Denver Art Museum
Attractions You Should See While You Are Here (For convenience, all directions are from the Greyhound Bus Terminal at 19th St. and Arapahoe.)
Denver Art Museum. 100 West 14th Ave. Parkway, Denver, CO 80204 www.denverartmuseum.org., or Phone: (720) 865-5000)
Check out the museum’s American Indian, African art, and Western American Art collections. Directions: walk 3 blocks to 16h Street. Then take the free 16th Street Mall Shuttle to Civic Center (comes from right). Then walk across two blocks across the park to the Museum (100 West 14th Ave. Parkway).
I want to thank Daria Serna from RTD for recommending the following attractions and these descriptions:
City Park: Denver’s largest park has several lakes, spectacular mountain views, flower gardens and a hiking/jogging trail that is exactly one mile high. (Directions: walk 3 blocks to 17th Street & Lawrence. Then take RTD bus route 20 to 17th & York. (Approximate time: 30 minutes)
Denver Museum of Nature & Science: 2001 Colorado Boulevard, Denver, CO 80206 http://www.dmns.org, or Phone: (303) 370-6000
The fourth largest museum in the U.S. is a maze filled with treasures of the earth – dinosaurs, dioramas, space exhibits, science experiments, a digital planetarium, IMAX theatre and touring shows. (Directions: RTD route 20 to Colorado Blvd. and Montview Blvd.)
Denver Zoo: 2300 Steele Street, Denver, CO 80205-4899 http://www.denverzoo.org, or Phone: (303) 376-4808
Lions and tigers and bears – and so much more, on lovely grounds make this the fourth most popular zoo in America. Go underwater with polar bears at Northern Shores, or eyeball-to-eyeball with a gorilla in Primate Panorama. Predator Ridge recreates the plains of Africa with a pride of lions, while Tropical Discovery is rainforest teeming with crocodiles and gila monsters. Coming soon: Asian Tropics, a new 10-acre home for the Zoo’s elephants and rhinos. (Directions: walk one block to 17th Street and Arapaho. Take RTD route 32 to Zoo entrance. This bus runs hourly on weekends: 35 minutes after the hour going, and 19 minutes after the hour returning.)
Denver Botanic Gardens: 1007 York Street, Denver, CO 80206 http://www.denverbotanicgardens.org, Phone: (720) 865-3500
This 23-acre oasis in the middle of the city has 45 different gardens (some 33,000 plants), as well as one of the nation’s top 10 conservatories. Relax in the Japanese Garden, climb through the Rock Alpine Garden and explore the new Mordecai Children’s Garden. Don’t miss Native Roots/Modern Form: Plants, Peoples and the Art of Allan Houser, a phenomenal open-air art exhibit on view through Nov. 13, 2011. (Directions: walk 3 blocks to 16th Street. Take free 16th St. Mall Shuttle (coming from the right) to Civic Center. From Civic Center, it’s just a 10-minute ride on RTD route 10 to 12th and York Street The entrance to the Botanic Gardens is at 1005 York Street.)
Sometimes, you get tired of sightseeing, and just want to relax and enjoy shopping, visiting art galleries, and window shopping and browsing. When that time comes, consider a visit to Cherry Creek. Cherry Creek is a tree-shaded neighborhood just two miles from downtown and easily accessible by bike on the Cherry Creek Bike Path.
Cherry Creek Shopping District www.shopcherrycreek.com, or www.cherrycreeknorth.com
More than 500 department stores, boutiques, galleries, spas, and one-of-a-kind shops grace this browsing paradise – the largest concentration of stores between St. Louis and San Francisco. Cherry Creek Shopping Center is an ultra upscale mall with Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Tiffany’s, while across 1st Ave., Cherry Creek North offers tree-line streets with cafes, spas and galleries amidst fountains and public art. (Directions: From Civic Center station (after taking the free 16th Street Mall Shuttle from 16th and Arapahoe), you have two choices: RTD route 83 operates every half-hour to Cherry Creek Mall or RTD route 1 runs hourly from Civic Center.
If you still have time and energy, take time to check out a few of Denver’s restaurants, theatres, and other evening attractions. For more information about Denver restaurants, places to stay, and almost everything else a visitor wants to know about Denver, visit: www.denver.org. And remember to check www.rtd-denver.com or call (303) 200-6089 for current directions about how to get where you want to go in Denver without needing to drive.
Steve Atlas spotlights where to visit or live without depending on a private automobile. Visit Steve’s website: http://carfreeamerica.org. View past Car Free Journey columns, and special reports about good places to live without a car at www.pubtrantravel.com. E-mail Steve with your comments or ideas for future columns at steveatlas45@yahoo.com.