As many of you know, my boyfriend and I recently visited Denver, CO. We knew it was a place we both wanted to visit, but neither of us were expecting to fall in love with it like we did!
Do not worry, I will eventually share all my CO tips and tricks – but for now, I thought I would start with my favorite spots in, and around, Denver!
Also, I wanted to note that my boyfriend and I did not have a car for this entire week, so we either walked or took an Uber to all of the spots we visited, it was not as pricey as you might be thinking, we actually saved money versus renting a car, but I also do not have a clue how parking works anywhere.
So let’s go …
2201 Arapahoe St, Denver, CO 80205
First of all, $2 tap beers, and second of all, $2 tap beers!
This place was one of the busiest we visited in Denver, but it was worth it! We originally went here for a tour, but at first they said it was at 2 p.m., which was fine because we only needed to wait for 30 minutes, but the tour was actually at 3 p.m., so we decided not to wait around for it. While we were waiting we did have two drinks each and we were both pretty buzzed afterwards. My favorite was the Hercules Double IPA – if you like IPA’s, you’re welcome!
My boyfriend had the Raspberry something but I think it might be seasonal because I couldn’t find it on their tap list anymore.
610 S Colorado Blvd, Glendale, CO 80246
We went here three times during our week stay in Denver – Yes, it was that good! It is a little bit outside downtown, but so worth the drive! I got chicken nachos and my boyfriend got chicken soft tacos. I am not sure how they make their soft tacos but they are the best I have ever had!
The inside was also really cute and it was never crowded while we were there. If anything, you should just go so I can live vicariously through you while you’re there!
If anyone in Cafe Rio management wants to expand to South Carolina, let me know because I am craving you!
18300 W Alameda Pkwy, Morrison, CO 80465
The photo above is unedited, we just picked the perfect week to visit Colorado and there was no one there – it was also pretty snowy at the top!
This place is must visit, even if you don’t go to a concert, you can go to just walk around. There are not very many places that are off limits, and each place offer a different view, so I recommend planning on spending some time here.
There is also a museum under the visitors center as well as one in the Trading Post ( walk down towards the south parking lot and you will find it). The museum below the visitors center shows you all the artist that have played there and has some of their memorable.
900 Washington Ave, Golden, CO 80401
If you go to Red Rocks, you should make a stop by Golden, CO on your way out, especially if you like breweries! My boyfriend and I fell in love with this town almost immediately – so much so it is one of the towns we might move to (:
While in Golden, we stopped by the visitor center to get the local scoop on the town – the two ladies who helped us were so kind and helpful and we loved their brewery suggestions! Also if you go, ask for a golden ticket, it will get you a discount at most of the shops and restaurants in town – very helpful when you are broke!
Onto Mountain Toad, this brewery was one of the ones recommended to us, and I instantly fell in love when we walked up and I saw this giant toad mural! Our bartender was absolutely amazing, and while I didn’t catch her name, she was one of our favorites throughout the whole trip! As if I wasnt already in love, they had my favortive beer on tap, a blueberry wheat mixture! I have only been able to find it twice and I wish I could’ve brought a keg home with me!
600 12th St # 160, Golden, CO 80401
Okay, this brewery needs a Grammy or an Oscar or something!
I am a huge craft beer/IPA girl and I have been to my fair share of breweries (might even make a post about my favorite ones!) and this one stole my heart in so many ways!
First of all, from the second we walked in, people were talking to us and telling us about how much they loved CO and giving us all the local information! The bartender was also super sweet and helpful when it came to making our selections!
Then, someone came in and ordered a mixed drink, THE BARTENDER GAVE HER A METAL STRAW WITH HER DRINK! I seriously probably would’ve cried if I hadn’t been a little intoxicated! Huge shoutout to the owners for taking on the steps to making their brewery greener! of course there were no plastic cups either and while we did not order any food, I imainge it is all metal utensils!
This brewery also had a very large wine selections, so if you are not that into the beer scene, this would be a good spot!
(They are going to be moving into a new space soon and there will be another post for them coming soon!!)
654 S Colorado Blvd, Glendale, CO 80246
We went here for drinks one night because it was right by our hotel, but we weren’t disappointed. Our bartender Tyler, was amazing! This Strawberry Japaleño Mojitio was amazing – and I am not a fan of spicy things!
My boyfriend did end up getting some food from here, and it was really, really good. It seems to be a place that locals come to as we met quite a few people who lived in the area while there.
1020 16th St Mall, Denver CO 80202
This place made the list for a few reasons, one being it was free and two I learned that some of our used money gets turned into soil!
The Money museum is one of a handful of places in Denver that is free to tour ( a full list of places we visited for free is coming soon!) It was also not busy at all, so we got to play around with all the hands on activities offered. One of my favorite things was that you can design your own dollar – a fake one of course – and they have a recycling bin right beside the art section so you can recycle your art work if you do not intend to keep it forever!
Then one of the coolest things I learned while visiting The Money Museum was that bills that are deemed unfit for use are shredded down and sent away to be turned into soil! Like what, I did not know that but I thought it was really neat!
439 E 17th Ave, Denver, CO 80203
This place made the list because of the awesome service and this cider! I am an absolute nut for apple cider, and this ‘Big B’s Spiced Hard Cider‘ is probably some of the best I have ever tried! My boyfriend was drinking their tap called Mosa – which was like a Mimosa cider, it was really good too!
We came here for lunch one day and I got the slider, which were so good! One of mine was undercooked a little, but they took care of it right away, and were very happy to make it right!
Great place for a quick bit or a few brews!
Also, if you want to try the ‘Big B’s Hard Cider’, Total Wine has it (:
1007 York St, Denver, CO 80206
I wish I could live here or in one of the many houses that look into the gardens! We actually ended up going to the gardens on a free day (list of free days here) and it really was not that busy.
The gardens are huge, and there was quite a bit of snow on the grounds while we were there, but it just made it more of a unique experience. My favorite part was the inside greenhouse! The variety of plants housed is mind blowing and some of them are massive!
I would not recommend visiting here if you are in a time crunch, as there is so much to do! You can even bring in your own food for picnics and such, you just cannot use the cafe area to eat.
And this spot is also one of the greenest places we visited in Denver! The cafe used compostable cups and offered recycled warmers for coffee. They had clearly labeled bins throughout the gardens about what to throw into them and what not too – it was beautiful! They even had a spot where you could return your park map on your way out if you didn’t want to keep it!
The Green Fairy 