|
After all these years, Denver's still dynamiteBy Larry Dreiling It's been over 30 years since I left a growing jungle of a Denver suburb to head for the subtle beauty of the High Plains of Kansas. Still, The Mile High City calls me back every so often for a visit. The city that proudly touts its 300 days of sunshine every year has doubled in population in the last 30 years. The increase in population means added attractions to the area. A bunch of oldies but goodies remain and have been improved. Those years have brought striking changes, however, in many areas. The arts and culture scene has moved from darned good to world class. Sports have gone from bush league to "Sports City USA." Shopping has come from standard mall fare to name stores that would be recognizable on New York's 5th Avenue or Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Restaurants and clubs that were once standard fare are now internationally recognized. Still, there are the Rocky Mountains bordering the west suburbs, calling everyone to abundant outdoor recreation. To help me in my search to review those classic sites I recall as a kid and raise my awareness to all things new, my nephew Paul tagged along. He's now a freshman in college, but still sees things with a young mind about lameness or coolness factors. Like me, he left Denver after high school to attend college in western Kansas, so he has a growing sense of detachment about the area to make good judgments about what we'd see. Accommodations
Make a plan Your first stop before even traveling to the Denver metro area is to check out denver.org. This website has a great amount of visitor information and a way you can order a guide to the area. Paul and I ordered ours well in advance and made a "battle plan" so to speak of all the places we wanted to go. These were some top attractions we highly recommend because they're both interesting to adults and kids alike. Attractions: Downtown Denver Art Museum: Denver's newest landmark, the Denver Art Museum's Hamilton Building is in and of itself an architectural work of art. Designed by Daniel Libeskind, whose most famous design has yet to be built--New York's new World Trade Center. Truly, the Hamilton Building changes everything in how you experience art and architecture. The museum's Western Art gallery resides in the new building. Paul's rating: Über cool. "I really couldn't get enough of the place." Prices depend on residency. For Colorado residents, it's $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students, $3 for ages 6 and up. For everyone else, it's $13 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, $5 for ages 6 and up. All kids 5 and under are free. Contact: 720-865-5000 or denverartmuseum.org. Colorado History Museum: Located across the Civic Center area from the art museum, this facility features exhibits such as Indian buffalo hunts, mining in the Rocky Mountains and life in early Denver. Detailed dioramas, historic photos, artifacts and much more tell the stories of Colorado through the years. Paul's rating: "This might be good for older elementary school groups." The price is $7 for adults, $6 for senior citizens and students, $5 for kids 6 to 12 with kids under 6 admitted free. Contact: 303-866-3682 or crrm.org. Colorado State Capitol: Next to the History Museum is a great building with a golden dome. The State Capitol is one of the best of its kind in the country, since it's likely to be the closest to the U.S. Capitol building in design of all state capitols. There is a free 45-minute tour that runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Dome tours are given on the hour until 2 p.m. Reservations two weeks in advance are a must.Contact capitol.tours@state.co.us with at least three date and time requests if you have a big group. Walk-ups are allowed in on a space-available basis. Paul's rating: "Cool. I'm not a government guy like my uncle, but it's one of those pride in the country things you can get when visiting a place like this." Contact: 303-866-2604 or state.co.us/gov_dir/leg_dir/lcsstaff/Scrollpages/TourScroll.htm U.S. Mint: The 9/11 attacks have made visiting the United States Mint at Denver a lot more difficult than Paul and I each remember when we were little kids. You still get the same overhead views of employees stamping out pennies and you walk by a bulletproof case of gold bullion just like always. It's just that security is even tighter than it was. The Mint offers free tours Monday through Friday on the hour from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reservations are now needed to tour the mint, which can be obtained by visiting the Mint website, usmint.gov. Reservations also are available at the Mint Tour Reservations Booth on Cherokee St. The booth is open from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for walk-up reservations and stand-by tickets. City Park Denver Museum of Nature and Science: Considered by many the top family attraction in Denver, the museum has gone through many changes since my boyhood. It still has all the cool fossils, Egyptian mummies, shrunken heads, really neat dioramas of scenes from ancient Earth and a whole lot more. The Gates Planetarium offers some truly stimulating space science activities for kids of all ages and of course, some wonderful star shows. The Hall of Life, an interactive exhibit, lets you learn more about how your body works and how you can keep it healthy. There's also the Phipps IMAX Theater, showing those great five-story high films. Starting June 22 will be a traveling exhibit of artifacts from the Titanic. Finally, from the museum's Anschutz Family Sky Terrace, be sure and catch a glimpse of unquestionably the best view of the Denver skyline framed by the Rockies. Paul's rating: "Mega über cool. If you see one thing, go to the museum." It's $10 for adults, kids 3 to 18 are $10, seniors are $6 and it's free for kids under 3. There are separate admission fees for the planetarium and IMAX theater shows, but discounts are offered if you buy as a package. Contact 303-322-7009 or dmns.org. Denver Zoo Spanning over 75 acres, Denver Zoo is home to over 4,000 animals including rare amur leopards, okapi, black rhinoceros, elephants, vampire bats, Komodo dragons and more. Visit the in the Primate Panorama and Predator Ridge. The newest exhibit is the Lorikeet parrot area, an open-air aviary. Paul's rating: "Cool. Who doesn't love animals? Who doesn't appreciate the bond we have with them." Summer admission fees are $11 for adults, $9 for seniors, kids 3 to 11 get in for $7 and children under 2 are admitted free. Contact 303-376-4800 or denverzoo.org. Performing Arts Denver Performing Arts Complex: If anything has marked Denver's renaissance from cowtown to metropolis it's the construction of the Denver Performing Arts Complex. DPAC is now home to everything from the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, to Opera Colorado and the Colorado Ballet to the Denver Center Attractions' Broadway Series. Check their website for the latest information on performances. Contact 720-865-4220 or artscomplex.org Red Rocks Amphitheatre: One of those great Denver City Parks, the naturally formed, world-famous outdoor venue, located 15 miles west of Denver, is recognized for its star-studded concert roster. Paul's rating: "Cool. It's a walk to get to from the car, but well worth it just to look." Contact 303-295-4444 or redrocksonline.com. "Sports City USA" As a kid, all Denver had in summer was minor league baseball. Now, Denver is one of a few cities in the country with every kind of major league sports franchise. Even though the Dew Action Sports Series won't be back this summer (to our disappointment), the Denver sports fan can still catch plenty of action. Colorado Rockies Baseball: There will be ample opportunity for fans of other teams to come to Coors Field and watch their heroes play. Contact 303-ROCKIES or coloradorockies.com. Colorado Rapids Soccer: This Major League Soccer affiliate is moving into the cozy confines of Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City this season. Contact 303-727-3535 or coloradorapids.com. Denver Outlaws Lacrosse: Denver has become a western hotbed for this sport. The Outlaws play at Invesco Field at Mile High, home of the Denver Broncos. Contact 720-258-3600 or denveroutlaws.com. Shopping Denver has great shopping. For your consideration: Cherry Creek: Located in the heart of Denver minutes from downtown, Cherry Creek Shopping Center is the Rocky Mountain region's original shopping mall. Contact shopcherrycreek.com. Park Meadows Mall: Further south of Cherry Creek, the newer Park Meadows Mall labels itself as a "retail resort". Contact parkmeadows.com. 16th Street Mall: The original shopping center of Denver, beautiful old 16th Street, once home to the Denver Dry Goods Co., Cotrell's The Man's Store, Neusteters, May D&F, and the World's Largest Woolworth's store. In the 1970s, we all flocked to Villa Italia, Buckingham Square and Cinderella City. Those malls are all gone, but 16th Street found new purpose in 1982 as a tree-lined, pedestrian promenade of red-and-gray granite that runs through the center of downtown. Lined with outdoor cafes, renovated historic office buildings, sparkling glass-walled skyscrapers, shops, restaurants and department stores turned into lofts and condos. Free shuttle buses cruise the mile-long mall every 90 seconds. Side trip--Historic Golden Every road needs a side trip. On our way out of Red Rocks, we made our way west to the foot of the Rockies and Golden. Yes, Golden is home to the Coors Brewery. You can take a 45-minute tour of the world's largest brewery under one roof. You'll see malting, brewing and packaging processes; sample some "Colorado Kool-Aid" in the hospitality lounge and shop in the Coors & Co. gift shop. The sign "Where the West Lives" on Washington Ave. is a true landmark and flanks a street filled with wonderful little stores and great restaurants. We took lunch in the Old Capitol Grill, where the Colorado Territorial Legislature held its first sessions from 1866 to 1867. There are 10 historic museums in Golden, including a cool little geology museum at the Colorado School of Mines. The National Renewable Energy Lab has a great visitors center. There's also the Heritage Square area, a family fun area open daily in summer. Paul's analysis: "Golden's cool, but I'm not of legal drinking age. Thanks for the torture of taking me to the brewery Uncle Big Lar. Guess I'll have to come back in a few years." That's OK, Paul, the tour was pure research. See much, much more on Larry's Colorado trip at www.journalgetaways.com. Larry Dreiling can be reached by phone at 785-628-1117 or by e-mail at ldreiling@aol.com. Date: 5/14/07
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2008. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
| |||||||||||||||||||||
