The key to an amazing weekend in Denver is timing. Even late in May, you could end up in a snowstorm. Then again, in January you could find yourself enjoying a beautiful 70-degree day. What you can almost count on is sunshine. As you will constantly be reminded, the Mile High City receives more than 300 days of it per year.
This particular Memorial Day weekend featured gorgeous sunny days with a light breeze, highs in the 70s and three consecutive walk-off wins for the home-standing Rockies baseball team. A lot of the action is centered around LoDo (lower downtown), where you’ll find Coors Field and Union Station, home to the Terminal Bar — with 30 craft brews on draft — and restaurants running the gamut from tapas to seafood to brunch, plus Milk Box Ice Creamery for dessert. With homemade buns and shakes, Hopdoddy is a modern spin on a classic burger joint. The menu includes old stand-bys such Angus beef but also bison, turkey, veggie and plant-based Impossible burgers.
Starting the day off with a spin class at Flywheel Sports is a great way to burn off the previous night’s calories and make room for some more. That task is easily accomplished with brunch at local favorite Snooze — if you don’t mind waiting for an hour or more — or The Lobby. On a clear, bright day with snowcapped peaks visible in the distance, stake out a spot on a rooftop or patio such as the one at Mile High Spirits, which serves up small batch cocktails made with snow melt. When dinner time rolls around, head to North Capitol Hill for Southern Italian at Coperta. Order the cacio e pepe and find yourself whisked away to Rome in one bite.
Of course, there’s more to Denver than eating and drinking, especially with perfect weather. City Park hosts the Denver Zoo and Museum of Nature and Science along with a couple of lakes in its 330 acres, Washington Park has been designated one of the “Great Public Spaces in America by the American Planning Association and Sloan’s Lake Park is a recreation mecca home to an annual Dragon Boat Festival. The Denver Day of Rock on the 16th Street Mall showcased 25 bands across five stages and is a Memorial Day weekend tradition.
You need not venture far afield to ski or hike in the Rockies, take in a concert at Red Rocks or explore Boulder. And, for those so inclined, there is no shortage of dispensaries selling legal recreational marijuana. Of course, if you catch Denver on the right day, you won’t need it. You’ll be a mile high already.
WHERE TO STAY:
The Ritz-Carlton, Denver is the perfect downtown destination for crafting urban adventures in a city where guests will enjoy innovative food and beverages, year-round sporting events, unforgettable arts, and world-class shopping. Nestled in the bustling lower downtown neighborhood, the hotel is the city's first and now longest-running AAA Five Diamond property, boasting luxuriously enhanced guest rooms, suites, meeting space, lobby and spa oasis. The hotel offers the city's largest guestrooms, an unparalleled and exclusive Club Level, and ELWAY'S Downtown, an elevated dining experience.