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When I lived in Denver and people came out to visit, our initial conversation usually went something like this…

Friend: “Now that I’m here in Denver, what are we going to do?”

Me: “We’re going to leave.”

Back then, Denver, while still a fun place to visit, was a bit more bland than it is now. So when people came out, we’d immediately go somewhere else to experience “Everything that Colorado has to offer.” Now the city has exploded, and unlike some other places, it seems to be all the better for it. The rest of Colorado still has some of my favorite places in the country, so see “Other Colorado” below for our recommendations outside the city. For our stay this trip we chose RiNo, a relatively new neighborhood that didn’t really exist when I lived there. Our favorite area by far was LoHi, and that’s where we’d recommend anyone to stay. Wash Park and Cap Hill are also good options, if a bit more residential.

Where We Ate

Euclid Hall: A great beer hall with excellent food on a small but diverse menu right off Larimer Square.

Fooducopia: Near Wash Park, they source their ingredients as locally as possible, we went for brunch and loved it.

Denver Biscuit Company: Thank us later.

Hops and Pie: Low key pizza and beer joint that’s worth the trip up Tennyson.

Cart and Driver: Another great pizza place with some specialties like pâté in the exploding RiNo neighborhood.

Where We Drank

Truffle Table: One of our favorite places in Denver in our favorite neighborhood (LoHi). They specialize in wine and charcuterie with a quaint interior and sidewalk seating.

Postino: Postino: Another LoHi spot, the food looked great, but we just sat at the bar and sampled some of the amazing wines they have on hand.

Denver Beer Company: Their beers and patio live up to them being consistently ranked as the top taproom in Denver.

Crooked Stave: Located in The Source (a shared market space in RiNo complete with a wine shop, tacos, bar, restaurant, and more), this sour focused brewery is a must hit.

Ratio Beerworks: This brewery in RiNo typically has a food truck out front and offers excellent beers.

Renegade Brewing: Located in the artsy Sante Fe area, this is a small and very good brewery.

Falling Rock Tap House: We don’t necessarily recommend LoDo, but if you find yourself here, Falling Rock is easily one of the best beer bars in the country. 1 (One) Up next door is a fun arcade bar to hit up before or after a Rockies game as well.

Method Collective: A coffee roaster, full-service cafe, and corner/grocery store in LoHi, we had the best coffee of the trip here.

What We Did

Washington Park: A big park just south of downtown with walking/running paths, lakes, gardens, and wide open fields. Pack up a cooler, frisbee, and friends and go hang out for a few hours on one of the 300+ sunny days a year (well, actually ~250, but they claim 300).

Red Rocks: Worth building a trip around seeing one of your favorite bands here. If you can’t swing that, this is a public park whenever there isn’t a show, so make the short drive and take it all in.

Other Colorado:

Fort Collins: A mid-sized college town a little over an hour north of Denver, Fort Collins has a lot to offer. Don’t miss Jessup Farms for amazing beers and food, Funkwerks, Odell, and Big City Burrito.

Golden: Thinking of going to Boulder? Skip it and head to Golden instead. Golden definitely has an old west feel, walk around its small downtown and make stops at Mountain Toad Brewing, Sherpa House Restaurant (Nepalese), and Xicamiti la Taqueria.

Mountain Towns: Summer or winter, these towns in the mountains have a lot to offer…Telluride (Worth the drive, spend a few days and enjoy), Breckenridge (Empire Burger, Broken Compass Brewing), Aspen (Aspen Brewing Company, Big Wrap), Steamboat (Strawberry Hot Springs), Vail/Beaver Creek (head here to burn through some extra money you have laying around), Idaho Springs (Stop for a Colorado Pizza at Beau Jo’s on your way up to the mountains).