Travel Like a Local in Denver, Colorado
The Mile High City is for hippies, nature junkies, art collectors, and sports fanatics. (And foodies, music lovers, stoners, and cyclists…)
We had the unique opportunity to take our caravan of misfits and creatives across the country from 2017-2019 to uncover the hidden gems of almost every state and territory in the USA, all through the eyes of the locals we met along the way. In the process, we fell in love again and again with the unique potential each of these communities have tapped. While we’re currently missing our travels, we want to share some of our favorite spots with you, in the hopes that you’ll be able to travel like a local and have a similar experience one day soon. And, we get to reconnect with the places we’ve visited and loved to see how they’re doing.
A Few Local Favorites from Denver
01
Neighborhood Cafes
For the adventurous foodies
02
Chill Zones
For the stoners
03
Art Experiences for All
For a little inspiration-quest
04
To Die For
This mortuary is full of life
05
The Sound of Music
For the live music fans
06
The Legendary El Chapultepec
A shoutout to an American music icon (RIP)
07
Ride The River
For all things outdoors – Denver has it
Where the prairies of the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains, and the Wild West was won, today Denver, Colorado is an unexpectedly modern, cosmopolitan city. But its history is rooted in a Western spirit of independence, a connection to nature, and an embrace of art and creativity that rivals many of the country’s best-known cultural capitals. An art city – who knew?! (And they’ve decriminalized psychedelic mushrooms ahead of the rest of the country, so you know something unique is at play here.)
Far from the coasts, and a mile above the plains, Denver is full of contradictions. One of the largest and fastest-growing cities in the USA, it balances its urban pace with a quality of life built on bike-riding and outdoor adventure, craft beer and live music, public parks and public art. This boomtown has something for everyone. To give you an insider’s look at the city, we asked the locals what to do when you visit.
01
Neighborhood Cafes
If food is your thing, Denver will find your sweet spot. The first place locals say you have to try, to get a sense of Old Denver, is the historic steakhouse saloon, Buckhorn Exchange. They serve local fare for the adventurous, including Rocky Mountain Oysters, buffalo, yak, rattlesnake and ostrich. The interior of this place offers countless Wild West photo ops and feels like a beloved hunting lodge, so you can get cozy in front of a stuffed grizzly bear or buffalo while eating aforementioned Rocky Mountain Oysters. And if you don’t know what Rocky Mountain Oysters are, know that they are not actual oysters (but perhaps wait to look them up until after you’ve tried them).
Then there’s City, O’ City, an all-day favorite (seriously, it’s open from 7am-2am) for vegetarians. At City, O’ City, you’ll find not only hippie staples like seitan wings and tempeh bacon, but meat-free takes on classic comfort foods like poutine and chicken-n-waffles (made with bourbon-brined chicken-fried cauliflower, of course). There’s even a full-service cocktail bar, because nobody said vegetarians can’t have fun.
And there’s the divey, delicious local favorite, El Tacos de Mexico. (This was one of our very favorite spots; they will not disappoint!) Breakfast is served all day here. You’ll want to order a Breakfast Burrito. You’ll also want to add the option: “Smother the Burrito in Green Chile,” and wash it down with an Orchata, because you’re essentially a local now.
02
Chill Zones
Since Denver was an early adapter of legalized marijuana, a number of dispensaries have popped up, catering to every taste level. Naturally, the hospitality community has accommodated the movement in some really fun ways. For the stoner crowd and comfort-food seekers alike, there’s no shortage of great snacky spots. One of our favorite recommendations was Nuggs ice cream (“nugg” is a play on the historic Gold Rush and the weed trade, for those who haven’t been initiated). Try a scoop of the Blue Moon (made with children’s cereal) and the Birthday Cake (made with cake batter and sprinkles). There’s also Little Man Ice Cream downtown, and that’s shaped like a giant milk jug, so maybe don’t go there on mushrooms – or do! It could be fun, and you will definitely feel like a Little Man.
03
Art Experiences for All
Head to RiNo, the old industrial area formerly known as River North, to find the city’s most exciting art spaces, maker spaces, indie fashion houses, and graffiti-adorned alleyways. Hit openings at Redline, a nonprofit contemporary art center that is the soul of the neighborhood, or buy some hand-crafted bell bottoms and gemstone jewelry at Meraki Moon. Then make your way to The Source, a hotel combined with a fantastic food and merchant hall where locals like to hang and where you’ll find a diverse collection of artful restaurants, shops, and a brewery under one roof. You could easily spend a day or two exploring this neighborhood.
04
To Die For
A former mortuary might not seem like a sought-after place to spend your afternoon. But Linger Eatuary (yes, “eatuary”) is beloved by locals, who crowd this LoHi—or Lower Highlands neighborhood—hot spot. As if Linger’s past life as a funeral parlor wasn’t novel enough, the restaurant hoisted a 1975 RV onto its roof. The retro recreational vehicle functions as the patio’s kitchen and bar, where it serves eclectic, internationally-inspired $5 small plates at happy hour. Try the vegan Persian Slider (hummus, dill Havarti cheese, Israeli salad, avocado and arugula) or a gluten-free Korean BBQ taco (Wagyu short rib, green bean slaw, radish, wasabi peas, gochujang aioli, ginger and lime).
05
The Sound of Music
Denver’s Old West vibe extends to a music scene rooted in the city’s Gold Rush-era reputation as an entertainment town—a place to come to spend your gold earnings on vaudeville and burlesque. In recent years, many of the historic theatres from Denver’s early days—places like the Ogden (built in 1919), the Bluebird (1913), and the Gothic (1929)—have been reborn as live music venues. Of course, no venue is more beloved than Red Rocks, the legendary amphitheater where you can see “the most amazing bands in the world” perform in what the venue claims is the only naturally-occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheater on earth.
06
The Legendary El Chapultepec
We’d be remiss if we did not pay homage to the El Chapultepec Jazz Club that recently closed its doors in December of 2020. Opened the day after Prohibition was repealed in 1933, El Chapultepec Jazz Club—locally known as “the Pec”—was an old-school Mexican cantina turned nationally-known jazz venue. The dive bar hosted musical greats and former presidents: Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Wynton Marsalis, and Ella Fitzgerald all played here. So did Bill Clinton, on his tenor sax. Despite its famous guests, the Pec was an authentic, rough-around-the-edges Western dive. Picture pink neon lighting, pink vinyl stools, and paper plates serving Denver staples like burritos smothered in green chile (this is a VERY BIG DEAL to locals). In a town where craft beer rules, the Pec maintained the oldest Coors account in Colorado. We’ll personally miss the Chapultepec Shot, a slammer of silver tequila with a dash of green Crème de menthe and a dehydrated edible grasshopper. For the sake of future generations, we hope this legendary haunt is reborn one day soon.
06
Ride the River
Denver is a serious biking town, and luckily that’s not just for residents. Anyone can pop up into Denver’s many diverse neighborhoods and cruise back down around the mural-covered banks of Cherry Creek with a ride along the gorgeous 42-mile trail Cherry Creek Trail. To see the city the way the locals do (up close, personal, and on two wheels), buy a 24-hour ($9) membership to the B-Cycle bike share program and take your borrowed two-wheeler for a spin. Cruise down the Cherry Creek pathway, checking out local spots like the Denver Skatepark, the largest free skatepark in the country, Tattered Cover Bookstore, and the historic but newly transformed Union Station, which has an urban beekeeping program on its downtown roof. Or grab a kayak at Confluence Park, where Cherry Creek meets South Platte River, and paddle your way through the heart of the city. After all, not every capital city has rapids running through it.
