Denver provides a variety of special events over the summer to provide activities for the many tourists who visit the area. While it might not rival the beer gardens that we saw in Germany, the Skyline Beer Garden on the 16th Street Mall was definitely a lot of fun. There were games for kids of all ages as well as live music. We sat for a while and listened to the music and watched as families took advantage of the various games.
Miniature Golf and Other GamesCrowd Enjoying MusicJazz MusiciansUnderneath the Clock Tower
There was a miniature golf course, ping pong, cornhole (bing-bag toss), and foosball, all of which was completely free. There is live music on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons and we enjoyed hearing a wonderful jazz band while we were there. Needless to say, there was a selection of beers available for purchase as well as a food truck with a variety of options to satisfy your hunger.
Playing CornholeBeer VarietiesFlowers in the ParkFood Truck
We stumbled upon the beer garden quite accidentally, but we were certainly pleasantly surprised. The beer garden runs from June 9th through October 7, weather permitting. The event focusses on Colorado craft beers and there are 12 varieties available. We decided to have a wheat beer, which was as close to a heffeweizen that we might have had during our stay in Germany. If you are in Denver over the summer, stopping by the Skyline Beer Garden and enjoying some games and refreshing beer would be a wonderful way to spend some time.
Bright objects can definitely draw your attention, especially when looking through the lens of a camera. For this week’s photo challenge, shine, we decided to use a photo that might seem a little whimsical. These pictures were taken from our hotel room in Denver during one of our visits. It is a photo of the large blue bear looking into the windows of the convention center. He seems to be the one drawn to the shining lights inside of the convention center as well as to the activities going on inside. It was dusk when we took the photo, so the lights from inside the building were lighting up his silhouette.
Whether on the 16th Street Mall or in the LODO (Lower Downtown) area, there are plenty of restaurants to choose from. We’ve said this before, but we are not big eaters. We do, however, like to try a variety of food so we tend to have small bites in several places spread out throughout the day. It was no different during our visit to Denver over the weekend. We ended up eating at five different restaurants before our weekend was over and each offered the opportunity to have something a little different.
Jax Fish HouseHenry’s TavernPeel and Eat Shrimp
When we arrived in Denver, it was time for lunch, so we walked down to Henry’s Tavern to grab a bite to eat. Because we like good service and we don’t always like to take up a table on a server when we know that we’re going to share a meal, we usually will sit at the bar for a meal, even if we’re not having any alcohol. Since we weren’t going to do any driving while in Denver, we opted for a glass of wine with our lunch. One of the interesting things about their bar was that there was a frozen strip around the bar where you can put your beer and it will stay ice cold no matter how hot it is outside. After perusing the menu, we weren’t sure what to have, so we asked the bartender for some advice. Based on her opinion, we ordered the bangers and mash, which was served with an incredibly rich onion gravy. It was delicious.
Bangers and MashIce Cold BeerRoasted Beets and Marinated Olives
Later in the afternoon, we went to one of our favorite places called The Kitchen. We ordered some roasted beets and marinated olives, but overall were disappointed with the changes that had been implemented since our previous visit. They had raised their prices and reduced the creativity of their offerings. Unfortunately, they have most likely lost our business. After walking around for a little bit, we went to Jax Fish House. We had been to another one of their restaurants in Fort Collins, so we knew that we were in for a treat. Oysters, peel-and-eat shrimp, seafood tater tots with salmon, and seafood sausage made for quite the meal. Although all small plates, we were quite full by the time we were done.
Raw OystersSeafood Tater Tots
Before leaving Denver the following day, we had time for one more restaurant and we chose one near our hotel called Stout Street Social. It was brunch time and they had some really interesting brunch choices, but we ended up selecting their cheddar biscuits and green chili. It featured a large, homemade cheddar biscuit, scrambled eggs, bacon, and green chili. Even though we were splitting it, there was still too much food for us to finish, but it was definitely a savory way to start our day.
Biscuits and Green ChiliSeafood Sausage
All in all, we had a wonderful time during our quick break in Denver and part of the reason was the delicious food that we tried. We try to go to new places as well as visit some of our favorites from past trips as well. Obviously we’re looking forward to the food when we get overseas, but for now we’ll enjoy opportunities to try some new places until we leave.
