Denver: Coors Country, Red-Eyed Airport Mustang and the World First Cannabis Retail
Tour the largest single brewery in the world at Golden and kayak Clear Creek canyon above it, browse 4 million Western history photos at Denver Public Library, ride the Twister II at 130-year-old Elitch Gardens, decipher the conspiracy art at Denver International Airport beneath its mountain-echo tent roof, bike the South Platte River Greenway 30 miles of restored trail, and understand how Colorado invented legal cannabis retail in 2014.
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Golden and Clear Creek Canyon
Golden, 15 miles west of Denver at the mouth of Clear Creek Canyon, is home to the Colorado School of Mines, one of the premier engineering universities specializing in resources and geosciences in the world, and to the Coors Brewing Company flagship plant, the largest single-site brewery in the world. The brewery, founded by Adolph Coors in 1873, offers free tours and has been producing beer from Clear Creek water continuously except during Prohibition. Clear Creek Canyon above Golden provides whitewater kayaking on Class III-V rapids and rock climbing on granite walls within 30 minutes of Denver. The American Mountaineering Center in Golden houses the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum and the American Alpine Club library, the most comprehensive mountaineering reference collection in the Western Hemisphere.
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Denver Public Library and Cultural Programs
The Denver Public Library at 10 West 14th Avenue Parkway, a landmark building designed by Michael Graves and opened in 1995, is one of the most visited public libraries in the United States, drawing over 4 million visits annually. The Western History and Genealogy Department holds one of the most important collections of photographs, manuscripts, and maps documenting the American West, including the photographic archives of William Henry Jackson, who documented the US Geological Survey of the Territories in the 1870s. The Denver Public Library system operates 26 branches and is consistently rated among the top urban library systems in the country for program innovation. The library is free to all Colorado residents and provides access to museum passes, state park passes, and seed libraries in addition to traditional collections.
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Elitch Gardens and Amusement History
Elitch Gardens, which has operated as an amusement park in Denver since 1890, making it the oldest amusement park west of the Mississippi River still in operation, moved to its current location at Speer Boulevard and Elitch Circle in 1995. The original Elitch Gardens in the northwestern Denver neighborhood of Sunnyside contained botanical gardens, a theater, and rides. The Elitch Theatre hosted productions from 1891 to 1991 and launched the careers of performers including Douglas Fairbanks. The current park sits on the edge of the South Platte River corridor and contains the Twister II wooden roller coaster, moved from the original site, and water attractions. The Highlands neighborhood where the original park stood has been substantially gentrified since the park relocated.
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Denver International Airport and Public Art
Denver International Airport, opened in 1995 on 54 square miles of prairie 25 miles northeast of downtown, is the fifth busiest airport in the United States and contains one of the most controversial public art programs of any airport in the world. Blucifer, the 32-foot blue mustang sculpture by Luis Jimenez at the airport entrance, has eyes that glow red and killed the artist in 2006 when a section of the sculpture fell and severed an artery. The Great Hall contains two large murals by Leo Tanguma depicting environmental destruction and recovery alongside the liberation of humanity, which generated significant controversy at the airport opening. The airport roof of Teflon-coated fiberglass tents was designed to echo the Rocky Mountain snowpack visible from the terminal. The airport handles over 69 million passengers annually.
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Platte River Greenway and Urban Trails
The South Platte River Greenway, a 30-mile multi-use trail running through metropolitan Denver along the South Platte River, is the backbone of the Denver urban trail network that connects to over 850 miles of regional trails. The greenway was initiated in the 1970s as an environmental restoration project after the river had been treated as an industrial drainage channel for most of the 20th century. Confluence Park, where Cherry Creek meets the South Platte in the heart of the city, was the site of Denver founding in 1858 and is now a kayak wave park and gathering place. The REI flagship store overlooks the park from a 1901 tramway powerhouse building. The trail system connects Denver neighborhoods to regional open space parks including Chatfield State Park and Bear Creek Lake Park on the southwestern edge of the metropolitan area.
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Colorado Cannabis Industry
Colorado became the first US state to legalize recreational cannabis for adult use in 2012 and opened the first retail dispensaries in the world on January 1, 2014. Denver has the highest concentration of licensed cannabis dispensaries of any city in the world. The industry generated over 423 million dollars in state tax revenue in 2022, funding school construction and public health programs. Cannabis tourism has become a significant economic category for Denver, with tours, consumption lounges, and growing-facility visits attracting visitors specifically interested in the legal industry. The transition from criminal prohibition to regulated retail has not been uniformly smooth, with ongoing debates about equity, home delivery, public consumption rules, and the relationship between legal dispensaries and remaining illicit market activity. Several other states have adopted versions of the Colorado regulatory model.