On our recent trip to Colorado, Sage and I met my parents in Denver after visiting his father Schyler in Eastern Washington. We rented a car at the airport to drive to Breckenridge where we would be staying for the week. My mom and I wanted to take advantage and spend half a day checking out the city before heading to our hotel. None of us had ever been to Denver and my mo mom and I were pleasantly surprised by how much we liked it! It was very clean, pleasant city and we really liked the vibes there. There is actually so much to do, way more than we were able to get to. It has so many cute restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques, and tourist attractions so I think it’s a great city to visit! In this blog post, I am sharing a “mini travel guide” for Denver based on what we were able to do with a half a day.

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Things To Do

RiNo Arts District

Our first destination after leaving the airport was the River North Arts District, otherwise known as RiNo. This urban neighborhood has a trendy, industrial feel to it with colorful murals, great eateries, jazz bars, brewpubs, art galleries, shops, and more. It’s definitely Denver’s creative hub. I did a quick Google search for a lunch spot on our drive there and found the Denver Central Market. We found parking quite easily on a Sunday and did some street browsing on our way there. Scroll down to the bottom of the blog post for photos of the market!

Union Station

We quickly popped over to Union Station on our way out of the city and on our way there, we got a great feel of the city and it’s amazing historic and industrial architecture. We were able to find parking right in front of Union Station which made it so easy for us to walk over and check it out. Union Station is usually a meeting hub with an awesome dining/lounging area in the center that has become very popular with locals and tourists. Unfortunately, this area was under construction during our visit which was too bad because the remodel of Union Market looks like it will be amazing! We were still able to walk around the station and admire the stunning architecture of this historic building that is now home to artisan vendors, eateries, and the Crawford hotel. It’s a great tourist destination in the city!

Red Rocks

Just outside of the city of Denver is the famous Red Rocks Amphitheater! It was just a little bit off of our course so we thought we would take a detour because my mom and I really wanted to see it. There was actually a concert being held there that evening when we stopped by so we weren’t able to see the theatre itself, but we were able to admire the overall setting and it’s famous “red rocks”. Normally there is a trail that you would walk to get there and without tickets we weren’t allowed. Luckily, we were able to park briefly even though the lot was full, just to check it out. I love the photos of Sage and I that we took there.

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I need to mention how great Sage was on our day in Denver! I was a little worried about it, even though I had already done some city travel with my friend Elle in Phoenix recently, but Sage was so patient and easy going. A few things that really helped were my Cybex car seat and the Cybex stroller base that is compatible with it. It made getting through the Denver airport so easy and it was a breeze walking with him around the city as well! I’ve linked a few other baby travel essentials above!

Where We Ate

Denver Central Market

I love food markets and I almost always check them out in whatever city I visit if they have one! I think it’s a great way to get a feel of the city’s local cuisine all in one spot. The Denver Central Market is a gourmet marketplace and food hall with 11 vendors including a bakery, a pizzeria, meat and fish markets, a greengrocer and more. It has a very cool industrial meets historic feel to it. With plenty of seating and a stunning cocktail bar, this popular spot was packed on a Sunday afternoon! My parents had Mediterranean bowls and I ordered a Croque Madame and a chocolate croissant to enjoy with coffee later. We sat and people watched in the food hall while we ate!

Metropolis Coffee

After we finished our lunch at the Denver Central Market, we walked about 5 minutes to Metropolis Coffee, also conveniently located in the RiNo neighborhood. I love checking out the local coffee shops when I visit a new city! This one looked really cute when I did a quick Google search while we ate our meal. This spot did not disappoint. The coffee was amazing, there was plenty of seating, and the interiors very chic and modern. The other customers in the shop were quietly working on their laptops so it was very peaceful after the bustling food market. I enjoyed my chocolate croissant while sipping on my vanilla latte, which made me a very happy momma.

I hope you guys enjoyed this quick Denver guide! I would love to go back one day with more time to explore this fun capitol city. Be sure to check back for the guides I will be sharing for Aspen, Breckenridge, and Vail!

XOXO