3 Days in Denver

How does one spend 3 days in Denver and get a good feel for the city and its surrounding areas? It seemed like a daunting feat at first given the various neighborhoods spread out in the city that each have different personas and attractions. As I’ve mentioned in a previous blog post on Vail, I have always had a strong predilection for the state of Colorado (even before I ever visited) so when it was announced that my medical conference was being held there, I was elated. We stayed at the Gaylord Rockies Resort in Aurora Colorado, which is where the conference was being held. This resort is incredible especially for families as they have an indoor pool, outdoor pool with a lazy river and a water park area for kids! They also have tons of restaurants and activites for families. The one drawback is that it’s about a 30 minute drive from downtown Denver.

Nonetheless, I wanted to make sure I hit all the essential Denver spots AND got some one-on-one time with nature on this trip. I started off by researching all the Denver-area neighborhoods and narrowed it down to a few areas with coffee shops that I wanted to check out during our 3 days in Denver.

Day 1

Downtown Denver

We spent the first day exploring the downtown Denver area. I made reservations at a brunch spot called Tupelo Honey, which probably wasn’t necessary as there was plenty of seating on a weekday around noon. This place advertises Southern brunch fare and their staple dish is the chicken and waffles, which my friend got and gave rave reviews. The whole experience here was a positive one. We then ventured to the coffee shop across the street Kaffe Landscap, which is adjacent to Union Station and ordered lattes, which we sipped on their patio.

After we enjoyed our lattes, we embarked on our walk through the downtown Denver area. We walked down 16th street, which is a long tree-lined street with shopping centers, bars and cafes. It was probably the most “city-like” area of Denver we visited during our 3 days in Denver. We then walked to Larimer Square, a cute historic area with boutiques and restaurants.

Washington Square

For dinner, we made reservations at Perdida Kitchen. This restaurant is located in the Washington Park neighborhood, which is more of a residential area, but is well-known for its famous park. From the street, one can see how lively and upbeat this restaurant is. It has a beautiful outdoor space and decorated indoor space that opens up to the patio. We had some margaritas and ordered some food items to share, which were all delectable.

Day 2

Capitol Hill

I read online that Capitol Hill is best known for its “hip” vibes and historic mansions and landmarks such as the Molly Brown House. Of course I had also investigated the best coffee shops and Hudson Hill was on my radar so we decided to spend day 2 of our 3 days in Denver in Capitol Hill. This coffee shop alone is reason enough to visit this neighborhood. Walking into this place, one becomes enamored with the botanical aesthetics and decor. There is a QR code at the entrance that you can scan, which allows you to place your order and pick it up at the bar if you’re not wanting to sit down. I ordered an almond vanilla latte, which was my favorite coffee beverage of the trip! It was the perfect amount of sweet and smooth.

Afterwards, we went right across the street to Jelly for brunch, another must-visit establishment. They have an outdoor patio, where dogs are welcome and the indoor space has a cool retro/old school diner vibe. We started off with their donut holes to share, which were delicious. I got the Haco Chilli Benedict, which was my favorite meal of the trip!

After brunch, we ventured around the Capitol Hill area. It’s more of a residential area, but if you’re interested in seeing some beautiful architecture and stately homes, this is the area to check out.

Day 3: Stepping outside the city

Red Rocks Amphitheatre

While Denver is a cool city to visit, I think the true beauty of Colorado lies outside Denver. On our last day visiting the area, we rented a car and drove to Red Rocks Amphitheatre. This is an outdoor venue that is built into red rock mountains. It is a famous place for hosting concerts and other shows, but also for hiking enthusiasts and those trying to get in a strenuous workout (we witnessed several people doing bear crawls and running the stairs of the amphitheatre). We chose not to do a hike here because frankly, getting to the amphitheatre was a hike on its own and we wanted to explore more of Colorado.

Evergreen Lake

We drove from the Red Rocks to Evergreen Lake, which is a gorgeous drive and took about 30 minutes. The lake is a major spot for outdoor recreation and is located in the mountain town of Evergreen. We walked around the lake and were really lucky to see several Elk within the perimeters of the park, which apparently is a rare sighting. On our drive back towards our hotel, we saw so many beautiful mountain scenes and waterways along the main road. We even spotted a few people white water rafting along the road!

This trip once again confirmed for me that my obsession with Colorado is justified. The mountains, landscapes, hikes along with the nearby city life in Denver make Colorado my favorite US state to visit.