We just got back from a quick 24-hour adventure in the heart of downtown Denver thanks to an incredibly fast nonstop flight option. With only our backpacks, we hopped on the plane prepared to hit the ground running once we touched down.
Not true to form, we visited Denver WITHOUT a checklist – truly defying the whole concept of our blog. Nonetheless, we found several places in Denver's oldest neighborhood, the LoDo District, during this quick 24-hour adventure that are worth sharing.
Transportation
With our short timeframe, we did not rent a car like we typically do. Instead, we took the train from the airport to Denver's Union Station, which only cost $10 one way. Although we didn’t use it, this one-way ticket included unlimited use of bus and train transportation for the rest of the day. It took us about 40 minutes to get to downtown Denver, where we were easily able to walk to our first stop – Tamayo.
LoDo District - Larimer Square
This restaurant is also on the corner of Larimer Square, a well-known block in Denver with food and shops beautifully decorated with string lights and Colorado’s state flag. We found a cute thrift shop and bar called Garage Sale Vintage that invited us inside by playing the sweet sounds of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean.
Last time we visited Denver, we found Tamayo and fell in love with their tequila flight and queso skillet. Unknowingly to us, we were stumbling into Tamayo during their bottomless brunch. For $50, patrons can receive bottomless food and drinks from their breakfast menu for two hours. You can also order items a la carte or only do the bottomless food option for $35.
Of course, we did the full bottomless brunch, which was delicious!
LoDo District - Other Gems
With no plans after brunch, I decided to do a quick search of what was in the area and found indoor putt putt – an activity Michael loves! I led Michael there with no clues as to what our next activity would entail.
The Holey Moley Golf Club did not disappoint! We were able to put our backpacks in the lockers on site as we played a round of mini golf. There are three different courses you can play on and the price gets cheaper the more you play. We did the middle course, but all three looked fun!
Michael found our next spot called The 1Up Arcade Bar. After some intense arcade game play and ski ball competition, we asked the bartender what else she recommended nearby. This led us to our next stop: the Dairy Block. This super cute area had many shops, restaurants, and stores. Some of the places we stopped at included:
- LoDough Bakery (the croissant was amazing)
- Deviation Distilling
- Free Market Shopping Center
16th Street Mall and Beautiful Views
It was finally time to check in to the hotel! The Renaissance Denver Downtown City Center Hotel has maintained its 1900s charm with remnants of its historic former life as a bank. It’s also in a great location near the 16th Street Mall, which has several historic buildings. We stopped by Rock Bottom Brewery to share a flight there before heading toward the Colorado Convention Center.
Here you can see the iconic tourist attraction, Big Blue Bear, but our favorite spot is Peaks Lounge at the top of the Hyatt Regency Denver to watch the sunset. There are great views from the 27th floor that faces east toward the Rockies.
Quick 24-Hour Adventure Comes to An End
The next morning, we walked to Union Station to catch the train back to the airport after our quick 24-hour adventure.
With the convenience and ease of public transportation and proximity of fun activities, we would highly recommend a quick trip like this to Denver!
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