Welcome to Denver!
A Look With Links To the Mile High City


A vibrant downtown is the focal point of the Mile High City.

It's a mile high in altitude but not in attitude, a city of sports and sporting people, a place to play and happening place to hang.

Denver, Colorado is modern, clean and active, yet maintains just enough of its Gold Rush roots to distinguish itself from other cities in the U.S. You may not see the fictional TV character McCloud riding through town on a horse, but you will see cowboy hats, boots and Western-style heavy coats.

This Mile High City has a downtown area literally built around sports and the Broncos, Avalanche and Rockies – plus the close-by colleges of Colorado and Colorado State – create a near-continuous community buzz for championships. Bars and restaurants thrive on showing sports and hosting the fans.

This complete guide to Denver has the lowdown on LoDo and all parts of the city. These pages contain everything one needs to know about going out on the town:
• Denver's Best LoDo Bars, which include martini bars, sports bars and live music venues.
• Away from LoDo, there are some funky bars and big dance clubs.
• Going to a game? Here's a guide to Coors Field.
• Discover the best casual places to eat with our Restaurant and Dining Guide.

The 16th Street Mall shuttle is a grea (and popular) way to get around LoDo.

The best way to get around Denver is by foot or the 16th Street Mall shuttle. Or both – walk one way and ride the other. The shuttle is free and stops at every block along 16th Street. It is so popular many locals use it to commute to work, to get them in the vicinity of the Pepsi Center for basketball and hockey games or to the train station to take them eventually to Invesco Field at Mile High for Broncos games.

For the most part – particularly in and around LoDo – walking is extremely safe. There is a large police presence and, frankly, the people here are largely of the nonviolent nature.

Only for trips outside the downtown area is a rental car necessary (for instance, drives to and through the surrounding mountains can be captivating). From downtown hotels to LoDo and adjacent Larimer Square is a pleasant 15- to 20-minute walk. If the weather is nice, it's pleasant to stroll down 16th or adjacent streets, peering in at cool shops along the way.

Taxis are plentiful and since the travel distances are so short, fares are generally only a few dollars.

There is a light rail system that runs from downtown to outlying suburbs but it's mostly for daily commuters.