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Denver Itineraries
- Downtown Tour
- Denver’s “Wild West” History
- Touring Metro Denver
Denver has many exciting neighborhoods, districts and surrounding towns to explore.
Cherry Creek & City Park
Just a short drive from downtown Denver are two fascinating neighborhoods. Three miles southeast is the Cherry Creek Shopping District, an area with nearly 500 department stores, shops, galleries and boutiques. The stores are divided between tree-lined streets in Cherry Creek North and the upscale Cherry Creek Shopping Center, which is home to 140 stores including Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom’s, Tiffany’s and Saks. The quit, village-like atmosphere of Cherry Creek includes 60 restaurants (most with outdoor cafes) and 30 art galleries.
Two miles east of downtown is the largest green space in Denver, City Park. Here are the best views of the Rocky Mountains, a lake with gardens and fountains and two of the city’s most popular attractions. The Denver Zoo is the fourth most popular in the nation with 4,000 animals. The zoo has opened many new facilities in recent years including Primate Panorama (one of the largest primate facilities in the U.S.) and Predator Ridge, a scene straight out of Africa where a pride of lions prowl in a natural rock setting.
Next door is the famous Denver Museum of Nature & Science, the fourth largest museum of its kind in the nation with an IMAX theatre, planetarium and thousands of natural treasures, including Prehistoric Journey, a fascinating look at the 3.5 billion year history of planet Earth. Nearby is the Tattered Cover, one of the nation’s largest bookstores.
It’s just a short drive to the Denver Botanic Gardens, considered to be one of the top five public gardens in the nation with 23 acres of lush gardens and tranquil beauty.
The “Old West” Lives in Golden
Twelve miles west of downtown Denver is the quaint Western town of Golden. In 1860, Golden was selected as Colorado’s first capital, but when the railroad went to Denver, Golden was left by the wayside. Today, downtown Golden has an “old West” feel with covered plank board sidewalks, false front stores and Western wear shops.
Coors Brewery, the largest single brewing site in the world, is just off Golden’s main street and offers free tours – and samples. Just south of Golden, is Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Seventy million years ago, this was the beach of a great ancestral sea that covered much of Colorado. The sand of the beach was compressed into rocks, which today protrude upwards at incredible angles. A 9,000-seat amphitheatre was carved out of the 300-foot high boulders and has played host to everyone from the Beatles to top symphony orchestras. A visitors center has a Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame dedicated to the groups that have performed here.
Across the valley is Dinosaur Ridge, the site where the first large dinosaur bones in America were discovered. A museum and walking trail tell the story and many bones can still be seen in rock outcroppings.
Nearby is Heritage Square, a re-created Colorado town from the 1870s with shops, a melodrama theatre and amusement park rides, including an alpine slide and miniature steam railway.
On top of Lookout Mountain, high above Golden, is the final resting spot of Buffalo Bill Cody. A museum tells the story of the famous frontier scout, buffalo hunter and showman, while there are spectacular views from the gravesite.
From Golden, it is only a 30 minute drive west to the old gold mining towns of Central City and Black Hawk. Once called the “Richest Square Mile on Earth” because of the half billion dollars of gold that was mined here, the two towns have come alive again with the excitement of casino gambling. There are more than 30 casinos in town offering 10,000 slot machines and hundreds of black jack and poker tables, all in an authentic Old West setting.
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