Denver surprised me because there were so many more things to do in Denver than I expected. Yes, you have the obvious Colorado scenery, but the city itself has great neighborhoods, food halls, street art, quirky attractions, creative restaurants, and some really fun places to spend an evening.
If you are trying to decide what to do in Denver on your first trip, I would not try to cram everything into downtown. Some of my favorite parts of the trip were in RiNo, Dairy Block, Red Rocks, and Golden.
Here are the things to do in Denver I would put at the top of your list.
RiNo—short for River North Art District—was one of my favorite areas to wander around.
The neighborhood is packed with murals, restaurants, bars, shops, galleries, and small local businesses, so I would leave some room in your schedule here for wandering.
Walk around looking for street art, use the RiNo mural map if you want to find specific pieces, and stop into shops like Three Arrows Market, Topo Designs, and Justin Great Custom Hats.
There are also plenty of places to eat and things to do, including Denver Central Market, Puttshack, F1 Arcade, pizza stops, and great dinner options.
I could easily spend a full day here.
If you want to plan the neighborhood in more detail, read my One Day in RiNo Denver: Where to Eat, Shop, and Explore.
You do not need concert tickets to enjoy Red Rocks. We visited around noon when there was not a show happening, and it was really cool to see the amphitheatre without a concert crowd.
You can walk through the seating area, see the stage, look at the huge sandstone formations, and stop inside the Visitor Center to learn a little more about the geology and history.
For more details on timing, what to wear, and what to expect, see my Red Rocks Amphitheatre Guide: What to Know Before You Visit.
Golden is only about 30 minutes from Denver and makes an easy day trip. Downtown is compact and walkable, Clear Creek runs right through town, and you can mix outdoor time, food, shopping, and a few local attractions into one day.
Golden feels different enough from Denver that I think it is worth giving it a full day. If you plan to drive outside Denver and need a rental car, you can compare options through Discover Cars.
For the full itinerary, read my One Day in Golden Colorado: The Perfect Day Trip from Denver.
Denver Central Market is one of the easiest places to create your own mini food crawl. We went more than once because there were so many things I wanted to try, and I liked that every vendor felt completely different.
You can grab coffee, pastries, breakfast, lunch, chocolate, fresh juice, and plenty of other options without leaving the building. If you like trying several things instead of sitting down for one big meal, this is a really fun stop.
Dairy Block was one of the easiest areas to keep coming back to during our trip. There are restaurants, bars, shops, Maker's Alley, Milk Market, and some really cute photo spots—especially at night.
We stayed at The Maven, so this area was basically right outside our door, but even if you are not staying there, I would still walk through. You can easily pair Dairy Block with Union Station or use it as a starting point for dinner and drinks.
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One of the most fun ways we got around Denver was by renting scooters, especially along the Cherry Creek Trail.
The trail runs through downtown and follows Cherry Creek, so it gives you a completely different view of the city than just walking from block to block. We used scooters to connect different parts of downtown, and I liked being able to cover more ground while still actually seeing Denver instead of sitting in a car.
If the weather is good and you are comfortable on a scooter, I would absolutely do it again.
The Cherry Creek Trail is especially nice because you are away from most of the street traffic for stretches of the ride, and you get a mix of city views, creek scenery, bridges, and people biking or walking.
BRUTØ is much more than just a nice dinner.
The tasting menu is built around food research, fermentation, preservation, and local ingredients, and the chefs explain the dishes as you go.
What I liked most was that the food felt incredibly technical, but the overall experience did not feel stuffy. The chefs were funny, interactive, and made the whole dinner feel fun.
It is definitely a splurge, but I thought it was worth it.
We had everything from breakfast spots and bakeries to food halls, pizza, small plates, creative Asian food, Italian, and a Michelin-starred tasting menu.
If food is a big part of how you travel, I would absolutely build some of your Denver sightseeing around where you want to eat.
I put together a full guide with my favorite breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner stops so you do not have to figure it all out from scratch. You can find them in my DIY Denver Food Tour: Best Places to Eat in Denver Colorado.
If you would rather have someone else handle the planning, you can also look at Denver food tours through Secret Food Tours.
Denver also has a really good cocktail scene, and I was especially impressed by how many places take non-alcoholic drinks seriously.
There are hidden speakeasies, stylish cocktail lounges, casual stops, and bars with actual zero-proof menus instead of one sad mocktail at the bottom of the page.
If drinks are part of your trip, I would work at least one cocktail bar into your evening.
I was not sure whether the Hammond's Candy Factory tour was going to feel mostly geared toward kids. It did not.
The free tour lasts about 30 minutes and gives you a look at the history of Hammond's before taking you into the factory area to watch candy being made by hand.
For more details on the tour, what you will see, and what to expect, read my Hammond’s Candies Factory Tour Review: What to Expect.
LoDo—Denver's Lower Downtown—is easy to pair with Union Station, Dairy Block, restaurants, bars, and shopping. It is very walkable, and I would leave some time just to wander around instead of treating it like one specific attraction.
One thing I did not expect to see was the Skynet Art Series. These large suspended art installations add huge pops of color around downtown, including areas near Skyline Park, 16th Street, and Union Station.
For a first trip, I would give Denver at least three days.
That gives you enough time for:
If food is a major part of your trips, I would add another day because there are way too many restaurants to squeeze into a short weekend.
Definitely! What surprised me most was that Denver did not feel like a city you simply use as a base for the mountains. There is plenty to do in the city itself, and the food scene was much better than I expected.
I went to Denver expecting Colorado scenery. I came home still thinking about pastries, pasta, bread, dumplings, and one very exciting tasting menu.
If you end up booking anything for your trip, using my affiliate links helps support my blog at no extra cost to you. I spend a lot of time researching and writing these guides, so I really appreciate the support.
Compare flights to Denver with Skyscanner, and if you are still deciding how long to stay, my The Perfect 3 Days in Denver Colorado lays out a full first-time itinerary.
If you are flying through DEN, read my Denver Airport Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Denver International Airport before your trip.
We stayed at The Maven in Dairy Block, which put us within easy walking distance of LoDo, Union Station, restaurants, and Milk Market. Read my The Maven Hotel Denver Review: What to Expect if you are considering staying there.
You can also compare Denver hotel prices through Booking.com.
For tours and other Denver activities, compare options on Viator or Get Your Guide.
If you are trying to fit several of these Denver attractions into a shorter trip, my A Weekend in Denver Colorado: The Perfect First-Time Itinerary puts them together into a practical weekend plan.
Haywood Smokehouse is the BBQ spot that ruins you for every other BBQ spot. Lean brisket so tender it doesn’t need the fat, fried pork ribs you won’t find anywhere else, and don’t sleep on the banana pudding for dessert.
Save this before your next Waynesville or Dillsboro trip 🍖🔥
Booked this Bryson City yurt for the ‘ber months and it’s already my top fall pick this year. 🍂
The Junaluska Yurt sleeps six but feels more like a stylish cabin than a yurt, two real queen bedrooms with actual doors, a full kitchen, and a private bathroom with a walk-in shower. Check-in is just a door code texted to your phone, no lobby, no waiting.
The real win is outside: wraparound porch, private fire pit, free firewood, a gas grill, and Smoky Mountain sunsets that stop you mid-sentence, picture all of that with October color on the ridgeline. Heads up, the last stretch in is a gravel road, so skip the low-profile rental, and there’s no restaurant onsite, you’re minutes from Bryson City, Dillsboro, and Sylva for dinner.
Two to three nights is the sweet spot. (We actually stayed in the dead of winter and it was still stunning, fall just takes it up a notch.) Full review linked in bio.
Italian food felt like the last thing I expected to find in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains... until I sat down at Ilda in Sylva.🍝
They call it Italian-Appalachian, and that’s not just a tagline. Homemade pasta, craft cocktails, local ingredients pulled straight from the mountains around it, this is the kind of meal that makes you forget you’re two hours from the nearest city. It’s cozy, it’s a little upscale, and it is not a walk-in kind of place, call ahead, because tables go fast on weekends.
It’s not cheap, and it’s not trying to be. But if you’re already making the trip out to Sylva, this is the one reservation worth planning your day around.
Full write-up, including what to order, link in bio.
Booked my fall cabin before September even started, and I’m not sorry about it. 🍂
These are the stays that make you actually want the cold to hurry up fireplaces, mountain views, the kind of porch you don’t leave. Not every one of these is going to fit every trip, but if a cozy fall getaway is on your radar, this is the roundup to start with.
One of my favorite travel seasons is almost here, and I have zero chill about it. 🍁✈️
There’s just something about fall trips cooler air, apple orchards, that first flannel of the season, food that actually makes sense with the weather again. I’m already mentally packing for it before September even starts.
If fall is your favorite time to travel too, tell me where you’re headed... I’m taking notes for the list.
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