And right next to the Art Museum is the Denver Public Library (10 West Fourteenth Avenue Parkway Denver, CO 80204), with its Western History Collection of books, manuscripts, maps, and artifacts, including a railroad collection. You can see a hint of the photographs in the collection, but more is available at the Library on the 5th floor - and that is all offered at the great price of FREE. Back on a visit in the 1980s, I found a Union Pacific traveler's and settler's guide to the route between Chicago and Cheyenne, Wyoming, published about 1869.The Denver Art Museum is fantastic, with a collection of art of the west that you will see nowhere else! The building is also stunning architecturally. And it's only two blocks from the State Capitol, another beautiful building where the tours (whether dome or non-dome) give you a great sense of the area's history and culture. And the Capitol is free!
Take it from someone who has riden those 17, 38, and 44 buses frequently in Golden [note my name] - you have to allot at least an hour and a half for the trip. They are local buses and have circuitous routes with lots of stops. On the 17, one of the stops is at the Jeffco Courthouse [aka "the Taj Mahal"] and county jail. It is normal to have recently released individuals on the bus, people with not one but two electronic leg collars to track them. There also are frequent delays that mean that you miss the connections, and sometimes have to wait 90 minutes for the next bus.The Colorado Railroad Museum, located west of town at 17155 W. 44th Ave. in Golden, is a fun place to visit. The No. 17 RTD Jeffco bus goes past it. Getting out there would be a nice tour. Looks like you'd start downtown on either the No. 38 or No. 44 westbound bus, then transfer to the No. 17 at the Wheat Ridge Walmart parking lot.
Not worth the time or expense, IMHO to go to DIA, unless you are catching a flight...Take it from someone who has riden those 17, 38, and 44 buses frequently in Golden [note my name] - you have to allot at least an hour and a half for the trip. They are local buses and have circuitous routes with lots of stops. On the 17, one of the stops is at the Jeffco Courthouse [aka "the Taj Mahal"] and county jail. It is normal to have recently released individuals on the bus, people with not one but two electronic leg collars to track them. There also are frequent delays that mean that you miss the connections, and sometimes have to wait 90 minutes for the next bus.The Colorado Railroad Museum, located west of town at 17155 W. 44th Ave. in Golden, is a fun place to visit. The No. 17 RTD Jeffco bus goes past it. Getting out there would be a nice tour. Looks like you'd start downtown on either the No. 38 or No. 44 westbound bus, then transfer to the No. 17 at the Wheat Ridge Walmart parking lot.
If you want to check out the Denver airport, as another response suggested, your cheapest way is to use the RTD AF bus, which you can get at the Market Street Station on the 16th street mall. It is an hour ride to the airport, since they put it in Kansas when they got rid of the old Stapleton Airport in town. You have to either have an AF ticket, or else have the exact fare -it was $10 last year from downtown to the airport, but I think there was a fare increase in January to $11. It might be a bit cheaper if you buy a roundtrip ticket downstairs at the Market Street Station. You also need to get a schedule and keep track of departures from the airport back to town - at some times of day, the AF runs only once an hour.
A cab ride from downtown to the airport would run somewhere north of $70.
The Union Station light rail terminus is about 4 blocks from the temporary station. It's easily walkable as long as you don't have a lot of luggage - nice wide sidewalks. It's best to get google map directions before trying it. The only problem with the light rail is that a lot of the most interesting things about Denver are close to the station. All 3 LR lines take you to the more boring parts of the metro area.For a cheap tour of the city, just climb on one of the light rail lines, go to the end of the line and then come back. I know a couple terminate at Union Station, though you should check and see if station stops have been moved due to construction. Others intersect the 16th Street Mall.
There's a free shuttle up and down the 16th Street Mall, which you can board within a couple blocks of the old Union Station. The shuttle's eastern terminus is a few minutes' walk from the Civic Center, State Capitol and Denver Art Museum.
Keep in mind that these areas tend to attract homeless people, bums, idle teens and hustlers. They're all mostly harmless, but keep your wits about you and don't buy any of their well-rehearsed stories about needing X amount of money for a bus ticket home.
Just be sure Gilligan and the Skipper are not aboard, and the van or bus is not "the Minnow"!Traveler, I like the idea of the tour. I checked it out and it looks like there's a 3 hour one.
I love the downtown Denver area, and could easily spend a day in the 16th Street Mall/Civic Center area. Compared with Chicago, you may be surprised by how small the Denver downtown is. Still, you won't go wrong if you decide to remain in the Mall area.The area sounds good to me - I found a walking tour itinerary and, you're right, most of the interesting sights are in the Union Station area.
Some biking caveats. I'm writing this for future reference, not really for the Original Poster.I doubt it would interest many, but with a whole day I would rent a bike and explore Denver's fantastic trail system. If you watch carefully as you approach the station and then make the backup move, you will cross over the Platte River Trail at least twice.
Great recommendation, I've always loved the bird house at the Zoo. Using Public Transit, you can ride a #32 or #20 bus there. #32 can be faster; in my opinion, you get to see more interesting buildings via the more direct (but with more frequent stops) #20 bus. The #20 bus usually has fewer riders; either can be standing room only in downtown area during commute hours.Denver Zoo
The old Stapleton International Airport at Denver was much better for aviation enthusiasts. I don't know how many hours I spent along Havana Street watching the parade of airliners landing on 26 Left and 26 Right, scanner talking all the way. Or dinner at the 94th Aero Squadron with its runway side views....If you're an aviation enthusiast or conspiracy theorist, Denver International Airport might be of interest, but unless you're a ticketed passenger you won't be able to see much of it.
What! Skip Boulder - 25 square miles surrounded by reality?The Boulder option sounds great but I think I'll stay in town this trip...
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