9:00 AM Relax and play on the city’s largest lake
Pick up a North Carolina-style biscuit of the day (flavors like feta oregano or graham cracker start at about $2) at Rise & Shine Biscuit Kitchen & Café, a brick establishment tucked away on a north Denver side street, then walk a few blocks to Sloan Lake Park for a 2.6-mile loop around the park’s fist-shaped lake, Denver’s largest. The path mixes with runners, walkers and the occasional bike or scooter, and offers views of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains to the west and the city skyline to the east.
12:00pm Visit a local restaurant in tiny Edgewater
Stroll to Edgewater, a city of 5,000 just west of the park, and check out Edgewater Public Market. It’s one of the metro area’s newer upscale food halls, with a variety of booths selling everything from empanadas to elk burgers, ample picnic table space and a central bar. Pick up a refreshing pick-me-up at bowl-and-smoothie stand Saints or Sinners?, or eat something more substantial at Ethiopian specialist Konjo (a vegan tray with yellow cabbage, red lentils and three pieces of injera flatbread is $14). A few blocks north, several local eateries, including US Thai Cafe, serve up staples like pad thai ($11.25) and veggie egg rolls ($6.50) in a cramped but comfortable room.
2pm: Lazing around on Tennyson Street, drinking coffee (and cats)
Further north, explore the quirky shops and cafes along and around Tennyson Street, Berkeley’s burgeoning neighborhood. Locally owned and operated Inspire Boutique evokes a “cowgirl chic” vibe with its earthy-toned fedoras and bold denim, and Feral specializes in new and used outdoor clothing and gear. Spend an hour meditating on your little ears at Denver Cat Company ($15 admission, children’s discounts available, reservations recommended), run by Denver Cat Rescue, before popping into the Historic Elitch Theatre, where Douglas Fairbanks and Grace Kelly appeared before they were movie stars. Preservationists have kept the 1890s blue building open, hosting movies in the summer and the occasional play and tour. Afterwards, unwind at Convivio Café, which opened in 2022, with a Chocolatado ($5), an espresso drink drenched in chocolate crumble, fittingly named for co-owner Vivi Lemus’ Guatemalan origins.
6pm Dinner: Australian, American Indian and Italian
Stay in northwest Denver for dinner options galore. Two Hands, an Australian-inspired brunch-and-dinner spot in the recently opened Plaza at the intersection of Tennyson and 41st Street, serves up fresh, healthy bowl dishes like salmon and quinoa bowl ($25) and cavatelli with macadamia nut pesto ($21). Note: The bustling dining room can be rowdy. Not far away, Tocabe serves up a bellyful of American Indian staples, like fried bread ($11 to $16.50) stuffed with meat, beans, cheese and house-made salsa. Or head back to Sloan’s Lake Park for Gusto, a sleek new Italian restaurant on the first floor of a condominium complex with tall windows overlooking the lake. Fruit is used generously on the pizza- and pasta-heavy menu. The Summer Harvest Salad ($14) is loaded with juicy peaches from Palisade, a town in western Colorado known as a fruit haven. And in the Amalfi pie ($19), lemon confit is the star ingredient.
8pm Fill your night with sound and color
Travel back in time with a concert at Berkeley’s 97-year-old Oriental Theatre, complete with a vintage tent (tickets from $10 to $500). The theater is one of Denver’s many classic theaters, including the 1930s Mayan on South Broadway and the 1920s Gothic in suburban Englewood. Or step into a strange future at Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station, a fantastical 95,000-square-foot immersive art museum that opened in 2021 southwest of downtown. It’s a mesmerizing place to spend a few hours, especially with kids, as you interact with Seuss-esque animal mutants and pastel-colored washing machines, and open endless doors to rooms full of LEDs and neon lights. Adults may need to wind down at the on-site bar afterwards. Tickets start at $50, and there’s also a concert venue called Perplexiplex. Uber or Lyft are your best bet. Due to the location’s proximity to Empower Field at Mile High, home of the Denver Broncos, nearby parking fills up quickly.