Denver, Colorado, the mile high city, is known for its welcoming attitude!! If you’re coming for work or play, Denver is an awesome destination. Denver is the capital of Colorado, and with a population in excess of 2.8 million, is the 19th largest city in the country. Denver's location at the base of the Rocky Mountains provides a gateway to a plethora of outdoor pursuits. Remember this, though, when planning your vacation, or work/play trip-- Denver is not a mountain town. It takes a minimum of an hour to drive to the Rockies; however there are some great places within a 30-minute drive of downtown, such as Red Rocks Park and Cherry Creek State Park to enjoy if time is limited. Denver has a unique perspective when conjoining the old and the new. Employees greet incoming flights at the city’s state-of-the-art airport wearing cowboy hats and big smiles. The golden dome of the Colorado State Capitol overlooks the downtown area of the city where renovated historic buildings and modern structures abut one another
Back in the mid-1800s Denver was founded as a mining hub during the gold rush. A lot of changes have evolved since its Wild West days. With modernization comes change, and slowly the rough-and-ready gold town slid from beneath its gun-slinging gambler reputation and into a laid back populous of moderates who embrace fitness, nature, sports and the outdoors.
As might be expected, steak houses are in abundance throughout the greater Denver area featuring beef, buffalo, and other critters. Need a little inspiration before attacking a 32 ounce steak? Marijuana is legal in Colorado. For you boomer aged hippies, it’s an opportunity to take a trip back into the light fantastic while waiting for the munchies to kick in.
Speaking of pot, since its legalization, Denver has experienced a new kind of gold rush of; green. Once Colorado residents voted to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012, Denver has experienced an untapped source of commerce. From dispensaries to magazines or state of the art paraphernalia such as vaporizers, rolling papers, lotions and storage containers, reefer madness is gaining speed.
What complements a buzz? Why beer of course. Denver needs to be on the bucket list for any beer lovers. There are literally dozens of local breweries to visit. Denver has been selected by none other than CNN as the no. 1 beer city in the US in 2015. Craft brewing in Denver continues to expand in both creativity and diversity, adding to the appeal of numerous neighborhood breweries around town. The yearly Great American Beer Festival each fall is an event to witness; kinda like Oktoberfest, but different.
Denver is well known as a sports capital. Professional teams are seeing action somewhere in the area 12 months out of the year. Football, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer and lacrosse are represented. The Colorado Rockies play at Coors Field located downtown, while the Broncos have a huge following and sell out every game at INVESCO Field at Mile High stadium. Both the Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche play at the Pepsi Center, which is also in the downtown area.
What else is there to tell? You’ll just have to come and see for yourself. Denver is an awesome city. It has a small town feel when you get into the different neighborhoods and surrounding districts of the city, but, when you fully appreciate all there is to do all Denver has to offer, you may not want to leave.