephants and giraffes (my favorites), I also learned something new about my husband. It wasn’t until our visit that I found out how much Brendan loves the zoo. He immediately turned into a little kid, running around and yelling for me to come look at things. I actually lost sight of him twice and I now fully understand why some parents have their children on leashes. It was very endearing seeing how happy it made him.
Pictured: Brendan in his element at the Denver Zoo - animals and beer, two of his favorite things
Coors Field
Sadly, the Colorado Rockies didn’t have any home games while we were in town but we still walked over to check out Coors Field. Located close to the Dairy Block (mentioned earlier and another cool spot to visit), it was impressive to see how many bars and restaurants are in that area and I can only imagine how packed they get during a game.
Pictured: The Dairy Block, close to Coors Field.
Larimer Square
Not far from Coors Field, you’ll come upon Larimer Square. This iconic spot in Denver is pedestrian friendly and full of restaurants, bars and shops. With the hanging string lights spanning the street, it’s a really lively and picturesque sight to see at night.
River North Art District/RiNo
The RiNo district is a fun place to explore. In addition to housing art galleries and studios, you’ll also find plenty of breweries, restaurants and bars in the many warehouses and factories. We had a great time exploring the art and sampling beer.
Pictured: An Exhibit at FooLPRoof contemporary art
If you are looking for more art, don’t forget to check out the Denver Art Museum as well.
Red Rocks Amphitheater
We were told by a lovely Uber driver not to miss out on seeing Red Rocks. While we weren’t able to catch a show while in town, we did drive in to see the famed amphitheater and we were glad we did. It’s such a unique spot, with the red sandstone jutting out from everywhere and the city views just beyond. You feel like you are caught up in two worlds, the modern and prehistoric. I can only imagine how great it would sound to listen to music here!
Explore Boulder
Our friends were having their wedding right outside of Boulder, which is roughly an hour from Denver, and so we decided to make a night of it.
Rather than going all the way back to the airport for a car rental, we decided to use a service called Kyte. All we had to do was make the request through their app for how long we’d need a vehicle and where we would be taking it and, once set, they delivered it to our hotel - I am positive anyone passing by probably thought we were doing something suspicious but it was incredibly convenient service. When we returned to Denver, we had our designated pick up time and location already set and so it was just a matter of ensuring we had gas in the car as we handed over the keys.
As for our trip to Boulder, we had a great time exploring Pearl Street. It actually reminded me of a larger Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, with tons of restaurants and shops. We were lucky enough to catch their Farmers Market and we even had brunch at the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, plus a beer at the friendly Mountain Sun Pub. I honestly would have loved to have more time to explore this area and would like to go back.
Pictured: Wedding ready for Kat & Alli!; Coffee from Silver Canyon Coffee at the Farmer’s Market
Where to Eat & Drink
Honestly…this was the first trip I’ve taken in a long time where I felt like I didn’t take advantage of the food scene. We were so fixated on the travel and the sites that we dropped the ball a little bit. I know there are a ton of great taco places and sushi that we just didn’t get to experience, but that’s not to say we didn’t have some good food. Here are some of the highlights:
Stout Street Social
Stout Street Social is a taphouse located right across from the Convention Center. Honestly, it was a lot of fun sitting outside here because we got to watch the crowd from The Great American Beer Festival go by. We even spotted people from a local brewery (Decipher)!
The food here was also good bar food that offered lighter fare and a solid draft list. I very much appreciated how accommodating and helpful they were with my peanut allergy - they went above and beyond to make sure my food was safe to a degree I would never anticipate.
Pictured: Crispy Brussels, Giant Baked Soft Pretzel, and a Buenaveza Salt & Lime Lager @ Stout Street Social;
Point Easy
After reading about Point Easy on Eater Denver, I was excited to try their food. Offering up seasonal items, they put unique twists on familiar fare, like their shishitos with dill creme fraiche. This spot was a little more upscale, which was a nice switch from the other meals we were opting for and gave us a bit of a date night feel.
Pictured: The Crabcake and Blistered Peppers from Point Easy; The New York Dog from Billy’s Gourmet Hot Dogs
Billy’s Gourmet Hot Dog
Balance is everything, and so obviously we had to go from a fancy date one night to a casual one the next. What could be better than a good old fashioned hot dog? Luckily for us, Billy’s Gourmet Hot Dog was located right across from the hotel and gave us exactly what we wanted after an afternoon of enjoying local beers. I opted for an old school New York Dog, complete with sauerkraut and brown mustard.
Dochi
Another spot across from our hotel was Dochi, which is a blend of mochi and donuts. That’s right - it’s a mix of Japanese rice cake and the American fried donut and it makes for a delicious treat. Brendan and I couldn’t wait to try these and they did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the Salted Caramel Coffee Dochi, so much so that I really didn’t want to share even though the bubble shape makes it easy to do so.
Pictured: The Salted Caramel Coffee Dochi
Denver Breweries
Like Charlottesville, Denver has no shortage of breweries and we were lucky to get to explore a few. Our favorite was Woods Boss. They had a great space, including outdoor seating, and the beer was delicious.
Pictured: Enjoying a pint at Woods Boss Brewery
Some of the other great spots we got to try included 10 Barrel Brewing, which was a friendly setting where they also appeared to have good food, and Ratio Beerworks. These were both within walking distance of our hotel, which made it nice and easy for us. I know there were many more we didn’t get to explore, but the ones we visited were all fantastic.
Honestly, there are so many things we didn’t get to do on this trip to Colorado (more of Boulder, Estes Park, a Rockies game…the list goes on) but we had a fantastic time exploring Denver - not to mention celebrating the union of the two lovely people who gave us the reason to do so!
Check out my packing list below:
Until next time, cheers and happy eating!
