Denver
Located in a spectacular setting at the foot of the Rocky Mountains,
Denver is one of America's most exciting cities. Tourists enjoy the city's many outstanding cultural attractions,
museums, shopping, dining and nightlife.
Unlike some Western cities, Denver has a central downtown area. Here, within easy walking
distance, are 5,200 hotel rooms, the city's convention complex, performing arts complex, and a
wide variety of shops, department stores, restaurants, and nightspots. Also within easy walking
distance are some of the city's top attractions including the U.S. Mint, Denver Art Museum and
Colorado History Museum. A mile-long pedestrian mall cuts through the heart of downtown
Denver and is surrounded by a series of parks and plazas that soften the towering skyscrapers
and provide viewpoints from which to see and appreciate the modern architecture.
Lower Downtown (called "LoDo" by locals) is on the northern edge of downtown Denver and
offers one of the nation's greatest concentrations of Victorian buildings and warehouses, many
of which have been refurbished to house restaurants, art galleries, offices and shops. This is the
center of the city's brew pubs, with six large brew pubs and micro breweries, each brewing six
to eight exclusive beers, all within easy walking distance of each other.
Denver has some of the finest museums in the West with a wide variety of historical, western,
artistic and horticultural emphasis.
The Black American West Museum tells the forgotten story of African American cowboys,
who made up as many as one third of all the cowboys on the great cattle drives.
Buffalo Bill's Grave & Museum is filled with memorabilia honoring the famous frontier scout,
showman and Pony Express rider, William F. Cody including gun collections and posters from
the Wild West Show. The Colorado History Museum offers a series of dioramas and exhibits that trace the colorful
history of the Indians, explorers, gold miners, cowboys and pioneers that have called Colorado
home.
The Denver Art Museum has what is considered to be the finest collection of American Indian art
works in the world covering all tribes, as well as 30,000 other art objects in seven curatorial
departments.
The Denver Museum of Natural History is the fourth largest museum of its kind in the nation,
with over 80 dioramas depicting animals from around the world. It also features an outstanding
dinosaur collection, a Hall of Life devoted to studying the human body, a planetarium, an
outstanding geological collection and an IMAX theater.
Colorado's Ocean Journey is a world-class aquarium that takes visitors on two journeys
following two rivers that both start 12,000 feet above sea level. On one side, visitors follow the
Colorado River through red rock canyons and flash floods on its way to the Sea of Cortez. On
the other side, visitors twist through tropical rain forests following the Kampar River through the
mountains of Sumatra on their way to a coral reef filled with sharks and colorful fish.
The Denver Zoo is consistently rated as one of the top 10 in America with 3,500 animals in
lovely spreading grounds in City Park. "Tropical Discovery," is a 1.5-acre rainforest under glass
in which visitors feel the sensation of walking through a jungle teeming with wildlife.
Six Flags Elitch Gardens Theme Park is a one hundred-year-old theme park known for its
European atmosphere, elaborate floral gardens, and thrill rides.
The Coors Brewery offers free tours of the largest single brewery in the world. Colorado brews
more beer than any other state and this Golden brewery brews more beer than any other place
on the planet. Free tours of the entire complex, from brewing to bottling, with free beer samples
for those over the age of 21.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a 9,000-seat natural outdoor arena carved out of huge, 500-foot
(152 m) high, red sandstone cliffs, all overlooking Denver and the plains. With its views and
geologic wonders, it’s one of the world's most famous concert sites.
The U.S. Mint is where over five billion coins are made each year and there are free 20 minute
tours on weekdays. It is also the second largest storehouse of gold bullion in the U.S. after Fort
Knox.
Other attractions include the Butterfly Pavilion & Insect Center,
Children's Museum of Denver,
the Colorado State Capitol, Denver Botanic Gardens and the Molly Brown House.
Denver has over 2,000 restaurants serving all varieties of cuisine. Area specialties include
Rocky Mountain Trout, fresh Colorado beef, buffalo and lamb. Local residents also enjoy Mexican and Southwestern dishes, served at dozens of local
neighborhood pubs and taverns.
With eight theaters offering 10,800 seats, the Denver Performing Arts Complex is the second
largest performing arts center in the nation (after Lincoln Center in New York) in seating
capacity and the largest in the world under one roof. Located downtown, the four-square block
center features:
Boettcher Concert Hall, the nation's first symphony hall in-the-round;
The Denver Center Theater Company;
The Temple Buell Theater;
And the world's first voice research laboratory, which is studying the human voice.
With 300 days of sunshine a year, Denver is a sports capital. The city offers over 450 miles (720
km) of paved, designated bike paths, including two beautiful stretches through downtown along
Cherry Creek and along the South Platte River. There are over 70 golf courses in the area, and
more than 143 free tennis courts.
Within an hour and a half drive from Denver, there are opportunities for skiing, river running,
hiking, fishing, camping, horseback riding, sailing or mountain biking.
Denver has a full compliment of professional sports teams including the National Football
League’s 1998 Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos, the National Basketball Association’s
Denver Nuggets, Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies, and the National Hockey League’s
Colorado Avalanche, who won the 1996 Stanley Cup on June 10th becoming Denver’s first
national championship team.
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