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Denver, Colorado
Although Denver has always served as a jumping-off point to the mountains, even back in the mining days, that's no longer the case. Today, the "Mile High City" is truly a worthy destination of its own. The city gains much of its unique character from the fact that it's a major metropolis, but so close to unrivaled nature. People spend their weeks commuting to LODO, the business district and historic downtown, and their weekends reveling in the multitude of skiing, hiking, biking, and fishing areas surrounding the city. Denver is a great place to start your Colorado vacation. Denver's beginnings date back to 1858, when gold was first discovered. General William H. Larimer arrived the next year, claimed jumped the land and named it after James Denver the governor of the Kansas Territory. The gold found in this area was only a teaser for much larger strikes in the nearby mountains. Silver from Leadville and gold from Cripple Creek made Denver a showcase city in the early 1900s. The U.S. Mint, built in 1906, established Denver as a banking and financial center. Today, along with its role as a manufacturing, trade and tourism center, Denver has emerged as an energy and transportation hub for the country. First time visitors to Denver might be surprised to find that the city is actually pretty flat. With the mountains as a backdrop, this combination makes for a very mild climate. Denver is the recipient of over 300 days of sunshine each year. The city features some excellent parks and what many consider to be the finest urban trail system in the country. With all of this going on, it's not surprising that Denver has one of the healthiest and fittest populations around.

The U.S. Mint — If you've never visited a US Mint, be sure to pencil in time for Denver's, where coins are produced and gold and silver bullion stored. You'll find the process of money-making enlightening, especially when informative tour guides point out intriguing, little-known facts. The Mint Gift Shop offers fun, educational items, including books and money-themed gifts. The Mint accepts same day walk-up tour reservations on a space-available basis.

The Denver Art Museum — The Denver Art Museum is highly regarded for its collection of Native American art, which includes over 16,000 pieces from more than 100 tribes across the US. The seven-story contemporary building also houses impressive displays of Pre-Columbian and Central American art and textiles, a fascinating Asian collection, and a fine assortment of modern American and European paintings. The Architecture, Design and Graphics galleries are notable as well.

Colorado History Museum — Clever use of photographs and artifacts brings the past to life at this museum. Fascinating exhibits like "Ancient Voices" and "Soldiers on Skis" detail, respectively, the lives of the region's Paleo-Indians and the experiences of the 10th Mountain Division. The museum's most unique feature is "Colorado TimeScape," a multi-media display that takes as its focus a 3-D topographical model of the state. As visitors listen to a narrative history, lasers alter the landscape, providing a vivid account of Colorado's past 10,000 years.

Molly Brown House Museum — Located on Capitol Hill, this structure was home to the "Unsinkable" Molly Brown, who gained her nickname by surviving the sinking of the Titanic. The home is fully restored and furnished with period pieces. Known for her flamboyance, Molly Brown was a formidable woman in Denver society. Special events such as teas and readings are offered at the home these days.

Palace Arms — Located in The Brown Palace Hotel, the Décor in this luxurious restaurant includes rich carpeting, white-clothed tables, padded leather booths and banners emblazoned wih coats of arms placed around the room. Tuxedoed servers and an army of backup bussers wait on couples and small groups quietly celebrating special occasions. Each dish boasts the influence of France--from the foie gras appetizer flavored with tart cabernet cherry sauce to buffalo filet in rosemary veal reduction with Gorgonzola gratinee.

Vesta Dipping Grill — Vesta is consistently named one of Denver's top restaurants by 5280 magazine, called one of "America's Best" by the venerable Zagat survey and has been lauded by Travel & Leisure and the Wall Street Journal. It's easy to see why Vesta garners such accolades: Blending sophistication with funky cool, the dining room is a mix of wood and wrought iron with accents of sultry red and brown. Vesta allows diners to pair skewers of meats and vegetables with a choice of 30 dipping sauces, each prepared with a light hand and lots of flavor.

Benny's Restaurant & Tequila Bar — Benny's is the kind of place where you can bring a large group and you'll be seated without a flurry of table-moving or frustrated servers. Located in the triangle of restaurants in the Capitol Hill area, it's a margarita-sipping, chip-crunching type of place. With a plentiful lineup of tequilas, the margaritas are crowd-pleasing favorites. People also make a special point to stop by for the crispiest rellenos in town.

Ocean — Despite its finny name, this upscale Cherry Creek noshery certainly doesn’t resemble a seafood shack. Instead, the luxurious dining room oozes ocean liner class. From the sage-shaded velvet chairs and espresso-hued wooden floors to the crisp white linens, blue-sky ceiling, and ivy-etched glass, the space floats glamour. Main dishes stay the nautical course with a boatload of fresh fish selections.

When you climb up to the State Capitol, you are exactly one mile high (5280 feet) when you reach the 18th step! This really is "the Mile High City."