Denver Travel Guide

As you might have seen on social media, I went to Colorado twice in two weeks. What? Oh yeah, believe it. Both trips were for weddings, but we decided stay longer the second weekend, so we had more time to explore. Adam knows Colorado well (he went to DU), but I hadn’t been there in years, so we really wanted to create some new Denver memories. I always knew it was beautiful, but these visits made me fall in love with it even more!

Both weddings were outside of the city, but in different directions. I know we didn’t even really scratch the surface, but it was still an awesome way for me to see more of the gorgeous state. The first wedding (above) was at Boettcher Mansion in Golden, and the second one (below) was in Lyons at Planet Bluegrass.

As for what I wore… I realized after the fact that I wore Yumi Kim dresses to both weddings! Guess I was really feeling the silk floral vibes, huh? ? Both dresses are from last year, but you can shop my maxi in this year’s prints here and here. YK didn’t make the dress below again this year, but here is a similar maxi version! Woo!

As fun as the weddings were (you should see us on the dance floor!), we couldn’t go all the way to Colorado twice without adding a few other activities to our itinerary. The first weekend was quick, so we really only had time for the wedding and a quick visit to Adam’s alma mater. But the second weekend was a different story! A bunch of people already live in Denver, and a few of his really close friends decided to stay through the 4th of July with us. So without further ado, here’s what I recommend if you visit Denver!

Visit Red Rocks

This place is breathtaking and 100% lives up to the hype. I know it’s best known as a concert venue (I’ll get to that later), but it’s definitely worth the visit during the day, too. When we went, there were a ton of healthy and fit locals finishing up group classes or working out on their own. And then there were the tourists taking lots of photos… guilty!

Spend a few nights in the city

As I mentioned, both weddings were outside of Denver… so I was excited when we had the opportunity to stay downtown for a few nights. Since we had a lot planned, I really wanted to stay somewhere central. My friends at Starwood hooked us up at the Westin Denver Downtown Hotel, and it was absolutely perfect. The hotel is beautiful, the staff was friendly, our room was spacious (with a window seat and awesome view), and the bed was insanely comfortable. But the best part? We were within walking distance of pretty much everywhere we wanted to go. Easy peasy!

Walk around downtown

The is the real benefit of staying somewhere central – walking just a few blocks will lead you to this! There are adorable restaurants and shops everywhere, and the sidewalks are SO clean! We decided to just wander around for a bit, and we ended up running into one of Adam’s favorite Mexican restaurants from way back when. Tacos and margs on a patio? I never say no to that ?

Visit D.U.

Okay, I’ll be honest… this was way more fun because I had a special tour guide, but it’s still a beautiful campus! We stopped at D.U. on our way to the airport after the first wedding, and Adam was so excited to show me around. A lot of my little tour was specific to his college experience – his favorite bar, everywhere he lived, where he took most of his classes, etc. But if you’re just swinging by to see it, I’d recommend the quad and the very first Chipotle!

Go to a Rockies game

The day after the 2nd wedding, a big group of us went to the Rockies game. We got tickets for The Rooftop, which is basically a big bar area at the top of Coors Field. I could barely see the game, but the party up there was fun, and we had a killer view of the mountains ? Also, since it was the 3rd of July, there was a huge fireworks display after the game! Such a bonus!

Go to brunch

I definitely underestimated how many opportunities we would have to eat out, but you know I made some time for brunch. My friend Grace recommended Olive & Finch and it did NOT disappoint. I had this skillet with two cage free eggs, mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, spinach, pesto, potatoes, onions and CRISPY PROSCIUTTO. Holy moly, it was everything my slightly hung over self needed ? Highly recommend!

Even though I didn’t have time to try everyone’s other recommendations, I’ve compiled all of them here! Just in case any of you are visiting Denver…

Reader Recommendations

Avanti
Beast + Bottle
Brider
Denver Beer Co.
Departure
Linger
Little Man Ice Cream
Los Chingones
LowDown Brewery
Old Major
Olive & Finch
Postino
Root Down
Sweet Action Ice Cream
Uncle Ramen
Vital Root
Yardbird

See a concert at Red Rocks

I told you I’d get back to this! It was cool to see Red Rocks during the day, but it’s totally different when you go for a concert. I’ve been wanting to see a show there forever, so as soon as we heard we could get tickets for the 4th of July, we jumped at the chance. I’m not even a big Blues Traveler fan, but it didn’t matter! The energy was amazing, the acoustics are perfect, and we got to see little pockets of fireworks pop up all over the Denver area throughout the night. Such an amazing way to end our trip.

And later this week, you’ll see more of the cute little dress I wore to the concert… stay tuned!

Have you been to Denver?

Did I leave any fun activities off this list? Also, where in Colorado should we go next? We’re thinking a ski trip in the winter could be fun!