|
|
USA - COLORADO - DENVER : FULL OF SURPRISES
 Denver is a city full of surprises.
Within a mile radius, downtown Denver has three major sports stadiums, one of the nation’s largest performing arts centers, three college campuses, an assortment of art and history museums, a mint producing 10 billion coins a year, a river offering white water rafting, more than 6,300 hotel rooms, a $140-million amusement park, an aquarium with sharks and tigers and well over 300 restaurants, brewpubs, discos and nightspots.
Also within easy walking distance are some of the city's top attractions including the Denver Pavilions, Denver Art Museum and Colorado History Museum.
A mile-long pedestrian mall cuts through the heart of downtown Denver and is surrounded by a series of parks and plazas that soften the towering skyscrapers and provide viewpoints from which to see and appreciate the modern architecture.
Lower Downtown (called "LoDo" by locals) offers one of the nation's greatest concentrations of Victorian buildings and warehouses, many of which have been refurbished to house restaurants, art galleries, offices and shops.
This is the center of the city's brew pubs, with six large brew pubs and micro breweries, each brewing six to eight exclusive beers, all within easy walking distance of each other. A brew pub is a restaurant that brews the beer right on the premises and serves beer that is generally not found anywhere else. On any given day, there are fifty beers available in Denver at small brew pubs, each offering tours and four ounce samplers.
The Mile High Trail is a series of six walking tours throughout the downtown area. Copies can be obtained from the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau Information Center in the Tabor Center, located on the 16th Street Mall.
Six Flags Elitch Gardens is a year-round amusement park similar to Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens offering 48 thrill rides, formal gardens, restaurants and shops.
Denver has some of the finest museums in the West with a wide variety of historical, western, artistic and horticultural emphasis
The US Mint is where over five billion coins are made each year and there are free 20 minute tours on weekdays. It is also the second largest storehouse of gold bullion in the US after Fort Knox. The gift shop has many unique coins not available anywhere else, and there is a small museum on the history of money.
With eight theaters offering 10,800 seats, the Denver Performing Arts Complex is the second largest performing arts center in the nation (after Lincoln Center in New York) in seating capacity and the largest in the world under one roof. Denver has 30 other theaters and over 100 cinemas and has always had a long love affair with the arts.
As the largest city in a 600-mile (966 km) radius, Denver has always been the shopping capital of the Rocky Mountain West. The city features the largest sporting goods store in the world (Gart Brothers Sports Castle) and the largest independent book store in America with over 400,000 volumes (the Tattered Cover).
With 300 days of sunshine a year, Denver is a sports capital. The city offers over 450 miles (720 km) of paved, designated bike paths. There are over 70 golf courses in the area, and more than 143 free tennis courts.
Within an hour and a half drive from Denver, there are opportunities for skiing, river running, hiking, fishing, camping, horseback riding, sailing or mountain biking.
|
