A cultural guide to Denver

Your essential guide to the best things to see and do in Denver. Find more travel inspiration for more amazing cities here.

Come for the skiing, stay for the culture. Denver packs the rare one-two punch of outdoorsy adventure and urban charm; it’s likely the only city in the U.S. where you can hit the slopes in the morning and then wear shorts to a rooftop brewery in the afternoon—even in winter, thanks to 300 annual days of sunshine. Here you’ll find a cheerful blend of hiking culture, foodie culture, craft beer culture, startup culture, and even counterculture.

The Mile High City—literally one mile high, at 5,280 feet of elevation—was founded in 1858 as a gold-mining town, and that spirit of optimistic “prospecting” can still be felt today. The easy access to outdoors (hiking trails abound), low-ish cost of living, and strong educational infrastructure has led to an influx of tech talent, fueling the city’s growth and turning Denver into a below-the-radar startup hub—think Austin without the hype. Meanwhile the music, food, and art scenes have quietly flourished. Locals take the idea of “work-life balance” seriously; more Fridays are spent camping or snowboarding than in conference rooms.

Art & architecture

Denver’s Union Station, which dates back to 1881, is more than just a train station; it’s an architectural marvel with stunningly high ceilings, dripping with old-world elegance. The Denver Art Museum, designed by Daniel Libeskind, is one of the largest in the nation with more than 70,000 works, including a strong focus on Indigenous American art. But you’ll find the artistic soul of the city in the River North Art District, or “RiNo,” where the blocks are lined with murals (some five stories high), street art, and the occasional pop-up installation—the neighborhood itself is a living canvas.

Food & drink

Foodies will find plenty to love. While no one cuisine is dominant, Colorado’s rich agricultural landscape yields locally sourced, farm-to-table ingredients in venues that span from upscale (such as Linger, set in a converted mortuary) to hole-in-the-wall taquerias sprinkled throughout the city (expect Colorado’s famed green chili sauce drizzled over burritos and more—it works).

Then there’s Denver’s beer—so much craft beer… Colorado was a pioneer in craft brewing, so it’s tough to walk three blocks without stumbling into a world-class brewery. For a locals-only vibe, consider Odell Brewing’s Sloan’s Lake Brewhouse, which has a rooftop patio and picturesque views of the lake at sunset. Meanwhile, Call to Arms in the Berkeley neighborhood serves solid porters, lagers, and Denver-style IPAs in its taproom and beer garden. 

Watch before you go

Ball Arena might be home to the world champion basketball team Denver Nuggets—but you could argue that the greatest feat of athleticism in the arena’s history was when Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell) and Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder) teamed up to pull off the Iron Lotus in 2007’s Blades of Glory.