16th Street Mall

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Downtown Denver

Denver is an outdoor city with a vibrant, walkable downtown offering excitement for all ages. Within a one-mile radius, you can kayak on the Platte River; explore some of the city's best museums; shop at art galleries and boutiques; see a Broadway touring show; enjoy live music; ride a rollercoaster or cool off in a water park; and experience exciting professional sports. 

Downtown's free and fully-electric 16th Street MallRide makes it easy to get around. Visit Larimer Square and the renovated Denver Union Station in historic LoDo (Lower Downtown), where Victorian buildings now house restaurants, galleries, shops, bars, brewpubs and coffee houses, or head to Denver Pavilions where you'll find shops, restaurants, bars and a movie theater.

Discover the downtown area, and don't miss the chance for a photo with everyone's favorite Blue Bear public art sculpture at the Colorado Convention Center.

Experience Denver's top chef-driven restaurants and innovative craft breweries. The Denver Beer Trail is a great guide to sampling those local brews.

Explore Downtown Denver

Family-Friendly Attractions

Enjoy 70 acres of fun and thrills at Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park, play a fun round of mini-golf at Urban Putt, meet sea creatures and Sumatran tigers at the Downtown Aquarium, explore the unique interactive exhibits at Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus (newborn through age 8) and learn about the history of the Denver Fire Department with hands-on activities at Denver Firefighters Museum.

Museums

Denver Art Museum's Indigenous and Western art collections are renowned, not to mention its bold Daniel Libeskind architecture and the museum's traveling exhibitions. Next door, Clyfford Still Museum showcases the work of this important Abstract Expressionist artist in a uniquely designed building. Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art features works by its namesake, Vance Kirkland, as well as a collection of decorative art. MCA Denver, designed by David Adjaye, hosts exhibitions throughout the year and features a rooftop café; and the American Museum of Western Art has an impressive collection that spans decades of artists.

Experience the history of the west at History Colorado Center and the Center for Colorado Women's History at Byers-Evans House Museum. The CELL educates, empowers and engages visitors on the role of terrorism. 

Performing Arts

The Denver Performing Arts Complex is the largest performing arts complex under one roof in the country and home to four resident companies: the Colorado Ballet, Colorado SymphonyOpera Colorado and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, which offers Broadway touring shows, Tony-winning theater, and cabaret and experimental productions. 

Pro Sports

Denver is Sports Town, U.S.A., with an astonishing six professional sports teams and three downtown venues, including Ball Arena, which is home to the Denver Nuggets basketball team and is also a major entertainment complex. Sports fans can take tours year-round of Coors Field, where the Colorado Rockies play baseball, and Empower Field at Mile High, home of the Denver Broncos football team.

Food & Drink

Are you hungry for sophisticated or laid-back? Chez Maggy  is a brasserie in Lower Downtown (LoDo), which comes via Michelin-starred French chef Ludo Lefebvre. Look for foie gras miso soup with fava beans, roasted black sea bass and French wine. The 90-seat signature restaurant can be found in the Thompson Denver  hotel. Blue Agave Grill  on the 16th Street Mall features contemporary Southwestern cuisine with a large margarita selection, house-infused tequilas and homemade sangria. 

Get a taste of Italy right here in The Mile High City. Attimo Wine is a working urban winery aging, blending and bottling wines from Northern Italy. Take a tour of the winery and discover Attimo's story. 

Denver's reputation as a beer city is second to none. Sip fresh samples at downtown's legendary craft breweries, such as Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery Denver Beer Co.  and Wynkoop Brewing Company  (founded by former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper). Taste other local brews at Tap Fourteen. 

You can also eat, explore and learn about Denver's thriving culinary scene on a downtown food tour with Delicious Denver Food Tours.

Nightlife

Ophelia's Electric Soapbox  is also one of Denver's hottest dance spots. This "gastrobrothel" is housed in the historic Airedale building, which has been, at various times, a brothel, peep-show parlor and adult bookstore. Ophelia's history is celebrated in the sensual decor and on the large sunken stage and dance floor. For some laughs, head to Comedy Works Downtown, a Denver institution, in Larimer Square. You'll see rising local comics as well as world-famous headliners. 

Denver Union Station

Located in the heart of LoDo, Denver Union Station is a renovated 1914 Beaux-Arts train station and home to 10 chef-owned restaurants and bars, boutique shops and a 112-room hotel, The Crawford. The A Line airport train from Denver International Airport will take travelers straight to the station. 

McGregor Square in Denver, Colorado

McGregor Square

McGregor Square

Right next door to Coors Field is LoDo's McGregor Square, which shouldn't be missed by sports fans. It's comprised of three towers that include The Rally Hotel and the Milepost Zero food hall surrounding a 17,000-square-foot plaza that hosts year-round events like concerts, festivals and movie nights. The plaza has a stadium-sized LED screen. Catch a game at Tom’s Watch Bar or get a bite to eat at Carmine's.

Larimer Square

In Larimer Square, Victorian buildings house specialty boutiques and unique chef-driven restaurants with one-of-a-kind stores like Rockmount Ranch Wearwhere the first snap-button cowboy shirt was invented, and distinctive fashion and exclusive offerings in this urban shopping and dining district.

Denver Pavilions

Denver Pavilions, a one-of-a-kind retail, dining and entertainment center, is located in the heart of downtown Denver on the 16th Street Mall.

Dairy Block

Find and celebrate the artful and unexpected. Dairy Block in LoDo is a vibrant, walkable district that is dedicated to quality in all things, from delectable bites and beverages to personalized retail and small-batch goods.

Market Station

Welcome to the future at Market Station. This live-work-retail complex in the heart of downtown features several outdoor/sportswear brands for outfitting your next urban or mountain adventure. You can refuel at Water Grill

Hotels

From the luxury of the Four Seasons Hotel Denver The Ritz-Carlton, Denver  and the Brown Palace Hotel & Spa , to unique accommodations like The Crawford Hotel at Union Station The Oxford Hotel  or, one of the city's newest additions, The Maven , downtown has more than 11,000 hotel rooms with all the major brands represented. 

Bike Paths

Ride along the paths by the riverfront and near Confluence Park that are part of Denver's vast network of trails.

Colorado Convention Center Blue Bear at Night

Blue Bear

Locals Know

Established in 1988, the Public Art Program stipulates that 1 percent of any capital improvement project over $1 million undertaken by the City be set aside for the inclusion of public art in the design and construction of these projects. Notable pieces include the Blue Bear, "I See What You Mean," at the Colorado Convention Center, the Blue Mustang at Denver International Airport and the Bucking Bronco in Civic Center Park. Take a Public Art Tour to experience the art firsthand!

Located in the heart of LoDo, Coors Field creates a baseball experience like no other. It's the home of the Colorado Rockies, of course. Enjoy the view with a brew at The Rooftop in the Tavern Ballpark, or watch the action on the field from the upper deck's purple-painted 20th row, which is exactly 5,280 feet above sea level.

chalk-art-festival-artist-working

Denver Chalk Art Festival

Annual Events

Denver PrideFest

This two-day celebration of community and culture is welcoming, inclusive and fun for all attendees

Denver Chalk Art Festival

Enjoy the magnificent work of chalk artists at this popular event.

Denver Cinco de Mayo Festival

A weekend filled with food, fun and culture that celebrates The Mile High City’s vibrant Latino population.

Oktoberfest

Experience this German tradition over two weekends every fall in the Ballpark area of downtown.

Epic Train Rides

Denver Union Station is the starting point for two epic railroad adventures. 

In wintertime, hop on the Amtrak Winter Park Express for a beautiful train ride to Winter Park Resort, one of the most exciting and family-friendly ski resorts in the state. The ski train ties together the area’s rich skiing and railroad history as it carries passengers through some of Colorado’s most beautiful landscapes. The train runs from January to March. 

See some spectacular scenery that only a train ride can provide by traveling from Denver to Glenwood Springs, Colorado, to Moab, Utah, on the Rocky Mountaineer. You'll go through Ruby Canyon, see Mount Logan and cross the Continental Divide and see deserts, arches and hoodoos. The train runs from April to October.

Downtown Denver Neighborhood Map
Start your neighborhood adventure at this suggested spot! This is a centrally located position that you can input into your GPS to get started exploring.

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Golden

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Highland

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Littleton

Get a glimpse into the relaxed ambiance of a different era. Downtown Littleton offers a charming Main Street lined with turn-of-the-century buildings.

South Broadway

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Things to Know About Downtown Denver FAQs

What is the most popular street in downtown Denver?

The 16th Street Mall is a mile-long pedestrian-friendly street packed with shopping, restaurants and attractions in downtown Denver. Free shuttle buses, dubbed the MallRide, travel up and down the mall, stopping on every corner.

Is downtown Denver walkable?

Yes, the streets are wide and flat. Denver always ranks among the top on national walk score surveys. If you get tired, there's the free (and accessible) MallRide where buses transport riders up and down the 16th Street Mall. There's also a light rail line, pedicabs, shared ride services and taxis.

What is LoDo (Lower Downtown) in Denver?

This 25-block area is a historic part of the city. It originally was full of warehouses, but following an extensive urban renewal effort, LoDo is now one of the liveliest areas of the city where you'll find Denver Union Station, McGregor Square, Dairy Block and Larimer Square.

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