Last updated on January 8th, 2024 at 10:08 am
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Are you looking for the best winter activities in Denver? Denver is such an amazing city, with plenty of things to do year-round, but Denver in the winter is something special. I am constantly reminded how much I love living in Denver, even when the temperatures start to drop. If you are into skiing or snowboarding, winter in Colorado needs to be on your bucket list, but there are plenty of other things to do in Denver in the winter even if you aren’t hitting the slopes! Check out these winter activities in and around Denver that you don’t want to miss.
Here are some of the best winter activities in Denver for locals and visitors:
Ice skate
The ice rink in Belmar is always fun and open from mid-November to the end of January. Spend some time exploring the cute shops and restaurants near Belmar and then head to the rink. It is $10 for an adult entry and ice skates.
The Downtown Denver rink at Skyline Park is also a good option ($11 for skates and free to skate!) right in the heart of downtown. It’s open from late November through mid-February.
Last but not least, Evergreen Lake has ice skating from December to March, depending on the weather, costing $20 for admission and skate rental. Evergreen is an easy mountain getaway that takes about thirty minutes to reach from Denver.
Visit a Denver Coffee shop
It can get pretty cold in Denver in the winter, but luckily there are plenty of great coffee shops to warm you up! Here are my favorites for sipping a great cup of coffee.
Convergence Station Meow Wolf
Have you been to a Meow Wolf exhibit yet? Meow Wolf is somewhat new to Denver, but it is a great indoor activity to do in Denver during the winter for the whole family. Meow Wolf originated in 2008 in New Mexico with a collaboration of Santa Fe artists who have since created several immersive art experiences. The permanent Meow Wolf exhibit in Denver, Convergence Station, opened in 2021. It is an immersive and audience-driven exhibit, but words can’t quite explain it. You will have to experience it for yourself. General admission tickets start at $45, or $35 for Colorado Residents.
Denver Art Museum
Another great way to spend winter in Denver is to visit the Denver Art Museum. It’s a great way to get out of the cold for a little bit and absorb some culture. The Denver Art Museum has many interesting exhibitions you should experience.
Little Man Ice Cream
Catch the short line at Little Man Ice Cream. I know what you’re thinking… it’s winter, why would I want ice cream? Well, Little Man is by far the best ice cream I have ever had (except maybe Berthillion ice cream in Paris) and you are lucky to find it without a line, even in the winter. So while you’re in town, you must check it out, winter, spring, summer, or fall, or you aren’t doing Denver right. This is Luke, our friends, David and Josh, and I visiting Little Man in zero-degree weather (see, no line!).
Visit a Denver Restaurant
Denver Restaurant Week! This is one of my favorite events that happen annually in Denver when restaurants offer multi-course menus at discounted prices. Usually, Denver Restaurant Week occurs near the end of February. In 2024 Denver Restaurant Week will be from March 1st through 10th. Make sure you make reservations ahead of time because the popular spots fill up quickly.
Not in town during this time? That’s okay! You can still check out some of the best restaurants with this list.
Visit a Food Hall
Food Markets are popping up everywhere around Denver. These markets are a great way to sample food or drinks from a variety of places and often they have cute shops too.
Shop around at The Source, an awesome, modern food market that has several different vendors including a butcher, bakery, coffee, florist, restaurants, craft cocktails, and a brewery. A foodie such as myself can get lost in here.
Another one of my favorites is Denver Central Market in RiNo. There are a ton of great options for food, including some delicious pizza from Vero Italian.
Some others to check out are Milk Market on the Dairy Block and Broadway Market.
National Western Stock Show
Every January the National Western Stock Show comes to the National Western Complex in Denver for a livestock, rodeo, and horse show. The event, which was established in 1906, lasts 16 days and is an attraction that shouldn’t be missed if you want to get a taste of the Western lifestyle. For details, check here. The 2024 Western Stock Show will be from January 6th to 21st.
Visit a Speakeasy Bar
Denver has plenty of prohibition-style bars and speakeasies that whip up creative cocktails. There is nothing like warming up in a cozy, dark bar and enjoying an expertly crafted cocktail. Check out my list of favorites here.
Play Games while Drinking
Play some arcade games, eat yummy food, and drink some great cocktails at Punch Bowl Social. They also have pool, shuffleboard, and bowling! It’s like a playground for adults. Afterward, grab an ice cream at Sweet Action, my second favorite ice cream in Denver!
For a similar experience, head to The 1up another arcade-themed bar. 1up is more of a dive bar than Punch Bowl Social and only has the arcade games, but it is located right in the middle of Denver, so you could easily hit other bars or restaurants from there.
Enjoy the Christmas Festivities
If you are in town around the holidays, check out some of the Christmas lights! I usually try to visit the Denver Zoo Lights every year during Christmastime, but there are plenty of light displays for the holidays in Denver. Every year the Denver City and Country and Union Station buildings are lit up with colorful holiday lights. Check out other ways to celebrate the holidays in Denver.
Read More: How to visit NYC at Christmas
Brunch in Denver
Grab brunch at one of the awesome restaurants. My favorite is Lucile’s Creole Café (order a biscuit and beignets… and maybe a chai latte). If you are more into sweet breakfast, however, Snooze offers a great selection of French toast and pancakes (as well as other stuff). Both have multiple locations in the Denver area. I have also been digging the brunch at Bar Dough. Breakfast pizza? Yes, please!
Larimer Square
Visit Larimer Square for some good food, drinks, and shopping. Larimer Square between 14th and 15th Streets was the city’s first block and it continues to be an important part of Denver to this day. Some of my favorite haunts on Larimer Square are Tamayo, a great modern Mexican restaurant, Osteria Marco, for heavenly Italian food, and Rioja, one of the best Spanish restaurants in Denver. This is also home to Comedy Works Downtown Denver, another great thing to do in Denver in the winter.
Mercury Cafe
Head to the Mercury Café to get some food and drink while listening to different bands and musicians, slam poetry, or take a dance class! They do everything here. There are multiple rooms at the Mercury, so they often have a few things going at once.
Read More: Plan a trip to Estes Park for the perfect winter getaway
Take a Day Trip
Take a day trip to the mountains. Idaho Springs is only half an hour from Denver but is a mountain town with a very different feel than the city. You can also take a dip in the hot springs!
Black Hawk and Central City are also less than an hour away. These are mountain towns that locals frequent for casinos, a fun experience in itself, or you can check out these things to do in Black Hawk.
Ski or Snowboard
Loveland Ski Area is closest to Denver and one of the cheaper ski resorts, but there are plenty of other ski areas not much farther. It would be a shame to visit Denver and miss out on the mountain culture that is so prevalent.
Other Winter Activities Near Denver
Not into downhill skiing or snowboarding? There are other winter activities, such as snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, available to you near Denver. Echo Lake Park near Mount Evans or Rocky Mountain National Park are good place for beginners to snowshoe or cross-country ski. Berthoud Pass in Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest also have many good options.
There are also places in Colorado where you can dog sled. Read about my experience dog sledding in Salida, CO.
Visit Boulder or Golden
Spend a day in one of the cities outside of Denver. Golden and Boulder are both within 30 minutes of Denver and worth the trip. Golden has the feel of a mountain town with roots in mining with cute little shops and restaurants. Boulder is trendy and laidback with many great restaurants, bars, and shops. Both have a very walkable downtown area with boutique shops and local restaurants.
I love Denver, any time of the year! There is so much to do here, even in the winter.
Tips for Exploring Denver in the Winter
Dressing for the Cold
Winter in Denver can be cold and sometimes snowy, but with these essentials, you can look stylish and stay warm at the same time. If you plan to be outside doing winter activities such as skiing or snowshoeing, wear a pair of these fleece leggings
If it is really cold or you plan to be out for a long time, make sure you have a base layer top with Merino wool too. Merino wool is the best for keeping you comfortably warm. Good gloves are, of course, really important too. Colorado still gets plenty of sun in the winter too, so make sure you dress in layers so you don’t overheat.
Finally, for exploring Denver, this coat
Transportation in Denver in the Winter
If you don’t plan to leave the city, you might be able to get around Denver without a car. Denver has public transportation, RTD, that includes buses and a light rail system. It is not the most extensive and most people in Denver are very reliant on their vehicles.
Ride-sharing apps such as Uber and Lyft work well in Denver, although they tend to be expensive.
If you can escape Denver and explore other parts of Colorado, you absolutely should. For this, you need to rent a car. Road conditions in Colorado can be icy and snowy in the winter. Make sure that you are confident driving in these conditions. Be particularly careful if you are driving on I-70, which goes up to many of the ski resorts, because there is a lot of traffic in that area and people often drive fast. If you are traveling on I-70 on the weekends, be prepared for lots of traffic. Some of the mountain roads and highways can be curvy or steep, so make sure you have good tires and brakes.
Denver in the Winter
There are plenty of activities in Denver for both locals and visitors to stay busy this winter. The charm of Denver in the winter is something that has to be experienced firsthand. What are your favorite things to do in Denver during the winter? What winter activity are you most excited to try?
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Would love to go skiing or snowboarding in Denver. Have only ever been snowboarding once and that was in Slovenia. Loved it so plant on doing it again soon.
I hope you get to!
When a destination has Ice Rinks, Ice Cream parlours and Great Coffee, I know it is going to be a great family outing 🙂 Thanks for listing out such awesome activities to do in Denver!
That sounds like the perfect family outing! You’re welcome!
I’ve skating here sounds fun! And very inexpensive. Perfect winter holiday! And I’m sure the spring and summer are lovely here too!
They are lovely! My favorite time is autumn though!
I love Denver! I’ve only been there in the summer and totally fell over heels with the place. Would totally want to come back in the wintertime. Great list of things to do!
The summer is great too and long as it’s not too hot!
All the activities listed here sound perfect for winter. I did not know what VISIT A SPEAKEASY was and had to google it. Do you not get mulled wine like in europe during winters?
Not nearly as much, you can find it some places though!
Denver looks like a cool place to visit. I have not well explored the US yet since I have only been to NYC and Boston but would love to explore more and visit places like Denver. I’ll park this for later.
You should, it’s very different from NYC and Boston!
That Little Man Ice cream place look so cute! I would definitely go there even if it’s freezing outside. I haven’t been ice skating in years and that sounds pretty fun. O! And the Speakeasy looks like a great spot too.
Yes, they’re all fun!
Denver Restaurant Week sounds like the perfect time to visit, especially for a foodie like me. I’ve been meaning to make a trip out to visit the Stanley Hotel even though that’s a little outside of Denver. But it looks like I’ll need to reserve some serious time for Denver to visit the coffee shops and speakeasys also!
Denver Restaurant Week is a great time to visit! Hope you’re able to!
Spending winters in Denver seems like a fun idea. I would love to go ice skating, snowshoeing and skiing. I loved how beautifully the streets of Larimer Square are lit up. It makes the place more lively. Also a day trip to Idaho Springs would be incredible.
It is fun!
I would love to explore Denver with my family, I have heard so much about it
I hope that you get to!