Denver Attractions

Downtown Denver
Denver has the tenth largest downtown in the U.S. - a bustling area centered around a long pedestrian promenade that is lined with outdoor cafes and flower baskets. Down every street there are mountain views. Downtown Denver is home to three new sports stadiums, 300 restaurants, a restored historic district filled with 90 bars and brewpubs, a collection of museums, a variety of galleries and shopping, the second largest performing arts center in the nation, three college campuses and even a unique downtown amusement park, Six Flags Elitch Gardens. LoDo is the premier entertainment district along the Front Range, drawing from a populace of 2.3 million in the six county metro area. A burgeoning center for restaurants and entertainment, the area has transformed into the heart of downtown's urban core with the addition of large commercial and residential developments in and around LoDo and Coors Field.

Congratulations Colorado Rockies! How ‘bout them Rockies?! Lots of folks were surprised by the hot-streaking baseball dynamos! Many thanks to the Rockies for bringing the World Series to Denver. It was a real treat for us to host some terrific baseball fans too! See you next spring!!

Attractions
People often ask us what to do in Denver when they arrive. There is a lot to do!

Our B&B is close to many of the most popular tourist attractions in Denver.

The Potter-Highlands Historic District
The Potter Highlands Historic District lies just minutes above downtown Denver as a subdivision of the original town of Highland. Established in 1863 by Rev. Walter Potter, the 36-square block district is one of Colorado's largest residential historic districts full of victorian, craftsman, and cottage style structures. Among the prominent homes is that of John Mouat at 37th And Bryant, owner of the region's largest lumber company, today best known as the Lumber Baron Inn & Gardens. Others include the Victorian Cottage of Hugh Mackay at 33rd and Alcott built entirely of grey stone with a matching carriage house, the elaborate Queen Anne on Bryant between 32nd and 33rd currently being renovated as the Fisher mansion, the "Grand Bungalow" Craftsman Landmark at 3600 Clay built by Amos Hughes in 1913, the "Edbrooke 4-Squares" in the 2400 block of west 32nd, the Henry Lee House at 32nd and Clay, and the 1890's row of Queen Anne Victorians along Bryant in the 3300 block. Walking the neighborhood is popular among our guests and we'll be happy to provide you with a simple map of the District. Take a stroll to one of our newest neighborhood restaurants: DUO (303-477-4141) in the Weir Block building at 32nd and Zuni. This is our TOP RECOMMENDATION!

Highlands was recently featured in Travel and Leisure magazine as one of the nations hottest up and coming neighborhoods. Overlooking downtown Denver, Highlands is a resurgent center city neighborhood with a rich ethnic history. The community has been home to many waves of American immigrants -- Italian, Irish, German and Mexican—who established the neighborhood's still-thriving churches, businesses, restaurants and cultural events. Today, Highlands is an eclectic urban neighborhood with great shops, restaurants and a strong community. Highlands Garden Café has been a perennial Denver favorite since it opened in 1994. It is housed in two Victorian homes surrounded by lush gardens. Highland Gardens Café has received many local awards, including Best Patio, Best Table, Most Romantic Restaurant and Best Place to Celebrate. After dinner, enjoy a romantic evening at the Lumber Baron Inn, a restored Queen Anne Bed & Breakfast.

Downtown Aquarium

The Lumber Baron is a proud partner of the Aquarium-we offer special coupons-just ask! A world-class aquarium that immerses visitors on two journeys, from the Continental Divide in Colorado to Mexico's Sea of Cortez, and the other from an Indonesian rain forest to the Pacific Ocean. The Rocky Mountain West's only aquarium will also show visitors how all water and water life are inter-related. (303) 561-4450

LoDo
The Lower Downtown Historic District: Where the Past Comes Alive

The 23 plus square block area of the original Denver is now called Lower Downtown Denver. In 1858, General William Larimer built his cabin and named his small settlement Denver City, after the governor of the Kansas Territory. Within 20 years, his settlement had grown in population (in 1860, the population was 4,749; in 1870, the population was 4759; and in 1880, the population grew to 35,629). In 1870, after the determined local citizenry had raised enough cash to finance the building of a spur of the Transcontinental Railroad from Denver to Cheyenne, Denver started in a boom cycle that would continue up to the Silver Crash in 1893.

LoDo is the place in Denver to eat, shop, and stay. A vibrant mixed-use neighborhood, LoDo offers something for everyone, from the day tourist to the lifelong resident. And, our historic buildings not only house a variety of shops, restaurants, and businesses, but they also create a unique urban living environment. Looking for a hip restaurant or a nice hotel? Ask Walter or Julie at the Lumber Baron.

Denver Art Museum

Since its beginnings in the 1890s as the Denver Artists’ Club, the Denver Art Museum has had a number of temporary homes, from the public library and a downtown mansion to a portion of the Denver City and County Building.

The museum opened its own galleries on 14th Avenue Parkway in 1949, and a center for children’s art activities was added in the early 1950s. In 1971, we opened what’s now known as the North Building. Our most recent expansion, the Frederic C. Hamilton Building, was completed in the summer of 2006.

Today, the 356,000-square-foot museum complex includes collection gallery space, three temporary exhibition venues, and a 280-seat auditorium. In addition to our art collections, the Denver Art Museum is internationally recognized for our family-friendly environment, and has received critical acclaim for encouraging art appreciation through interactive activities. (720) 865-5000.

Congratulations to our Colorado Rockies 2007 NL Champions!
In the Spring-Stay at the Lumber Baron- a short drive to Coors Field

The Civic Center
The Colorado State Capitol stands a mile above sea level with a plaque on the 15th step to mark the spot that is 5,280 feet high. The dome is covered with 200 ounces of pure gold and offers a beautiful view from the rotunda of the entire Front Range, from Pikes Peak, all the way north to the Wyoming border, a distance of over 150 miles. Free tours on weekdays of the beautiful rooms and appointments. (303) 866-2604. Colorado State Capitol.

The Colorado History Museum
Colorado History Museum offers a series of dioramas and exhibits that trace the colorful history of the Indians, explorers, gold miners, cowboys and pioneers that have called Colorado home. Exhibits include an outstanding collection of William Henry Jackson photos and a large diorama of Denver as it appeared in 1860. Call for information on special exhibits. (303) 866-3670.

The Denver Public Library
The Central Denver Public Library, designed by renowned architect Michael Graves, is the city's third-most-popular cultural attraction. The Denver Public Library is ranked Number One by Hennen's American Public Library rating system among libraries that serve 500,000 people or more. Tours are given Monday thru Saturday at 11AM. Denver Library (720) 865-1351.

Paramount Theater
This historic theatre, built in 1929, was designed in the Art Deco style. The Paramount is the last of 17 grand movie palaces that once existed in Denver and now operates as a performing arts and entertainment center, often now the venue of House of Blues. It is a national landmark listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. Located just off the 16th Street pedestrian mall, the Paramount offers film, dance, and music performances. (303) 534-8336

D&F Clock Tower and Skyline Park
The epicenter of Denver, on Arapahoe Street at the 16th Street Pedestrian Mall is Denver's Times Square without all the neon. It is where the Mall and our newly renovated Skyline Park intersect. It is the centerpiece of the grand annual New Year's Eve fireworks celebration in Denver drawing some 200,000 people each year to watch the displays shooting from atop the buildings along the mall and the clock tower. Just about every Denver attraction is located within a two and half mile radius of the clock tower. Denver New Year.

Larimer Square and Writer Square
A restored section of Denver's oldest street where the beautiful Victorian buildings have been restored to house a collection of art galleries, clothing stores, restaurants, cafes and nightclubs.

Denver's Cultural Facilities and Entertainment
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. The four-square block center features: Boettcher Concert Hall, the nation's first symphony hall in-the-round; The Denver Center Theater Company, which won a Tony Award in 1998 for best regional theatre acting company; the Newton Auditorium, newly renovated performing home of the Colorado Ballet and Opera Colorado in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, and the Temple Buell Theater, a new 2,800-seat Broadway theater. The center is also home to several other smaller, some experimental, theaters. Enter the complex through a block-long glass arch noted for its unusual and striking architecture.

Comedy theater is also abundant in Denver. Check out the following for lots of great laughs:
• Bovine Metropolis Theater,
• Comedy Works,
• Rattlebrain Theater (last Wednesday of every month),
• Impulse Theater,
• Jazz @Jack's
See Map Link: "Theaters and Restaurants"

Sakura Square
It takes just a few minutes to tour the one-block concrete complex, which includes Pacific Mercantile, the supermarket and sundries store, and the Denver Buddhist Temple along Lawrence Street. On the other side of the block you'll find Yoko's Express and Akebono restaurants, Nonaka's hairstyling shop, the Rocky Mountain Jiho newspaper's office, an antique store, a Japanese book and magazine store and a travel agency. The block is anchored by Tamai Tower, a high-rise low-income apartment building that houses mostly older Japanese. A visit to Sakura Square is a brief immersion into a world where Japanese is the main language spoken and people bow slightly as they greet each other. Sakura Square is also the temporary home of the Museum of Contempory Art.

Museum of Contemporary Art
Temporarily housed in a 7000 square foot fish market in Sakura Square while their new building is under construction. The MCA is an innovative forum for contemporary art that inspires and challenges all audiences, creating understanding and dialogue about the art of our time. (303) 298-7553.

Denver Firefighters Museum
Denver Firefighters Museum is located in an historic firehouse, built in 1909. Their collection includes fascinating firefighting equipment dating back to the days when horses provided our locomotion! Learn all about the games that firefighters used to hone their skills, the big Denver fires that they have fought, and how trained horses and dogs helped the firefighting effort. Try on a firefighter's uniform (we have some that will fit the kids too!). (303) 892-1436.

Starz Film Center
Denver's first and only true cinematheque, committed to presenting the best in film art - with an eye toward titles not readily available on the big screen. Every day, Denver Film Society programs Starz Film Center's six screens with lively, challenging, informing and entertaining films - including exclusive first-run theatrical engagements, the best of current art-house cinema, local and international film festivals, weekly and monthly cinematheque series, revivals and retrospectives, sneak previews and meet-the-filmmaker events, and educational and outreach programs. Located in the Tivoli Building on the Auraria Campus, across from the Pepsi Center - (303) 820-3456.

Six Flags Elitch Gardens Theme Park
A one hundred-year-old theme park known for its European atmosphere, elaborate floral gardens, and thrill rides. In 1995, Elitch Gardens moved to an expanded location in downtown Denver along the South Platte River with all new rides, gardens, lagoons, restaurants and amusements. (303) 455-4771.

Molly Brown House
The Molly Brown House stands as an enduring symbol of the Victorian era and the city of Denver. In the 1880s the lucky few who made millions in the mountains, the railroads, or trade moved to the prestigious Capitol Hill neighborhood. The Molly Brown House Museum has become an established museum with the mission of interpreting the life of Margaret Tobin Brown, Victorian Denver and historic preservation. Approximately 40,000 people visit the Molly Brown House Museum per year to learn about the lifestyle enjoyed by Victorian Denver's upper classes and gain a glimpse into the life of Denver's "unsinkable" lady, Molly Brown. (303) 832-4092.

Denver Botanic Gardens
The Denver Botanic Gardens has a large conservatory, an alpine garden with rare tiny flowers, a Japanese tea garden, as well as a water garden with hundreds of water lilies that bloom in late summer. It is just one of 506 public gardens in Denver where over 240,000 flowers are planted each year. (303) 331-4000.

The Denver Zoo
Consistently rated as one of the top 10 in America with 3,500 animals in lovely spreading grounds in City Park. "Tropical Discovery," is a 1.5-acre rainforest under glass in which visitors feel the sensation of walking through a jungle teeming with wildlife. Other highlights of the Denver Zoo include "Northern Shores" where you can watch polar bears swim underwater and Primate Panorama, where visitors can get as close as 10 feet to over 29 species of monkeys. The Zoo celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1996. (303) 376-4800.

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science
The Rocky Mountain Region's leading resource for informal science education. A variety of engaging exhibits, discussions and activities help Museum visitors celebrate and understand the natural wonders of Colorado, Earth and the universe. During adventures at the Museum, you'll learn about current science topics in the news. Prehistoric Journey transports you back in time to when dinosaurs ruled the planet. The Museum is also famous for its interactive children's discovery centers, Egyptian mummies, wildlife exhibits, colorful gems and minerals, the Hall of Life health center, awe-inspiring IMAX® films, dynamic temporary exhibits, new scientific discoveries and visionary speakers. Get inspired by space! Learn about the latest discoveries in space science, experience a stunning close-up view of Mars and talk with an "astronaut" conducting research on the surface. Visitors can also maneuver a Mars rover and dock the space shuttle. (303) 322-7009.

Private Art Galleries
Camera Obscura - 1309 Bannock St - 303 623-4059
David Cook Fine American Art - 1637 Wazee - 303 623-8181
Ernest Fuller Fine Art - 720 946-1296;
Knox Gallery - 1512 Larimer- 303 820-2324
William Matthews Gallery - 1617 Wazee- 303 534-1300
Mudhead Gallery - 555 17th St. - 303 293-0007
Native American Trading Company - 1301 Bannock - 303 534-0771
Patrick Jolly Fine Art - 820 16th St - 303 534-6805
Robischon Gallery - 1740 Wazee - 303 298-7788
Sloane Gallery of Contemporary Russian Art - 1612 17th St.- 303 595-4230
The Other Side Arts - 1644 Platte St. - 303 477-4087

Denver Shopping
As the largest city in a 600-mile 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, which the New York Times has called the "best bookstore in America". Some of Denver's best shopping areas are in or around downtown. The 16th Street Mall has a wealth of individual shops as well as shopping complexes, including the Shops at Tabor Center and the Pavilion. Nearby LoDo is known for its art galleries (it has the highest concentration in the city). Larimer Square and Writer Square are LoDo's trendiest shopping streets. At Sakura Square, you'll find an entire block of Asian restaurants and shops surrounded by authentic Japanese gardens and containing a Buddhist temple.

The 16th Street Mall
A mile-long pedestrian promenade through the heart of downtown Denver, lined with shops, restaurants and outdoor cafes, connecting the civic center (State Capitol, Library, Art Museum) on the south end to Union Station and LoDo on the north end. Free shuttle buses leave either end as often as every 90 seconds, making this the best spot for "people watching" in the city. In summer, the Mall is decorated with 25,000 flowers.

The Denver Pavilions
Home to the huge "Denver" sign, the pavilions are full of interesting shops, tasty treats and great restaurants. The Pavilion, Hard Rock Cafe, Virgin Records, United Artist Theater - for show times enter zip code 80202.

The Shops at Tabor Center
The Tabor Center is a modern complex on the 16th Street Mall with several shops and restaurants in a three-story, glass-covered, greenhouse-like building that offers festive views of downtown and the mountains.

Coors Field Baseball Stadium
The fantastic home of the Colorado Rockies. Built in 1995, the stadium seats just over 50,000 fans. It is located on the East side of LoDo, just over 5 blocks from the Inn. Virtually every seat at Coors Field offers a great view of the field, and many provide a view of the Rocky Mountains. If you're in the upper deck and your seat is painted purple, you are seated exactly 5,280 feet above sea level. Plan to see a lot of scoring if you attend a game at Coors, as the high altitude allows batted balls to fly farther. The fences are pushed back to accommodate this, but Coors still sees more than it's share of homers each year. On-site parking at Coors is limited and a little expensive, so plan on leaving your car at the Inn and walking to the game.

Pepsi Center
The Pepsi Center is home to the NBA's Denver Nuggets and the NHL's Colorado Avalanche. The arena seats 18,129 for hockey and 19,099 for basketball. Located just West of Denver's LoDo district, the arena will host the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament in March 2005, and 2006. Parking is available on-site for $10 or $20, depending on the lot. It is also accessible from the Inn via RTD "streetcar".

Invesco Field at Mile High
Home of the Denver Broncos and Colorado Rapids. The new Mile High stadium opened in 2001 and seats 76,125. Located just west of downtown, the stadium houses the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, as well as a Broncos store which proudly displays the team's two Lombardi trophies. Denver is known for having a tremendous home-field advantage. While that is still true at the new Mile High, it is not nearly as loud as the old stadium. The altitude still tends to have a big impact on Bronco opponents, however. Parking is available around the stadium and is also accessible from the Inn via RTD "streetcar."

Colorado Adventures
Whitewater Rafting
Ballooning
Skiing

Day Trip Excursions from Denver
Located at the base of the Rockies, Denver has always made an excellent base from which to tour the beautiful and historic Front Range of the mountains. In winter, the Ski Train is a relaxing and scenic trip to the Winter Park Resort Ski Area.

Central City and Black Hawk
Two historic old mining towns from the 1870's that have come alive with limited stakes casino gambling. Located 34 miles (55 km) west of Denver, the two towns offer over 30 casinos with nearly 9,000 slot machines, blackjack tables and poker games. Once called the "Richest Square Mile on Earth," Central City and Black Hawk are known as having some of the best preserved Victorian architecture in the West. Other attractions include the Teller House Hotel where President Grant once stayed and the Central City Opera House, which each summer still features an outstanding summer season of opera. There are mine tours, mining museums and several places that still offer instruction in the fine art of gold panning in a stream where a half billion dollars of it was found.

Georgetown
A delightful Victorian village with 200 restored buildings from the 1870's, Georgetown is set in a spectacular mountain valley. The main street has shops and restaurants and many of the old homes have been turned into antique stores. The Georgetown Loop Railroad operates in the summer months with narrow gauge steam locomotives curling down a mountain ledge, at one point crossing over a 90-foot (27 m) high trestle. The town is located 42 miles (68 km) west of Denver. Mount Evans has the highest paved auto road in North America snaking its way to the 14,260 foot (4,346 m) summit. The free road is open only from June through Labor Day and frequently has snow on it, even in August. The view from the top takes in the entire Front Range. The summit is 60 miles (97 km) from downtown Denver.

Rocky Mountain National Park
Located 71 miles (114 km) northwest of Denver and features 400 square miles (1,036 sq km) of scenic beauty, including Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous highway in the world crossing the Continental Divide at over two miles above sea level. The park has two information centers, hundreds of miles of hiking trails, tranquil lakes, waterfalls, wildlife and horseback riding. Estes Park is a resort town on the edge of the park with restaurants and shops.