Denver has been on my American bucket list for almost three years now. We’ve attempted to go a few times in the past, but it was always more expensive than other cities on my bucket list. Well, now that only Denver, Seattle, and Charlotte are left we decided that the top of the year would be the best time to do. It also helped that it was inexpensive. I wanted to share my travel guide for Denver because looking up suggestions and pre-planning made our trip ten times better.
We made a list of all the things we wanted to see and things we wanted to eat and each day we picked off that list of places — this idea made for a stress-free, simple trip.
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Day 1 In Denver
Arrived at DIA around 830am
Checked into Hotel Magnolia in downtown Denver
Breakfast at Denver Biscuit Company
Walked Along the 16th Street Mall
Dinner at Uncle
We arrived super early in the morning at Denver’s International Airport. Once off the plane, it took us close to an hour to take the train to baggage claim and the shuttle to pick up our rental car. The process wasn’t the fastest, but I’ve experienced worse.
The rental car center to our hotel was around 25 minutes. We stayed at Hotel Magnolia, which is a newly renovated hotel in downtown Denver. I noticed very fast that we didn’t need a rental car. We either walked everywhere or caught the free 16th street mall bus to where ever we wanted to go.
Breakfast: Denver Biscuit Company– Highly recommend it. It was delicious, but make sure you come hungry. Their portion sizes are enormous!
I was super excited about the 16th Street mall because it said it was the largest outdoor mall in the country. It was super disappointing. There are a lot of shops on 16th street, but nothing extraordinary. We did visit the I Heart Denver gift shop in the Denver Pavilions. It showcases products from local artists.
Uncle Uncle Uncle, what can I say about Uncle? Uncle is a restaurant that focuses mainly on ramen. If you eat at anywhere in Denver, this should be it. The ramen was amazing!
Day 2
Breakfast at Jelly
The Money Museum at the Federal Reserve
Larimer Square
Lunch at Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs
Went To see the Big Blue Bear at the Convention Center
Dinner at Linger
Breakfast at Jelly was okay. It wasn’t anything to harp about, but it did the job. However, the donut flights were terrific.
The Money Museum was interesting but extremely small. The one-room museum took us close to 10 minutes to finish.
Larimer Square is a small area of small shops and restaurants. We didn’t stop in any of them, but we did enjoy the whimsical lights.
We walked from Larimer Square to Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs. I tried the All Beef Dog wrapped in bacon, and my husband tried the pheasant and rattlesnake. We both agreed that the dogs were delicious.
The Big Bear was 5 minutes from our hotel, so it was a quick pop through, but it wouldn’t be worth a journey in my opinion.
Linger was once a mortuary called Olinger. Our Uber driver told us that they turned it into a restaurant close to 4 years ago. They serve tapas/ small plates and are quite expensive. Our bill for the night was around $50, and we were still hungry after leaving.
Day 3
Breakfast at Syrup
Drove to Red Rock Amphitheatre
Little Man Ice Cream
Lunch at Smok Barbecue
Happy Hour at Union Station
Dinner at Sushi-Rama
Syrup served simple, everyday breakfast. Easy to find something that everyone will like.
Visiting Red Rock Amphitheatre was one of the few times we used our rental car. It was a 25-minute drive from downtown, and it was so worth it. The area is beautiful. There were a lot of people working out in the actual theatre, so we tried to stay out of their way a best as possible. The only downside was going up and down the steps. Since we’re not used to the elevation, we were exhausted after.
I had to visit the infamous Little Man Ice Cream. The vanilla ice cream was delicious, but the cone was the real star here.
Smok Barbecue burnt ends are amazing! I wish I could find them in Texas.
Union Station was on all the recommended lists I saw. We went there on our last day for happy hour, and all the drinks were $7. You have to try the Jack Rose.
I would not recommend Sushi-rama. The sushi was sub-par and they had a lot of weird combinations. The staff wasn’t the nicest as well.
Overall Denver was amazing. It was one of the most relaxing trips we’ve taken. I didn’t need a vacation after my vacation. We arrived back in Houston well rested.
