Denver is a great city and even better at the holidays. Since I am a December baby I got to celebrate my birthday as well as enjoy all the city has to offer for Christmas. Double bonus!

The Art Hotel

Our home away from home for one day in Denver was The Art Hotel. Since it’s opening, The Art Hotel has been consistently ranked as one of the best hotels in Denver. Centrally located in the downtown art district, the hotel is a work of art from the outside – the contemporary, mirrored multi-dimensional exterior, to the inside with multiple art installations and sculptures throughout – even in your room. Since it was my birthday, the hotel helped us celebrate by bringing a yummy charcuterie board and bucket of locally brewed craft beers to our room upon check in. For free! (Let them know if you are celebrating a special occasion when making your reservation.) And they also get some serious bonus points for serving gluten free crackers with the board. If you have been reading my blog you know that I am gluten free and always go out of my way to find GF options in a new city.

FIRE Lounge is the bar connected to the hotel’s restaurant, which is also connected to FIRE Terrace – the outdoor area with fire pits. The Christmas decorations and the silver Christmas tree were so funky and kitschy and had a totally 60’s vibe. While the kids decompressed in the room, Joe and I sneaked away for some cocktails and snacks.

Do You Snooze?

The retro vibe continued the next morning for breakfast at Snooze an A.M. Eatery. Denver has plenty of great breakfast options, but I chose Snooze based on it’s gluten free options as well as 4-star reviews. Sure, I can get eggs anywhere – they are always gluten free – but I can’t always get GF buttermilk pancakes topped with blueberry coulis, sweet cream and almond streusel surrounding a center of lemony cream cheese filling! Um, hells yes! Almost everything, including french toast can be made GF at Snooze. I lapsed into a sugar fueled coma shortly thereafter but countered it with 2nd and 3rd cup of coffee. There are 3 locations in Denver – originally we wanted to eat at the Union Station Snooze but the wait was too long, so we drove over to the ballpark location and got right in.

A Pro Sports Mecca

With only one day in Denver, we skipped many of the cultural and historical highlights and tailored our visit to some specific interests. That meant paying homage to Mile High Stadium – home of the Broncos, Coors Field – home of the Rockies, Pepsi Center – home of the Avalanche and the Nuggets. Yeah, we are a family of sports fans – what can I say? Plus getting around Denver to see all the arenas and stadiums was super easy in our rental car.

Outdoor Gear Heaven

REI! OMG! This. Place! The flagship REI in Denver is the ultimate outdoor store. But really I can’t even call it a store – it’s more like an experience – there is even an indoor climbing wall to test gear. There are cozy displays set up around the store – campsites and camper vans with tents, sleeping bags, climbing gear, camp kitchens, clothing and just about anything you can imagine for your outdoor activity. They carry all the brands – like Patagonia and The North Face. It’s a great place to do some shopping – Christmas or other wise. Plus, with an in-store Starbuck’s coffee bar you can recharge after your retail therapy.

Union Station

One of Denver’s most iconic buildings, Union Station‘s Beaux-Arts train station and transportation hub is all dressed up for the holidays and has a ton of dining and shopping options. If you’ve only got one day in Denver you’ve got to make it here. A grand Christmas tree stands in the center of the building and it really feels like you stepped back in time – the building is 100 years old. We must have stopped in at an off-peak time because there was a sort of calmness and hush to the whole setting. Would you ever say a train station was calm? Umm, not usually, but it really felt peaceful. Anyhow, Santa visits every Sunday starting in November to add to the holiday atmosphere.

Get In The Holiday Spirit!

I know there is so much more to see and do in Denver – I know one day in Denver is not enough. I promise I will be back sometime soon! Some holiday fun I wanted to join in on but didn’t have time for:

ZOO LIGHTS AT THE DENVER ZOO – two million Christmas lights!

HIGH TEA AT THE BROWN PALACE HOTEL – make a reservation for tea with Santa!

DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS – more Christmas lights!

DENVER PAVILIONS CAROUSEL – take a spin and then shop at the 16th Street Mall boutiques and specialty shops.

COLORADO SYMPHONY – a showcase of holiday performances throughout the season.