Farmers markets are one of our favorite weekend activities. At most of them, you will find food, drinks, live music, and lots of local Colorado products. SATURDAY: City Park Farmers Market (8am-1pm), Cherry Creek Fresh Market (9am-2pm), Boulder Farmers Market (8am-2pm), Golden Farmers Market (8am-1pm). SUNDAY: South Pearl St Farmers Market (9am-1pm), Central Park Farmers Market (8:30am-12:30pm), Highlands Farmers Market (9am-1pm).
This is probably where we spend the most time. Lots of great food and drink options like Bamboo Sushi (overall favorite), Linger (the rooftop is where we had our first date), Happy Camper (where we met), Avanti (food court style w/ great Denver views), The Bindery (overall fav, especially for brunch, with the most amazing espresso martinis), Cart-Driver (to die for pizza), Teocalli LoHi (Mexican w/ great happy hour), plus so much more!
Lots to do in RiNo! Denver Central Market (DCM) is a food court style with lots of yummy options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. Mike is a fan of the steak at Lunchboxx, you can't go wrong with the treats at Izzio Bakery, and the bar in DCM has a great whiskey sour served up with egg whites! Other great places in the RiNo area are Death & Co (coffee + cocktails), Carne (sit-down dinner), Bierstadt Lagerhaus (brewery with mega games), Dio Mio (sit-down Italian), Corsica Wine Bar (food + great happy hour), Puttshack (modern mini putt-putt), F1 (car race simulator restaurant & bar), and much more to find!
Commons Park is a great oasis in downtown with lots of green space. Right next to Commons Park is Platte Street. ON PLATTE ST: Nearby Bar makes delicious custom cocktails tailored to your drink preferences, Leroy's Bagels, and local CO beer at Denver Beer Company. The flagship REI store is also right there and worth checking out. It’s huge — five stories, with a rock wall inside!
Tennyson is a cute downtown street with lots to offer! Our favorite BBQ spot - Post Oak - has the best chicken wings you will EVER taste (get the dry rub, trust us) and homemade ranch. Tennyson also has many great food options like Parisi (upstairs is pizza, downstairs is sit-down Italian), Two Hands (great sit-down brunch choice), Bakery Four (Great pastries & sandwiches, they sell out quick), Salty (donuts + coffee), Denver Cat Company (cats + coffee shop), Hops and Pie (beer + pizza). It is also home to a couple great thrift stores, SecondLove and The YOGi Exchange.
Sloans Lake is just outside of downtown with views of the city. There is a 2.6 mile loop around the lake that always has people walking, running, biking, or walking dogs. There are lots of nice restaurants with patios surrounding the lake with lakeside and city views.
Boulder has endless options for places to eat, hike, and explore. Pearl Street, Chautauqua, Boulder Creek, and CU Boulders campus are great spots to check out! (Boulder is only about 30 mins from Denver depending on traffic. )
Golden has beautiful hiking, great restaurants, and plenty of local bars and breweries. A common summer activity in Golden is tubing down the creek and stopping at the Golden Mill for food and drinks. You are able to bring your own tube and walk up the creek, or you can pay to rent tubes and ride the bus. Golden is also home to the Coors factory, shoutout Meg! (about 20 mins from Denver, depending on traffic)