Thornton is a reasonable area to live...northside.
Not much to see in February.
Colorado Springs is a great day trip. Then head up the mountain to the old mining town. Cripple Creek is fun too.
USAF Academy
The Fort restaurant is expensive but affords the opportunity to try buffalo, elk and other game meats. It is set on the edge of the mountains and has great views. Opus restaurant is flat out amazing and is located in the heart of old Littleton. Do the recommended wine pairings with each course. The chef is unbelievable. Your screen name indicates you are a woman. My wife recommends the 16th street mall or the Pearl street mall in nearby Boulder (the Peoples Republic) for quirkier shopping. A worthwhile tour is Celestial Seasonings Tea also near Boulder. It’s free and worth checking out.
The downtown area is fairly condensed, so if you got a self guided walking brochure, you could spend a few hours there. It’s very clean and attractive.
Red Rocks Park, between Denver and Colorado Springs
The 16th Street Mall is fun, plus lots of art museums downtown.
There is Nature/Science Museum by the zoo, which I really love.
A really good breakfast place is Snooze. The whole area has some good restaurants. My favorite Italian is a place called Luigi’s, next door to a wine tasting room called Water to Wine (Centennial).
I would say look towards SouthGlenn area in Centennial or Highlands Ranch (lots of services and families)
Have fun and it will be cold.
Stay off the toll roads. From what others have said, if you drive a rental car without a transponder, your $1.50 toll will end up as $15.00 on your credit card, due to a “camera fee” from the toll road, and a “convenience fee” from the car rental company (the toll road doesn’t accept cash).
I’ve been through Denver a lot, but I won’t participate in that scam, either on personal travel or business.
However, Boulder has some good eateries, including the Rio Grande Mexican restaurant, the Dushanbe Tea House, which serves Tadzhikistani cuisine, and one simply known as The Kitchen. Boulder also has a good bookstore. On the negative side, Boulder is the Berkeley of the Midwest, and FR fans wouldn't like its politics.
If you want to eat at a good steakhouse, take a road trip to Centennial, Wyoming, about an hour and a half to the north, and visit the Old Corral.
was in the Denver area last September. Went to Colorado Springs to the Air Force Academy, Pikes Peak and took a trip to Durango (about 6 hours from Colorado Springs if I remember correctly). Beautiful state!
Garden of the Gods : )
Garden of the Gods : )
Isn’t Colorado a pot friendly place? We used to ski there every Spring Break at one of the best ski places ever, Monarch Pass.
However, like DC, Colorado is a godless country.
Go to Idaho Springs (up I-70) and eat at Beau jo’s pizza. There’s one in Denver but the one in Idaho Spring’s is worth the extra effort if the roads aren’t bad. We liked Benny’s Mexican restaurant in Capital Hill on Logan. There’s always a lot of homos there though.
Red Rocks is a good place to go this time of year because it’s not way up in the mountains. If you go to the Springs as someone suggested you’ll want to go to Garden of the Gods.
As far as retail. Denver has some great places that some cities don’t have. I don’t know where you’re from but if you don’t have a Gander Mountain, Sportsman’s Warehouse, or REI, you should check those out. Go to the REI in downtown Denver and the others in Aurora.
For places to live. Suburbs except Aurora. I like Littleton and Highlands Ranch because the lightrail went down there. I think it goes down to Parker now too. The north Suburbs are cool too.
Denver has horrible traffic so the closer you live to work and Church, the better.
First Baptist in Englewood is where you want to go to church.
Don’t eat yellow snow. Never been, but friends have and the area is beautiful with idiosyncrasies depending on where you’re at. Same rules apply as when going anyplace else - do research and know where to avoid.
Just outside the city is a restaurant called The Fort.
Another restaurant that I've heard of, but have never been to, Casa Bonita. From what I've heard the food is terrible, but its a great time.
If you're up in the Winter Park area, there is a little tiny place, that if you don't know about it you'll miss. Carvers Cafe. Cozy, comfy place, with very good food. My fave in WP.
Over in Estes Park, they have Big Horn restaurant. My favorite place for breakfast in Estes. There is Chicago's Best, a hot dog, beef and pizza joint. They get their hot dogs from Vienna Beef, and are the best hot dogs that I have found in Co. Dogs are good, beef is also pretty good, and I liked the cheese fries.(And I'm a Chicagoan). Also in Estes is Smokin Daves Barbeque.
Lastly, you've got to try Beau Jeaus in Idaho Springs. Great Mountain pie (pizza)
My daughter lives in the Cherry Creek area of Denver, which is an upscale shopping and residential area. Although there is a large indoor mall in Cherry Creek “South” with the typical mall stores and chain restaurants (don’t bother), Cherry Creek “North” is a very walkable outoor shopping area with streetside shops, upscale boutiques, restaurants, and bars. There is also a JW Marriott Hotel, which is where we stay when we visit. Although the locals seem to think that the Cherry Creek area is expensive, by Boston, New York, and Washington, DC standards, it is anything but expensive.
If you go to (or stay in) Cherry Creek), I recommend the Cherry Cricket for casual pub style dining, beer, and sports TV. For more upscale dining, try NoRTH, which is located next to the JW Marriott Hotel and a short jay-walk from the Cherry Cricket. Also, don’t overlook the JW Marriott Hotel for dining and the bar scene. Unlike most chain hotels, including other JW Marriott Hotels, this place has a lot autonomy. The restauarant and bar staff do not wear uniforms, rather they dress as they feel, often in blue jeans and western boots; the restaurant is exceptional by chain hotel standards and top rate by any other standard; and the bar is the place where locals go to be seen in the evening. Here is a link to the North Cherry Creek webpage: http://cherrycreeknorth.com/
For things to do outside of Cherry Creek, I suggest a Denver University hockey game for some of the best college hockey in the country; a drive or cog railroad ride to the top of Pikes Peak (check the website ahead for road conditions); a drive through the Eisenhauer Tunnel (the highest elevation of the interstate highway system); a tour of the Air Force Academy; the rodeo (if you happen to be there when the pros are in town); a beer crawl (bud is not beer in the Denver area); and if you like sushi, a visit to the Sushi Den (http://sushiden.net/), which may very well be one of the best sushi restaurants in the world outside of Japan.