DENVER - ATTRACTIONS

As mentioned, Denver is an outdoor city. But if the weather takes a turn for the worse, it is good to know that there are a few neat things to see that will help while away the hours. These are some of our recommendations.

1. State Capitol - Located right on Colfax Street, this is one of America's more picturesque government buildings. The best part is that you can take the stairs to the top of the dome and enjoy a great view in all directions. An interesting note is that the interior pillar facings are made of Colorado onyx, the only building in the world with this claim, as no more has been found since the building was completed. This building is probably the only must-see attraction in the city (other than Coors Field of course).

Civic Center from the Capitol

Located just across from the Capitol is the Civic Center, a very interesting collection of buildings that resemble Italian piazzi. There is nothing to see inside the buildings, but the parks out front are a good place to relax before continuing onward to downtown. 

2. Colorado History Museum - This is a good museum for history buffs - there is a lot of detail in the exhibits, and good variety between them. Although it is only one floor, a serious visitor can easily spend a couple of hours learning about the history of the state as well as some facts about Denver. 

3. Denver Art Museum - The DAM is a pretty good art museum, 7 floors that could easily take a few hours to explore. I enjoyed the audio tour on the 6th floor, which was free. There was an excellent collection of Asian art as well. If you enjoy art, you should enjoy this well-designed museum.

A couple of other things that might interest you are the Denver Mint (we couldn't visit it as it was closed for it's annual summer holiday when we visited) and Colorado's Ocean Journey, a very large, but expensive, aquarium.