What a gem in the heart of downtown Denver! We came here on a spectacular weather day and…read morethroughly enjoyed watching an NFL game in the big screen in the Adirondack chairs while drinking a beer or High Noon. The service was great and there were several beers on tap to choose from. I like they offered a water station and clean port o potties. The rooftop umbrellas are so fun for pics! We did try out the putt putt course and loved the themed Denver holes but found it to not be in great shape- wrinkles in the mats but it was free!

Unless you know the precise location of this sculpture, you can easily drive right past it! You…read morecan find it on Champa St. between 17th & 18th Streets. It is set next to the Hotel Registration sign leading to the Residence Inn. Drive by viewing! I couldn't find parking, so luckily, traffic came to a stop and I snapped a quick pic. This is definitely a whimsical piece! It's also a sort of abstract since there's basically only a pair of pants and an odd shaped abdomen with a belt in between. What might be perceived at first as arms are actually pistols. There's no face, arms, hands, nor feet. In summary, this is a cowboy with its guns drawn. Cowboy Pajamas is a solid work made from bronze, weighing three tons! It stands at over 20 feet tall. The sculptor is Sean O'Meallie. It was installed in 2008. Why is this sculpture in front of a hotel? This hotel, the Residence Inn at this address, hosts an Annual Pajama Party fundraiser. The fundraiser benefits and raises awareness for the homeless.

You will find this little nugget right outside of the Residence Inn, in a small alcove. It is the…read morework of Sean O'Meallie who did the sculpture in 2008. It is starting to show signs of wear and is a bit weathered. It also has some graffiti on it. It is 20 feet tall, weighs about 3,000 pounds, and is made from bronze and acrylic paint. It is rumored to have chosen the Residence Inn as the site of the sculpture because the hotel had hosted has a Pajama Party fundraiser benefiting Denver's Road Home program in the past. It is an interesting piece that depicts a cowboy holding up two side arms. The cowboy has heart shaped balloon hat and what looks like a magnet for legs. It is all on a platform. As I mentioned, it is abstract AF. You have to stare at it for a little while to decipher what it is, a cowboy in pajamas. Anyway, as with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. Even though I passed it a few times since I was staying at the hotel next door. I recommend making this stop part of a larger itinerary or checking it out if you are in the area and/or on your way somewhere else, to maximize your time.

I love Doors Open Denver Unique experiences everywhere…read more I took the tour of the Evans School that is being renovated by the Eber family...what a work of love! I tip my hat to them for their efforts to renovate this beautiful building I even climbed up to the cupola!

I went to DOD this past weekend and it was a really interesting journey. The city of Denver is an…read morearchitectural treasure trove filled with many different and historical buildings, each one with a unique and varied history. The Denver Architectural Society along with help from current building owners opens up these buildings for the public to enter and gaze upon their architectural splendor and learn about their history. DOD also is a time where many museums also open their doors free to the public. This year there was many new additions to the list including some newly constructed downtown high rise skyscrapers and other points of interest such as a behind the scenes tour of the Broncos Stadium and Denver Performing Arts Center, many of these places would be off limits to the general public otherwise.

Located at second floor of Denver Pavilion, this store has quality souvenir items from mugs,…read moreshirts, magnets, pins, postcards, pictures, and more. They have a decent variety of items but they are on the pricier side.

This is such a fantastic shop to pick up all those unique gifts. I got something for everyone and…read moreeveryone was very pleased with the quality

Bears are my favorite animal, and blue is my favorite color. Who knew there would be such a bright…read moresight greeting us all at the convention center for our conference? The Big Blue Bear gets 5 stars from me! Fun for the whole family to take pictures with!

I love me some public art! This 40-foot blue bear is so cute and curious peering through the glass…read morewindows of the Colorado Convention Center. I wonder what the bear is looking for? :) https://yelp.to/JG18P-mkUp I probably only spent a total of 5-8 minutes looking at the sculpture but definitely worth the photo op while walking around Downtown Denver.

The trail was well maintained and the area was beautiful with great views. This park is off leaf…read morefor dogs. Parking lot is small.

Nice open space to walk the dogs, run, fish with the kiddos, or just sit with a to go order of food…read moreand enjoy the views. Unfortunately the parking lot is extra small right now because they're doing construction... 4 standard and 1 accessible space is all they have right now right on the water. Across the street is a larger parking area though and that's got plenty of spaces. Very dog friendly trail so if your pup is extra chaotic around others might want to have that in mind. The piece I traversed didn't have much shade so recommend sunglasses and a hat at the very least. Enjoy!

I was in Denver for work and had to make a stop to see my girl Frida. The music, artwork display,…read moremotion, and lights were a whole vibe! Even if you aren't well versed on her life this immersive "explained" a lot about her without saying a word. It was a lot of fun to watch and I would highly recommend for anyone who appreciates art in general and Frida lovers like me.

Because you're venue is unsafe! My mother fell off the painted stairs at the Van Gogh exhibit in…read moreDenver. She's 81 years Young. She had just had reverse shoulder replacement surgery on her left arrm. The stairs the exit which was the only exit available! There was no ADA accessible access to the parking lot which we had parked in. Those stairs had been painted to match the paint of the V"an Gogh Blue" marketing schematics, in order to match the exhibit. The stairs she was forced to use, as the only exit accessible, were not only painted dark blue, but also, didn't have a safe handrail for the entire stairwell. The rrailing ends before the last 2 steps of this very very dangerous exit! My mother, 81 years young, took a tumble off of those stairs, and then fell again from those unmasked, unlighted, and dangerous EXIT ONLY stairs, onto the next unmarked curb-to-parking lot. That is about a 1.5 ft curb that's was painted/marked f previously before was a hazard, designated as a no Park no standing fire lane. That City required fire lane designation and safety hazard that's required by the City and county of Denver was painted over by the lighthouse venue to match theVan Gogh dark navy blue exhibit color palette. 100% unacceptable that this happened with such disregard for public safety and those that have disabilities! The staff would not respond to an emergency, when they were allergic to the situation. Paying such an exuberant amount of money for a immersive experience, if that experience is so immersive that it caused bodily damage, they should be response enough to help the people that have paid the money to attend the exhibit. The lack of responsibility, the lack of education of the employees responsible for the safety of the guests, and a lack of not giving a crap about its patients with disabilities is more than disappointing I would highly recommend that any events lighthouse is hosting, whatever it might be, should be ill advised for those with disabilities or a handicap status. They are obviously discriminatory and do not care about the community that deserves I have the same experience that any fully capable individual can experience without a disability. Lighthouse is a irresponsible venue, and a hazard to the community and the health of the artistic community. I would never recommend this venue for any event! EVER I TRIED TO REACH OUT PRIVATELY TO THE VENUE, AND THEY TOLD ME NOT OUR FAULT THAT SHE CAN'T WALK! #lighthouse #Denver #Vangough #metropolitanStateUniversity #Metro #Msu #DenverArts #DenverNews #9Kusa #Channel7Denver #TheDenverChannel This resulted in many trips to the ER, neurologists, and general practitioner. The security closed the event early that night, because there was not very many people at the exhibit. When we tried to ask for help and knock on the exhibit exit and entrance doors, which were closed an hour earlier than our ticketed time because there was not enough people in the venue, not one person would respond or interact with us regarding the serious accident that occurred out front of the venue. We waited for over an hour for help to get my mother the assistant that she needed. The property managers that own the property that is least to Metropolitan State University told us they're not responsible for anything related to the use of this space. City and county of Denver should be appalled at how they're handling this management situation! Disgusting! What money hungry property development / property management company would be so irresponsible not only for the safety of guest visiting and experience within the campus environment, but to the residence of the property. I spoke with numerous individuals it's their safety concerns are never addressed and have been a problem for years now! Speak up, speak out, speak into activism, for people with disabilities and not proper access!

Take a short, scenic stroll on the Trollstigen Trail (Troll Trail) to see the Isak Heartstone…read moreTroll. It's located just outside of the main part of Breckenridge. Best of all, it is FREE to see! To find the Trollstigen Trail trailhead go to the southeast corner of the Stephen C. West Ice Arena parking lot, next to Illinois Creek Trailhead. If you are near the trains, go to the opposite end of the parking lot. Isak Heartstone 1 was co-commissioned for an exhibit for the Breckenridge International Festival of Arts in 2018, but it was dismantled in February 2019 because it was too popular and then reinstalled here . Although I didn't see it in person, only online, I think the original sculpture was better and more playful. Isak is carefully stacking rocks like he's balancing rocks. As per Dambo's website, this troll got its' name after three little girls came by and gave Isak a stone heart. Dambo has a heart-shaped stone placed in Isak's chest. The Isak Heartstone Troll at THIS location is the second one. Some people reference this one as Isak Heartstone 2. He sits at approximately 15 feet tall. Thomas Dambo is the creator of this and many other trolls. He uses reclaimed wood and other recycled materials. Isak is pretty cool to see in person! He's sitting on an incline between trees. He's got his right hand holding the tree trunk. His left hand is balancing him as he's sitting. The bottom of his left foot is resting against a rock. I love all the details... like his fingernails & toenails, and small branches for hairs. The trail is an easy walk through a forested area. This pathway is stable to walk on. The return trail is different from the one leading in. It consists of wood boards, similar to a deck and includes a 6-inch-high step. This troll was created by Thomas Dambo, a Danish sculpture artist. There are over one hundred Dambo trolls in the U.S.A. and many more around the world. Isak Heartstone is Troll numbered 043. Isak is the first Dambo Troll we've seen in person! We went to see Rita The Rock Planter eight days later! I guess we're officially Troll Hunters now! *If you live in the Los Angeles, CA area or are planning to visit, there will be a temporary exhibit of 12 Thomas Dambo's Trolls at the South Coast Botanic Garden in March 2026. Buy your tickets!

4/5 stars only because on the unseasonably warm day we went, the trail up to Isak was icy so we had…read moreto navigate that while people on the trail walked in front of and behind us, I guess trying to get there quickly. Isak is not very far from the parking lot and the trailhead sign. On this particular day there were several people waiting to take their photo with Isak, so we waited patiently. When it was our turn a nice woman said, "Be careful, it's slippery." Thank you. We took our photos, enjoyed the trees a bit, and walked back to our car.

Great coffee & chocolate shop in the Westwood area. Hours are limited, so be sure to stop by when…read morethey are open (Th & F 4:30-8:30pm, S/S 10:30-2:30pm). They honor Mexican tradition, using cacao & maize in their products. In addition to its products, Cultura Chocolate is a community hub for events. I stopped by on a Sunday morning to enjoy a café negro cold brew and also picked up some chocolate (60% espresso & sea salt). Filled with vibrant red walls, shelves lined with glass jars filled with a variety of maíz y chile, and carved molinillos hanging throughout the shop, it was a perfect start to the day.

Stopped in here while waiting for a table at La Reyna Del Sur! So so so cute inside love all the…read moredried goods displayed and there's some trinkets and good you can also purchase! Ordered the chocolate chai and cafe negro, chocolate chai was super yummy would definitely come back when I'm in the area to try their other chocolate drinks!

This is consistently one of the better festivals in the Denver area. The actual dragon boat races…read moreare ok, but you can only spend so long watching those. But there are a ton of food trucks & booths with all kinds of Asian foods and a similar range of cultural performances on the main stage. Even the vendor/sponsor booths tend to be more interesting than other events. It's free, and the lakeside park is a great, spread out location for all of it, some shade and never feels too crowded. Parking can be a little tricky, either in the neighborhood with a long walk or take the shuttle to Auraria lots (check the website for the discount code).

Such a beautiful way to celebrate and appreciate Asian culture at the Dragon Boat Festival in…read moreSloan's Lake. Lots of food, drink and booths. The. Dragon boat races are the highlight as they are exciting and beautiful.