I live in Denver.
Within walking distance of the convention center (or any hotel nearby), you’ll have:
The Denver Art Museum. Free on Saturdays (to CO residents, but they don’t check ID). Many of the permanent collections are very good. I’m not sure what their current featured exhibit is, though.
The CO History Museum. I found this to be a very cool place, and my mom being a history/english teacher really enjoyed it when she visited. They have stuff from Native Americans through contemporary. It’s like something you might see in the American History part of the Smithsonian, only just about Colorado.
The gold-domed Capitol building is a short walk up from the 16th street mall, and it’s an interesting walk-through, open weekdays to anyone during business hours. I don’t think you can go up in the dome anymore (Sept 11th). The mile-high (5280 feet) marker is halfway up the steps on the west side of the building. There’s also a great view of the mountains from here.
The downtown Denver Public Library is definitely interesting, architecturally, though it’s just a library.
One of my favorite bookstores ever is a used bookstore at the corner of Colfax and Grant: Capitol Hill Books. There’s also a used record store just up the street, and if you walk around the Capitol Hill neighborhood there are other stores and restaurants. I wouldn’t recommend walking on Colfax alone at night unless you know where you’re going or unless you want to partake in some local flesh. The Molly Brown House is on Capitol Hill at 13th and Pennsylvania (I live two blocks away but I’ve never been there). There are tons of bars/clubs/music venues along Colfax Avenue, including the Fillmore, the Ogden, and the Bluebird.
The Convention Center is located just off the 16th street mall, and the mall and LoDo (lower downtown) have a free shuttle running up and down the one-mile stretch. On the mall you’ll find a big movie plex, an upscale bowling alley/restaurant, tons of chain restaurants, bars, and chain stores (Virgin megastore, Niketown, etc.). LoDo has more bars/clubs and better restaurants, the ballpark, and the Performing Arts complex. At the end of the 16th street mall you can walk across a pedestrian bridge and go toward the REI flagship store mentioned in a previous post. Across from the REI is Confluence Park and a walking/biking trail that runs alongside a creek that goes right through the city.
If you have access to a car, I’d recommend going to Boulder to take the Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory tour, walk along/shop on the Pearl Street pedestrian mall, and visit the Dushambe Tea House. You can also drive west from Denver up into the foothills and visit Buffalo Bill’s grave on top of Lookout Mountain. There’s another interesting museum there. You’ll be here during the end of the local fall color, the turning of the aspen trees.
Other interesting things to do/see in Denver with a car/cab ride include the zoo (open every day of the year except Christmas, I believe), the Nature and Science Museum (from which you get another fabulous view of the mountains), and the Botanical Gardens.
In terms of restaurants, I’ve eaten at a lot of places in the area where you will be staying, since I live and work on Capitol Hill. My favorites include:
- Watercourse Foods, the best vegetarian restaurant in town (seriously, you won’t miss the meat!) on 13th between Grant and Sherman
- Appaloosa Grill on the 16th street mall (maybe at Stout street?) - the best of the restaurants right on the mall. It’s one of many restaurants around town owned by the Mayor (though I think they’re all held in trust while he’s in office). It offers a variety of food for several budgets, and everything I’ve had there has been quite tasty.
- Benny’s Cantina is at 7th and Grant. Fabulous Mexican food, great margaritas, and no smoking inside! (this is a little far to walk; you might want to take a cab here)
- There’s an “Irish” pub in LoDo near the ballpark called Fado, but for a real Irish pub I’d recommend the Irish Snug at Colfax and Lafayette (I think). A cab ride or a long walk. Great food, great service.
- The Rio Grande in Lodo at 16th and Blake is part of a local chain. The food (Mexican) and margs are good but kind of overpriced, just like LoDo in general.
- The Rock Bottom Brewery is a brewpub at 16th and Curtis owned by a nationwide chain. It’s mid-level, midpriced, but the food is good and I’m told the beer is tasty. Rock Bottom’s upscale brother is the Denver Chop House, right by the ball park. If you want steak, the Chop House is the place to go.
- For breakfast, the best place by far is the Walnut Cafe at Colfax and Logan. They’re open 6-2. Amazing food, great prices, great service, and lots of choices.
Red Rocks is on the south west side of the Denver metro area. I’d say maybe 30-35 miles from Boulder. It’s a very cool place (even to just wander around when there’s not a concert going), although I can’t seem to find a concert schedule that covers October. It is probably a little out-of-the-way coming from downtown (about 20 miles by highway) if you don’t have transportation readily available.