- See Union station, walk to the Highlands neighborhood through Confluence Park (near the REI). Walk up/down the Platte river trail.
- Museums: Denver Art museum, Science Museum, Modern Art Museum, Sante Fe art district, Museo de las Americas
- Parks: Cheeseman, City Park, Confluence Park (not exactly tourist spots, but I recommend staying around there because they're really nice areas and you'll be close to downtown).
- Uncle (favorite Ramen place)
- Rosenbergs (close enough to a decent bagel)
- Sam's no 3 Diner
- Zoe Ma Ma
- Hop Alley
- Beast And Bottle
- Illegal Petes (like Chipotle, but way more fun)
- Torchy's tacos
- Tacos Tequillas Whiskey
If you need more suggestions, visit Eater
- St Marks (their coffee is not that good, but it's my favorite place to hang out)
- Denver Bicycle Cafe
- Weathervane Cafe
- Thump coffee
- Crema
- Corvus Coffee
- Little Owl Coffee
- It's really hard to go wrong, Denver has awesome cafes
We have lots of marketplace halls, such as:
- The Source
- Dairy Square
- Stanley Marketplace
Baker neighborhood is a really fun place to spend an evening.
- Trve Brewing (heavy metal bar that has really great beers)
- Mutiny Information Cafe
- Sweet Action Ice Cream
- Dae Gee Korean (decent Korean food but their staff is awesome and it's so much fun)
There's a bus that goes from Union station to downtown Boulder that puts you in access of some hiking trails.
Pearl street Mall, Mt. Sanitas (trailhead walkable from Pearl Street Mall), NCAR Mesa Lab (weather research center designed by IM Pei and also a trailhead for many hiking trails in Boulder). Avery Brewing company in Gunbarrel.
Il Pastio (surprisingly delicious pasta place in the middle of a strip mall), Mountain/Southern Sun, Flower Pepper, Zoe Ma Ma, Avery Brewery (you'll need a lyft), any Brunch place. My favorite restaurant in Boulder is Oak on 14th - it's a bit pricey but really nice.
- Ozo
- Boxcar
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- Balesteri Winery: an amazing winery just outside of Denver, many generations of Italian style wines.
- Golden Gate State Park - about 45 minutes from Denver, but an absolutely gorgeous park.
- Brainard Lake (lots of hiking) - My favorite hike is the Lake Isabelle. It's not too long either.
- Rocky Mountain national park - I highly recommend the Bear lake->Dream Lake hike, Trail Ridge Road, countless options here. Either go very early in the morning or late afternoon (4ish) if you want to avoid crowds, just make sure you have a flashlight and lots of water with you.
- Lake Granby - The drive out there is gorgeous, and the lake itself is really beautiful. I like driving out all the way to Monarch Lake trailhead. Lots of hikes in the area. Hot Sulphur Springs is my favorite hot springs in Colorado.
- Buena Vista - a lovely drive, the town itself is cute.
- Mayflower Gulch traverse - lovely not-too-strenuous hike about 2 hours from Denver https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/mayflower-gulch-grand-traverse
- Boulder, CO (traffic gets pretty bad up there though) - Chatauqua area, First Flatiron Hike, Mt Sanitas.
- Golden, CO - North and South Table Mountain
- Evergreen, CO - Three Sisters Park
- Guanella Pass in Georgetown (about an hour away)
- Golden Gate Canyon Park (45 minutes away)
COLORADO SPRINGS I don't know much about this place, but Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak are pretty fun. There are a lot of hikes in the area.