Denver, Colorado in a couple weeks! What to do there?

[CountryWolf07]

So, I'm going out to Denver, Colorado to visit a friend. I'm very excited. I've never been to Colorado! I am bringing my D60 with me. I will be there for a week in mid-April, so, I am wondering, what's good to do there? Suggestions, feel free to list!

[wombat2u2004]

I think there's some pine trees there.
Maybe you could go collecting pine cones or something.

[Bonny]

Take a tour of the capitol building, there is the mint if it is open, & a variety of museums downtown to visit along with the Unsinkable Molly Brown Mansion. Great city with lots to do.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

What kinds of things to you enjoy? There's lots to do in the city and there are of course the Rocky mountains! I don't know how long you'll be here, but I recommend taking at least one day trip up in the mountains. There are lots of nice mountain towns- Idaho Springs, Georgetown, and Estes Park (this is more touristy, but right next to Rocky Mountain National Park, which cannot be missed!) are a few.

- Boulder is very nice (about 30-45 minutes NW of Denver), very pretty with a nice pedestrian mall and plenty of nice shops to spend money- plus excellent restaurants!

- Denver is known for its microbreweries, there are lots in the area. I don't drink, but it's something fun if you like beer.

- The 16th street mall downtown Denver is a place to do some shopping, it's fun to take the lightrail there, but I prefer the Cherry Creek area, which has lots of nice shops and restaurants.

-If you like hiking there are a million places to go!! Like I said before, I'd recommend Rocky Mountain National Park, especially since many of the trails at lower elevation should be fine to hike (the higher you go, the more likely they will be covered with snow), and you are almost guaranteed to see some kind of animal there- maybe elk, marmots, or sometimes big horn sheep, mountain goats, etc. You can also drive up to about 13,000 feet there- not as high as the Mt. Evans road, but that's closed in April.

- There are many nice hiking places in the foot hills, too, it will be warmer there and closer- the Morrison area is nice, there is a park called Red Rocks that has a huge amphitheater and lots of trails.

- The zoo and botanic gardens are really nice, too. We go to both regularly. The tiger at the zoo had 4 cubs last summer and they are SO fun to watch!

-If you want to learn skiing, I think the resorts will be open later this year because they got a lot of snow- they may be open while you are here.

Anyway, here are just a few ideas, I'll probably come back to the thread later when I think of something else. All the best things to do here are outdoors, because of course Colorado is the most beautiful state.

Have fun while you are here!!

[CountryWolf07]

I'm a fan of the outdoors/nature. Of course, it's a big giveaway of who I am! I just really enjoy being outside. I plan on bringing my Nikon D60 with the 55-200mm zoom lens along with my 18-105mm lens. Good thing I bought a 16gb SD card a couple weeks ago, because with that, I will be set! I think that's why I'm really looking forward to it. I think I would rather be outside than go shopping. I will be there for a week. Probably April 10-15th. What's the weather kind of like? Are there any "old towns" near Denver? I'm a fan of that, I'd like to do some photography relating to the "Old West".. something like that! I'm beyond excited. I figured, while I have the time with no job, etc. I might as well go out and explore, see what's out there besides Cleveland, Ohio!

[CountryWolf07]

I think there's some pine trees there.
Maybe you could go collecting pine cones or something.

Haha, ahh, you crack me up. I probably would pick up a pine cone or two as souvenirs!

[Pembroke_Corgi]

The weather can be really unpredictable in the spring time. It can be 85 degrees, or we could get snow (but don't worry, if it snows, it will likely be gone by the next day). Lately it has been fairly warm and dry. Today it's going to be near 70 degrees, but averages in early-mid April are probably somewhere in the mid-high 60s for a high. It gets cold at night, and it will be cold in the mountains, so make sure you have clothes for layering.

Many mountain towns have an "old west" sort of feel- also Golden, which is on the west end of the metro area about only about 20-30 minutes away from Denver. Georgetown and Idaho Springs (fairly close mountain towns) were once mining towns and are nice, plus have a few museums. Also Evergreen is close and nice- it's one of my favorite places to hike because it's perfect for an afternoon trip, and coffee shop in Evergreen is really cool, it's build into a rock. There are so many parks near the area I think the only trouble will be deciding which to hike at. I would really say you have to go to Rocky Mountain National Park though, it's so beautiful, and only about 2 hours away from Denver.

[janetmarston]

You're going to LOVE Denver - I work in downtown Denver and live in Longmont - Denver is at the right spot to get to anything you may want to do - if you want to go to the mountains - less than 30 minutes - if you want to go to the plains (flatlands) - less than 30 minutes - tons of activities - depends on what you like - go to the 16th STREET MALL - walk around - if you want to see downtown - very open and friendly people - with view of the mountains right there.

If you want to go up "high" - get in I-70 and head west - can't go wrong!

[wolf_Q]

I've been to Denver a couple of times. We stayed there for a bit years ago for a U2 concert, I don't remember what all we did...I remember going to the Denver Mint actually one of the people we were with was a coin collector. The 16th Street Mall is cool. We drove through Rocky Mountain State Park on our way back from Ohio - I'd love to go back we didn't get to stop much as we were on a time constraint to get back home. But it was pretty enough to make it worth making our drive home longer. And if you get bored I'm only an 8 hour drive away. Kate (Kater) lives in Ft. Collins I think which is pretty close to Denver she probably has some good ideas too.