Summertime is wonderful in Laramie, and there are plenty of outdoor activities and fun things in town that you can do to pass the time. But sometimes, especially for those of us attending UWYO from out of state, we miss the hustle and bustle of the big city or at least the variety of things to do. The closest big city to us is Denver, Colorado, and there are plenty of activities to do both within the city and around it! I’m a Denver native, (sacrilegious to say here, I know) and I figured that I could give a few of my personal favorite areas to hang out for anyone wishing to visit the city over the summer.
If you’re looking for high-end, look no further than Cherry Creek North. Host to a wide variety of shops and restaurants, the area is extremely safe and friendly for those looking to find a glamorous shopping environment. Some of my favorite restaurants and bars in Denver are located in Cherry Creek, from Cherry Creek Grill, a wonderful place to take someone out for a fancy dinner, to The Cherry Cricket, one of the oldest burger restaurants in Denver and a staple of the area. Bars-wise, both Forget-Me-Not and Ay Papi offer lively environments and delicious drinks. The entire area is a great place to walk around as well, with tons of little shops and crafts stores.
Cherry Creek is great, but for those of us feeling a bit more wallet-conscious, it might be a little intimidating. A quieter, less ritzy area that also has lots of fun shops is historic downtown Littleton, in the southern part of the Denver metro area. Here, you can tour a variety of tea shops and other great restaurants, from iN-TEA to the Café Terracotta. In addition, there’s a historic farm in the area, with lots of great blacksmithing demonstrations.
Bars and restaurants are fantastic, but they likely only account for the night portion of a trip. There are plenty of options for stuff to do during the day in Denver, but I’ll just list some of my favorites!
Denver has a wide variety of theme parks, but the two largest come to mind for a first-time Denver visitor. Water World, located in north Denver, is one of the largest water theme parks on this side of the Mississippi and will definitely take up a whole day’s worth of time. But on the off chance you’re looking to stay dry even in the summer heat, Elitch Gardens is another great theme park with options for both wet and dry rides, and the park is historically important for the city of Denver.
If theme parks aren’t your thing, you could check out the variety of museums in downtown Denver, such as the Denver Art Museum, the Museum of Nature and Science, or my personal favorite, Wings Over the Rockies, an excellent aerospace museum with a whole lot of cool aircraft and space-related items.
Whether something that piqued your interest is in this article or not, I highly recommend a weekend trip to Denver for a change of pace if you’re hanging out in Laramie for the summer. There’s plenty of stuff to do off the list as well, from Red Rocks or Meow Wolf to the Georgetown Loop if you’re looking to get up into the mountains. I’m sure you can find something to do, just get out and do it!
