Insiders' Guide® to Denver

299 Pages·2013·7.446 MB·English

by  Eric Lindberg

“Everything you wanted to know . . . and then some.”—Travel + Leisure Denver
Your travel Destination. Your Home. Your Home-to-Be.

Denver
Experience the best this sports town has to offer and catch a live game.
Admire the sweeping Rocky Mountain vistas.
D
Go on a brewery tour and sample some high-quality craft beer. e
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• A personal, practical perspective for travelers and residents alike e
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• Comprehensive listings of attractions, restaurants, and accommodations
• How to live & thrive in Denver—from recreation to relocation
• Countless details on shopping, arts & entertainment, and children’s activities
Our insider, Eric Lindberg, is a Denver-based travel writer and photographer who
specializes in adventure, culture, nature, and off-the-beaten-path destinations. He
is the author of Colorado Off the Beaten Path (Globe Pequot Press) and was named
the Society of American Travel Writers’ 2011 and 2013 Travel Photographer of the
Year. Visit him at ericlindberg.com.
Front cover image by Eric Lindberg
Back cover image licensed by Shutterstock.com
Insiders’ Guide® is an imprint of
Globe Pequot Press
Guilford, Connecticut
GlobePequot.com
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denver
tenth edition

eric lindberg
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All the information in this guidebook is subject to change. We recommend that you
call ahead to obtain current information before traveling.
®
Copyright © 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2013 Morris Book Publishing, LLC
A previous edition of this book was published by Falcon Publishing, Inc., in 1999.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any
information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing
from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press,
Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.
Insiders’ Guide is a registered trademark of Morris Book Publishing, LLC.
Editor: Kevin Sirois
Project Editor: Lauren Brancato
Layout: Joanna Beyer
Interior Design: Sheryl Kober
Maps: XNR Productions, Inc. © Morris Book Publishing, LLC
ISSN 1534-2166
ISBN 978-0-7627-8644-2
Printed in the United States of America
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Contents
Introduction .....................................................ix
How to Use This Book ............................................1
Area Overview ....................................................2
Getting Here, Getting Around .................................. 11
Accommodations .............................................. 19
Restaurants ..................................................... 38
Nightlife ........................................................ 69
Shopping ....................................................... 82
Tours & Attractions ............................................. 92
Kidstuff ........................................................104
Annual Events & Festivals ......................................114
The Arts .......................................................137
Parks & Recreation .............................................152
The Great Outdoors ...........................................173
Ski Country ....................................................180
Spectator Sports ...............................................194
Day Trips ......................................................200
Appendix: Living Here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Relocation .....................................................212
Education .....................................................225
Health Care ....................................................248
Retirement ....................................................260
Media .........................................................266
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
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contents
Directory of Maps
Denver & Surrounding Area ......................................vii
Downtown Denver .............................................viii
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About tHe AutHor
Eric Lindberg is a Denver- based travel writer and photographer specializing in adventure
travel, culture, the outdoors, and offbeat, far- flung destinations. A member of the Society of
American Travel Writers (SATW), he has won numerous photography and writing awards for
work published nationally and abroad. Eric is the 2013 and 2011 Photographer of the Year,
SATW. For more information, visit ericlindberg .com.
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ACknowLeDgMents
Thanks to Rich Grant, Katie Converse, and Deborah Park from Visit Denver for sharing their
expertise and familiarity with the many attractions, activities, and events that make the city
such a wonderful place to live and play. Thanks to Dan Rabin for his expert advice on Denver’s
ever-expanding beer culture.
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IntroDuCtIon
Welcome to the Mile High City. Whether you’re relocating or just visiting, I’m sure you’ll love
it here. With sweeping Rocky Mountain vistas and casual hospitality, Denver is a place rich in
history, beauty, and excitement. Insiders’ Guide to Denver is designed to help you make the
most of your time here.
For starters, chances are good that if you’re already in Denver reading this book, the sky
will be a startling shade of blue for at least part of the day. The sun shines 300 days a year
here, and sunglasses are highly recommended. In fact, bad weather is perhaps the biggest
misconception about Denver. Put simply, snowcapped peaks in the Rockies don’t mean snow-
covered streets in Denver. We do get the occasional blizzard, but most snows melt within a
day or two, leaving fresh, clean air and sunny weather in their wake.
Beyond the great climate, Denver is a vibrant, growing city. It’s no surprise that Democrats
chose it as the site of their 2008 National Convention; nor did all that national attention hurt
Denver’s reputation as a great place to stage a mammoth party. Regardless of why you’re visit-
ing, one of the first landmarks many visitors see is Denver International Airport (DIA), Denver’s
gateway to the rest of the world. In addition to its spectacular tented terminal building, DIA
is known for its beautiful stonework, whimsical artwork, great views of both mountains and
open plains, and a location that provides easy access to Colorado’s interstate system.
Even die- hard Denver lovers find new things to treasure about our city. For instance, our
city parks are vast expanses of green space with walking trails and flower beds. Denver has
more than 850 miles of paved off-r oad bike trails. If what you really want is great shopping,
you’re in luck there too. The Cherry Creek Shopping Center stands as the area’s top attraction,
surpassing even the Mint, Coors Brewery, and the Denver museums in tourist draw, but it
shares the retail arena with other regional shopping centers strewn throughout the Metro
Denver area.
Denver is also a sports town, with modern venues for all its professional teams. Coors Field
in Lower Downtown houses the Colorado Rockies baseball team. The glass and steel Pepsi
Center, also in Lower Downtown, is shared by the Colorado Avalanche hockey team and Den-
ver’s basketball team, the Nuggets. The Denver Broncos play nearby at Sports Authority Field
at Mile High, and the stadium is also the venue for the Denver Outlaws professional lacrosse
team. The Colorado Rapids, a professional soccer team, plays its games at the new Dick’s
Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City. A new facility called the Broomfield Events Center
was built on the northwestern edge of Metro Denver for two minor league clubs—the Rocky
Mountain Rage hockey team and the Colorado 14ers basketball team.
There are so many things to do in or near downtown these days that boredom is out of
the question. Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park is located in the once- abandoned Platte
Valley area just west of downtown. Brewpubs are a way of life—in or out of baseball season.
ix
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