My boyfriend, Joey, and I originally planned to go to Denver in May 2020. Due to COVID our flights were canceled, and we chose to credit our tickets, knowing we would still be wanting to go when travel reopened. An opportune long weekend over Labor Day worked out for the best and graced us with perfect weather!! We flew Frontier for our first time; it was an affordable, direct flight from Albany. The airport is about 25 miles from Downtown Denver where we were staying. We opted to not rent a car for the first few days and sightsee around Denver and then rent a car for our last couple days (this was a wrong choice). We took an Uber to our hotel, The Warwick, and immediately noticed the electric scooters zooming around as we entered the City. That was going to be our first adventure and later became our main form of transportation.
First Taste
Taking the scooters for a spin to look around and scope out where we wanted to go for dinner, we agreed on Colorado Campfire. It was so delectable we ended up going there twice. Joey got a Mallow on the Graham, a delicious smores beverage, and I got a Lavender Spritz. I highly recommend – affordable and delicious!
Rhinos and Rockies
Our first few days we spent exploring the city. We spent a day at the zoo and aquarium, both were great but we especially liked the zoo. Admission to both is affordable, being only $20 per adult for the zoo and $25 for the aquarium. While we found the aquarium to be more centrally located and accessible by scooter, we Ubered to the zoo.
Next, we went to a Rockies game, and for my first MLB experience I would say it was great. The tickets were cheap, we were able to get seats close to the field, and the weather was perfect. Actually, the weather was perfect the entire time we were there, I would definitely recommend going this time of year (early September)!
A change in plans
After a couple days exploring the city, we wanted to branch out and go to Red Rocks, the Garden of the Gods, Golden, and more for our last few days and anticipated being able to get a rental car (always plan ahead of time!). Since it was Labor Day weekend, apparently everyone and their mother was getting a rental car. We tried all the local rental car agencies in Denver, and even the airport (we were willing to take a 25 minute Uber there just to get a car!). After no luck, we decided to Uber to what we could and try again the next day. We took an Uber to Red Rocks first because it was closest to Denver. The ride was beautiful and I pointed to a lake outside our window and told Joey we’d stop there on the way back to really maximize our trip out there.
Red Rocks Amphitheater
Let me tell you about Red Rocks… It is amazing!! You drive up and start to think you’re entering another world. It’s a minor hike up to the amphitheater. Once there, you’ll be even more astonished by its beauty and the views. You’ll see some hardcore people sprinting and working out on the steps. There’s a small museum there as well with some interesting history about the amphitheater and the shows that have taken place there. The Jonas Brothers were having a concert the night we were visiting. As ticket prices reflect the venue, we opted not to go. However, you should try to see a concert there if it’s within your budget!
VENTURING FURTHER
After we expressed our frustrations about not being able to find a rental car to our Uber driver, they suggested we try Turo, an app for renting cars from their owners. It’s essentially like Airbnb but for cars. We gave it a shot, but other people must’ve known about it too. Fortunately, we were at least able to get a car for 8 hours on our last day!
The lake we drove past was Bear Creek Lake Park. It was a little lake that allowed swimming, making me regret not bringing my suit! We got some snacks and drinks from the concessions and had a picnic before calling an Uber to come take us back to the hotel.
We picked up our bright red Subaru Impreza from a hotel parking lot (it wasn’t as sketchy as it sounds lol). The car was very clean and there were even snacks and drinks for us! We took the car to the Garden of the Gods. It’s in Colorado Springs, a little over an hour south from Denver. Garden of the Gods is an incredible place. There are many different hiking trails, places to park, and it’s easy to drive around too!
All in all, Denver is an awesome city. Our favorite parts of the trip were Red Rocks and Garden of the Gods, so heed our warning and book your rental in advance to ensure you get to enjoy these natural wonders. The state of Colorado is absolutely beautiful and we will definitely be going back to explore more it has to offer!
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