Goals of Trip: Show off some of my favorite Denver spots to my friends!

Keywords: The West, sunshine, hydration

Time visited: October/Fall

Don’t forget to pack:

Layers
Sun protection & hydration (hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, water bottle)
Comfortable walking shoes

Travel:

Most major airlines offer direct flights to Denver International Airport (DIA), which is connected to Denver proper (it’s about 25 minutes east of the city) by several bus lines and a tram/train line. Unless staying downtown or another centralized location, I would definitely recommend renting a car because rideshare is very expensive. Denver, however, is easily drivable (though the quality of the drivers leaves a lot to be desired) and it's a launchpad to the Front Range–Colorado Springs, Boulder, and of course, the Rocky Mountains!

Accommodations:

My friends stayed with me in west Denver (Lakewood/Golden). This is a great location because it's 10 minutes away from the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater, 15 minutes away from downtown, and minutes off of I-70 which takes you anywhere in the mountains.

Day 1 - Friday

10am Pick up friends from DIA

DIA is confusing and enormous at the best of times, much less when it's under massive renovations so I parked in short term parking and picked my friends up in person, rather than swinging through the arrivals car line. This gave me the perfect opportunity to embarrass welcome them to Denver properly. One of Denver’s infamous landmarks, Blucifer, is just outside the airport, and everyone has to say hello whenever they pass him. Blucifer or more formally, the Blue Mustang, is a 30 foot tall blue mustang with–and I’m not joking–flaming red eyes, rearing up on its hind legs. Blucifer might seem startling or even sinister to newcomers, but he’s an unofficial city mascot so you can’t miss him when you’re visiting.

11am Denver Biscuit Company

From there we went straight to brunch. Denver Biscuit Co. is so busy that we called ahead and made a reservation while we were still in the car, and only had to wait for a few minutes by the time we got there. Regardless of the location or time, I would recommend calling ahead to get on the waitlist as soon as you know you’re going to Denver Biscuit Co. because they don’t accept reservations–just the wait list.

Everything on the menu is absolutely delicious, but my favorites are the mushroom biscuits n’ gravy (an incredible vegetarian twist on a southern classic), the Lola, and the Dahlia. Come hungry, leave stuffed and inconspicuously trying to lick the plates clean.

1pm Denver Art Museum

I’m very conscientious about altitude sickness whenever I host folks from out of town, so we took it easy and decided to stroll around the latest exhibits at the Denver Art Museum.

The Dior exhibit was stunning at the Denver Art Museum.

This incandescent modern piece in the Denver Art Museum.

We took extra time on the top floor, which is a permanent exhibit on The West, because I love showing that to visitors–the curators selected a number of poignant and breathtaking pieces that pay tribute to the inexplicable nature of the American West and the diverse nature of all the people who have called it home. Plus it has an incredible view of downtown Denver, the Capitol building, and the mountains.

The thought provoking inquiry outside the Denver Art Museum's permanent exhibit on the American West.

Cleaning up modern art outside the Denver Art Museum.

3pm Explore Civic Center Park & Cap Hill

After taking in the exhibits we were still feeling energized so we took a quick stroll through Civic Center Park and some of the adjacent shops in Capitol (Cap) Hill. It was nice to see the remnants of the community gardens this late in the season. There’s always an event happening in the park, whether its the farmers’ market, art crawls, or even a protest, there’s no shortage of something to do downtown.

View from the Denver Art Museum of Civic Center Park and the state Capitol.

The state legislature and the farmers' market outside at Civic Center Park in downtown Denver.

5pm Happy Hour at El Torito Taqueria y Mas

This is a hidden gem in our neck of the West Denver woods! El Torito has a quiet exterior which hides the best Mexican food in Denver. Their margaritas are deceptively strong, and unexpectedly delicious–my favorite is the Tamarindo, which is a tamarind margarita, instead of the usual lime/citrus cocktail. We always treat friends to El Torito’s molcajete which is a veritable cornucopia of molten deliciousness–chicken, steak, shrimp, pork in an enormous stone molcajete or mortar bowl. Don’t miss this hidden gem with amazing service and a fantastic menu!

El Torito Taqueria y Mas iconic molcajete.

Day 2 - Saturday

9am The Ranch @40 West

We went to my favorite brunch spot on Saturday morning, a humble mom and pop restaurant with fast service and a classic, delicious menu–The Ranch @40 West. I’ve been to The Ranch at least a hundred times; it's 3 minutes from my house, there isn’t a bad thing on the menu (seriously I’ve tried it all), and as cheesy as it sounds, you really do feel like family there. The Ranch is the kind of restaurant that big chains like AppleBees try to replicate.

Our usual go-tos are the California-style eggs Benedict, Kitchen Sink Breakfast Skillet, Breakfast Burrito, Crispy Pig, and simply must split a cinnamon roll waffle--they’re to die for.

11am Dinosaur Ridge

With a solid breakfast under our belts, we took a leisurely hike to Dinosaur Ridge, just down the road in Morrison. This is a great hike if you have folks with limited mobility since it's completely paved, a relaxed incline, and a dinosaur museum (complete with snacks and bathrooms) at both ends.

Fossilized dinosaur tracks at Dinosaur Ridge in Morrison Colorado.

A fossilized dinosaur track, with my foot for size comparison.

Dinosaur Ridge is aptly named since there are fossilized dinosaur footprints popping out of the ground due to the way the mountains in Colorado have formed. It also has spectacular views of Red Rocks Amphitheatre and there seems to always be a child’s birthday party at the picnic tables outside the museums. Few things beat sugar and dinosaurs🧁🦕

Hanging out with some velociraptors, clever girl.

1pm Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield Farms

We decided to take advantage of the relatively warm weather and drove a bit further south to the corn maze at Chatfield Farms. A satellite of the Denver Botanic Gardens, Chatfield Farms is home to the Community Supported Agriculture program aka a CSA that provides subscribers with delicious seasonal produce; butterfly and cut flower gardens; and, in the fall, a pumpkin patch and corn maze! We made it through the entire maze in about 45 minutes (without getting lost) and had plenty of fun along the way. We celebrated with chai lattes and spiced churros from the food trucks afterward.

A view from the overlook from the middle of Chatfield Farms fall corn maze.

Feeling a bit turned around in the Chatfield Farm corn maze.

6pm Red Rocks

We took it easy for the rest of the afternoon, relaxing at home since we were going to a show at Red Rocks later that evening. Red Rocks is a world-renowned concert venue built into the natural sandstone rock formation that dots the Front Range around Denver and Colorado Springs. As a local, I always make sure we get there in plenty of time to secure premium parking, enjoy a bit of tailgating, and ensure excellent seats. Most of Red Rocks is general admission so if you arrive early, you can score seats in the first few rows after VIP. That being said we arrived in plenty of time, enjoyed mingling with other concert goers, and danced like college kids to Deadmau5.

We made it to row sixteen for this show, and had a fantastic view of the stage at Red Rocks in Morrison Colorado.

As a natural amphitheater, Red Rocks is incredibly loud, especially at concerts like Deadmau5, but I always make sure to pack noise-reducing earplugs and sunglasses so I don’t get overstimulated at shows. Just because you’re getting older, doesn’t mean you have to stop doing things that bring you joy. After an amazing show, we cut out a bit early so we wouldn’t have to deal with the post-show traffic, and zipped home in no time.

A view of the crowd and natural rock formation behind us at Red Rocks in Morrison Colorado.

Day 3 - Sunday

10:30am Edgewater Public Market & Sloan’s Lake

Since we had a late night and my friends had an afternoon flight we slept in and explored the brunch options at Edgewater Public Market. A food hall with some shops sprinkled in and a great bar, Edgewater Public Market has something for everyone, especially if you’re looking for Denver or Colorado souvenirs.

Stickers we bought from local artists showcased at Abstract in Edgewater Public Market.

The açai bowl and waffle pops from Saints and Sinners are, well, sinful, but my favorite are the Monte Cristo bites with raspberry dipping sauce from Moontime Crepes. After that scrumptious brunch we perused the plants at Stalk Market Co., felt inspired by the bulk products at Zero Market (a zero waste shop), and picked out a couple of Denver trinkets at Abstract.

After browsing, we decided to take the longer, scenic route back to the airport. I have to at least take my friends by the mountains when they’re in town. It was an overcast October day and the mountains looked incredibly moody, with low clouds and fog rolling in. A picturesque, albeit, slightly gloomy end to my friends’ visit to the Mile High City.

Misty mountains along Denver's Front Range.

Mile High Marathon