I’m thankful I have great friends who love to travel as much as I do. A girlfriend and I were in a travel rut and on a whim decided to take a weekend trip to a city we both had never visited. Before deciding on Denver we made a list which included Nashville (still at the top of my list BTW), Seattle, Albuquerque, New Orleans, and Boston. We really wanted to visit a place with good weather, which traveling in early spring cut our list in half. We also wanted to be active and hike and which cut our list even shorter. We finally decided on Denver!
We booked our trip two months prior to traveling, we really only booked dates based on our availability in mid-April. The travel Gods were looking out because the weather in Denver was perfect! It was warmer than usual for this time of year, high 70s during the day and only mid 50s at night. We really lucked out the week after we left, Denver was under a blizzard warning. We also just so happened to be there for baseball’s Opening Weekend which had the city feeling so lively. I wanted to share where we ate, hiked, shopped and were basic all weekend!
Day 1:
We had a late flight Thursday night, so we slept in Friday so help us prepare for a long day of hiking. We opted to pick up a car for the day since we wanted to check out Boulder which is just a 30-min drive outside the city. Honestly, best idea ever! We really utilized having a car and it was only $30 for the day. Boulder is the cutest college town which surprisingly also has a big population of young professionals with businesses like Google in town. This small town is nestled in the mountains so it has breathtaking views, shops, restaurants and so many hiking trails. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance to walk Pearl Street, but driving through was so cute! Everyone was out walking, shopping, sipping on coffee and enjoying the views and beautiful weather. I’m actually really sad I didn’t get to experience the small town vibe, it reminded me a lot of Stars Hallows for all you Gilmore Girl fans.
We hiked Mount Sanitas Loop Trail which is
We hit the road back into the city, showered up and decided to head out for a drink nearby. We stayed in LoHi (Lower Highlands) which I will say fit our age group and interests perfectly. We were close enough to downtown but this neighborhood had its own trendy vibe. Luckily we found the most adorable food hall/bar, this place would be great for large groups or even a date night. Avanti was huge, it has three stories, the first level is more of a lounge and bar feel. The second level is the food hall with local vendors including Italian, American, Seafood and Mexican food truck style with shared cafeteria seating. The top level had a large rooftop bar and even stadium seating overlooking downtown Denver, there was also one or two eateries and an indoor bar with lounge seating and open windows with city views. This is a must see and
Day 2:
We still had the car and really wanted to take advantage of the site seeing just outside of the city. We knew we had to visit Red Rock Ampetheither. Not only is this venue breathtaking but even when a concert isn’t in session tons of people are visiting to take in the views, local vendors set up a small street fair and they had live music up top. There is even a small and FREE museum to check out. I found it extremely interesting to see the bands who’ve played at this venue over the years. The museum also has stunning views around back and it’s a lot less crowded. I’ve never seen anything like it in the world. It’s about a 30-minute drive from the city but again a must see if you’re in town even if you’re not catching a show. It’s now on my bucket list to return and see a concert here. Having the red rocks surrounding you the mountains behind the stage has to be magical.
About a mile down the road from Red Rocks are tons of hiking trails. We decided to get another one in the books while in Colorado. And the weather was too good to be true we had to be sure to soak up the sun! We only did a two-mile hike this day, we hiked a mile out and back of the Dakota Ride and Red Rocks Loop Trail. No complaints here, because the views were stunning. It was more of a prairie view with mountains surrounding so much different than our last hike the day prior which had a view of the city at the top of the summit.
The last item on the agenda before dropping off our car was a bit odd but definitely something worth checking out. We visited the International House of Cannabis. I was shocked to learn of such a thing, but I was pleasantly surprised by their hospitality and kindness. This is a practicing church with
We headed back to town to get ready for a Rockies game! Coors Field was filled with hot dogs, funnel cakes and a lively crowd despite the win from the visiting team (go Dodgers!). Before headed to the game we decided to grab dinner downtown at
After the game, we got to experience the nightlife of Denver. The streets were swarming with people shuffling around to nearby bars. First stop of the night was LoDo’s Bar + Grill. What I especially loved about Denver was the number of rooftop bars, that’s definitely something San Diego is missing. LoDo had a large rooftop deck with a DJ and full bar. The last stop of the night was the Gin Mill, I actually thought this bar was super adorable. We, of course, spotted the FREE popcorn machine (you guys know how much I love FREE) the second we walked in. I think the vibe here was a bit of an older more mature crowd which I appreciated, there were lights strung out back and they even had a section for cornhole. This place had
Day 3:
Even though the weather was absolutely gorgeous we opted to take a day off from hiking and to really explore the city on Sunday Funday. I’m a sucker for street art so we decided to hit up a few murals in the RiNo district off Larimer Street. I loved this neighborhood it was full of hipsters, markets, coffee shops, vintage boutiques and what I loved most about it, it’s dog-friendly. We stopped at Denver Central Market, I seriously love these markets it’s a great place to meet for brunch with friends. Lot’s of local vendors set up food truck type booths, with tons of different cuisines, coffee shops, bakeries, and even art and jewelry boutiques all under one roof.
Another stop on the tour de basic was SHEA, the cutest boutique ever! It had the perfect faux leaf wall with a neon sign that is a bloggers heaven! I really wish I could’ve fit everything in my suitcase, the clothes were very boho mixed with street style.
Next stop of the tour de basic was brunch! We heard so many people rave about Viewhouse we had to check it out for ourselves. Again Denver for the win with another rooftop restaurant and bar. Viewhouse did not disappoint the music really set the tone for Sunday Funday. Everyone was enjoying their meals and mimosas with beautiful weather and city views. The bottom floor was a courtyard with lawn games, swings, and a volleyball court and DJ spinning.
Our last stop in Denver was Little Man Ice Cream. Let me just say it’s worth the very long wait! We, in fact, waited in line for 45 minutes to enjoy this homemade ice cream. I think waiting in line these days is all part of the experience, you get to people watch and gossip with your girlfriends which is exactly what we did.
Denver you are officially (yet unofficially) my second favorite biggest little city! I enjoyed the crisp mountain air, rooftop bars, street art, good eats, and amazing hikes. I’ll definitely be back!
