Denver - A Trip From Airport to Downtown

Photo by pbo31

Pike's Peak. Photo by heidielliott

The city of Denver boasts the 10th largest downtown business district in the U.S. Denver was founded as Denver City in November 1858 and was a mining town during the Pike's Peak gold rush, which happened in thee Western Kansas Territory, of which Denver was once a part.

In thee summer of 1858, a group of gold prospectors arrived in the area from Lawrence, Kansas and founded what was known as Montana City along the South Platte River; this city eventually became Denver. Like many other cities, Denver was home to an automotive company in the early 1900s - this was the Colburn company, whose car was copied from the Renault cars contemporary to it.

Photo by bradleygee

Because of its importance in the agricultural industry in the region, Denver has also been called the "Queen City of the Plains". There have been several US Navy vessels named USS Denver in the city's honor.

The Great American Beer Festival

Photo by cizauskas

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Great American Beer Festival at the Colorado Convention Center offers more beers than any other in the world.This annual festival features some 375 breweries and a sublime 1600 craft beers. Categories cover every conceivable beer, from Viennese to German Dunkel and Schwarzbier, American-style lagers, English bitters, Belgian ales and the more experimental flavoured beers.Just remember to bring your ID.

Denver International Wine Festival

The Denver International Wine Festival at University of Denver School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management and the Driscoll Center is hosted by Sommelier and author Daniel Johnnes and brings together some 70 wineries from 16 countries. With over 2000 restaurants, Denver is a growing centre of gastronomy in the US.

Chile Harvest Festival

Denver Botanic Gardens,Part of Denver Botanic Gardens' month-long tribute to Latino art and culture, the Chile Harvest Festival gives visitors the chance to enjoy local Latino bands, dance groups, artists and food.

Denver Zoo Wildlights. Photo by Scorpions and Centaurs

Wild Lights

The entire 35 acres of Denver's Zoo are transformed into a magical winter wonderland each Christmas, with hundreds of trees sprouting colourful light formations. Holiday entertainment, music, warming stations and refreshments make this a family favourite.

National Western Stock Show

Photo by alliemalley

People have come to Denver for nearly a century to buy, sell and see the finest in ranching stock during the National Western Stock Show. Over 600,000 visitors enjoy today's event at the Denver Coliseum, which includes the country's best indoor rodeo.The most dangerous of all is the bull-riding, an Evening of Dancing Horses, a Wild West show and a Llama Show.

Denver Parade of Lights

The Denver Parade of Lights is the traditional highlight of the city's Christmas. Since its debut in 1975 the event has grown into the largest and most popular parade in the region, attracting 350,000 spectators to the streets of Downtown Denver every year.The parade features giant festive balloons, local high school marching bands, horse-drawn carriages, costumed characters and special performers from throughout the Rocky Mountain region. The traditional finale sees Santa's sleigh sliding onto the streets, piled high with toys and gifts. Special street performers enliven the parade every step of the way.

Appaloosa Grill

Photo by pr_things

The ribs are a good bet,and steaks, and all-natural originating in the Rockies. The lunch menu includes salads, sandwiches, and assorted lighter entrees. With a casual, semi-intimate atmosphere and a handsome antique bar, this is a good place for dinner to morph into a night on the town. There is live musical entertainment nightly.

Bistro Vendome

One who loved for its spicy kick and flavors of beef, onions, cumin, and sweet soy, is the perfect starting point. The menu changes regularly, but you can expect excellent seafood , slow-roasted salmon with French lentils as well as a succulent seared duck breast and some creative game dishes.The patio is one of the best in Denver.

Photo by m:k

Casa Bonita

A west Denver landmark, Casa Bonita is more of a theme park than a restaurant. The 52,000-square-foot restaurant is said to be the largest restaurant in the Western Hemisphere. There's standard Mexican fare-enchiladas, tacos, and fajitas -- along with country-fried steak and fried chicken dinners. Meals include deep-fried sweet dough, served with honey

Mirepoix

The eye-catching back wall is adorned with purple neon and displays the restaurant's impressive wine racks. But the food is the real centerpiece: Chef directs a skilled staff that delivers such dishes as a dry-aged N.Y. steak, artichoke-stuffed ravioli, and a "black and blue" ahi served with smoky ham sauce and shrimp paella. Many of the items on the menu.

Rioja

Photo by Jeffrey Beall


Sushi Den. Photo by lilpixiegirl03


Wazee Supper Club. Photo by kitseeborg

An atmosphere that's formal without being stuffy, Rioja is the perfect vehicle for Jasinski's menu of contrasting flavors and textures. Offerings range from curried cauliflower soup served with fresh apple salad to expertly grilled leg of Colorado lamb on a bed of goat-cheese polenta. Jasinski keeps the menu fresh, but you'll always get a selection of her delectable handmade pastas for dinner and truly transcendent beignets for dessert.

Sushi Den

This is some of the freshest fish you'll find anywhere. The formidable sushi menu, running the gamut from squid and salmon to smoked trout, is complemented by lunch and dinner menus with a wide variety of Japanese fare and sushi and sashimi combination plates.

Wazee Supper Club

Pizza lovers throng to the place (some believe the pizza here is the best in town, if not the world), but you'll also find an array of overstuffed sandwiches, from New York Reubens to Philly cheese steaks, plus buffalo burgers, and more than 20 draft beers.

The Fort

The equally authentic interior boasts striking views of Denver's city lights.The best reason to go is the food.The Fort built its reputation on high-quality, low-cholesterol buffalo, of which it claims to serve the largest variety and greatest quantity of any restaurant in the world. There's steak, roast marrow, tongue, and even "bison eggs" hard-boiled quail eggs wrapped in buffalo sausage. Other house specialties include Rocky Mountain Oysters and elk medallions with wild-huckleberry sauce.

T-Wa Inn

Denver's oldest Vietnamese restaurant is still the best. With simple, pleasant decor and relics from the Far East on display, it looks the part, but the food is what makes it work. Everything is excellent, but we especially like the succulent shrimp, the perfect pork tenderloin, and the attention to authentic Vietnamese flavors. T-Wa also serves several spicy Thai dishes, as well as Asian beers and a whole rainbow of neon-colored specialty drinks.

Water World, Denver. Photo by Checkered and aMUSEd

Water World

This 64-acre complex, billed as America's largest family water park, has two ocean-like wave pools, river rapids for inner tubing, twisting water slides, several kids' play areas, plus other attractions -- more than 40 in all.

Larimer Square

Photo by ilovemypit

Larimer Street between 14th and 15th streets was the entire community of Denver City in 1858.There false-fronted stores, hotels, and saloons to serve gold-seekers and other pioneers. In the mid-1870s it was the main street of the city and the site of Denver's first post office, bank, theater, and streetcar line.All 16 of the block's commercial buildings, constructed in the 1870s and 1880s, were renovated, providing space for street-level retail shops, restaurants, and nightclubs, as well as upper-story offices.

The Wildlife Experience

Opened in 2002 near the Denver Technological Center, this impressive $40-million museum has three cuses: natural history, nature films, and wildlife art, with nine galleries of paintings, sculptures, and photography. The museum's aim is to educate visitors about conservation and the delicate balance between people and the environment, and do it in an aesthetically pleasing fashion. It accomplishes the task, with such highlights as a National Geographic Channel screening room and an interactive Children's Gallery. Also here are a 315-seat Iwerks Extreme Screen Theater, a restaurant, and a gift shop.

Denver Mountain Parks

Formally established in August 1913, the city's Mountain Parks system immediately began acquiring land in the mountains.Today it includes more than 14,000 acres, with 31 developed mountain parks and 16 unnamed wilderness areas that are wonderful places for hiking, picnicking, bird-watching, golfing, or lazing in the grass and sun.

Photo by MMMMichelle

Lakeside Amusement Park

Among the largest and most historic amusement parks in the Rocky Mountains, Lakeside has about 40 rides, including a Cyclone roller coaster, a midway with carnival and arcade games, and a rare steam-powered miniature train that circles the lake. There are also food stands and picnic facilities, plus a separate Kiddie's Playland with 15 rides.

Molly Brown House Museum

Photo by misterbisson


Photo by picbot


Six Flags Elitch Gardens Theme Park.
Photo by MiskiSanko

Built in 1889 of Colorado rhyolite with sandstone trim, this was the residence of J. J. and Margaret (Molly) Brown from 1894 to 1932. The "unsinkable" Molly Brown became a national heroine in 1912 when the Titanic sank.Restored to its 1910 appearance, the Molly Brown House has a large collection of early-20th-century furnishings and art objects, many of which belonged to the Brown family and a carriage house with a museum store at the rear is open to visitors. The house can be seen on guided tours.

Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art

Kirkland was a watercolor painter focused on Western landscapes when he started experimenting and combined oils and watercolors on one canvas. The traditional arts establishment dropped his modern ideas like a bad habit, but he later won accolades for creating his own artistic universe in his stunning paintings, about 60 of which are on display here. The decorative arts collection includes more than 3,300 pieces ranging from teacups to armchairs, and there are also more than 700 works by notable Colorado artists other than Kirkland.

Six Flags Elitch Gardens Theme Park

A Denver tradition established in 1889, this amusement park moved to its present downtown site in 1995. The 45-plus rides include Twister II, an unbelievable 10-story roller coaster with a 90-foot drop and dark tunnel; the Flying Coaster, a one-of-a-kind "hang gliding" experience in which passengers lie facedown; the 220-foot, free-fall Tower of Doom.There are also musical revues and stunt shows, games and arcades, food, shopping, and beautiful flower gardens.