Heading to the Mile High City and looking for entertainment that won’t break the bank? I know of several cheap and free things to do in Denver and the surround area!
The Denver Mint
What trip would be complete without at least one educational activity? Taking a tour of the Denver Mint is absolutely free but tickets are first come first serve. Tours are Monday through Thursday with the first tour at 8 a.m. The ticket office opens at 7 a.m. and you can choose your tour time if space is available. Expect tickets to go quickly during peak travel season.
We learned so many interesting facts on this 45 minute tour. For instance did you know 20% of the nation’s gold is stored under the building? It equates to $80 billion! Interestingly the Denver Mint only makes coins, some of which cost more to make than they are worth. You get a penny and penny blank to take home too! The gift shop is a cool place to browse as well with coin sets and special coin releases for purchase.
Free Denver Walking Tour
I’m a HUGE fan of free walking tours. I like to do one towards the beginning of our trip because it is a great way to get your bearings and earmark places to come back and visit later. Often the tour guide will drop a little extra local knowledge and point you to their favorite watering holes and restaurants. This is valuable information you can’t always find by scouring the internet.
Free walking tours are available in most major cities and capitals. Just do a google search for the city you plan to visit + “free walking tour.” Some free tours do charge a nominal administrative fee to book a spot on the tour. At the end you tip what you feel the tour was worth. I tend to aim for $10/hr but how much you tip is up to you.
We used Denver Free Walking Tours. Reservations are required with a $2.00 booking fee per guest. Tours start at the Colorado state capitol at 10 a.m. In the off season tours are offered only on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday but in the warmer months tours are daily. Our guide was Julia and we really enjoyed listening to her stories on the sordid history of Denver. She is passionate about Denver and it shows. The tour was about 2.5 hours long with 1.7 miles of walking including a bathroom break.
Dinosaur Ridge
Located 20 minutes outside of Denver, Dinosaur Ridge is home to 250 dinosaur tracks and the site of the world’s first Stegosaurus discovery. They have a museum on site and offer bus and walking tours for a fee. However you can park at the East gate and walk the paved trail for free. It’s 3.7 miles out and back but you can turn around and go back at any point (we did). It’s mapped on All Trails. In addition to spotting some prehistoric footprints, you will be treated to some pretty spectacular views.
Red Rocks Park & Amphitheater
Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater is located less than 30 minutes from Denver. There are actually several free things to see and do here. Since opening in 1941, Red Rocks has hosted many world famous musicians including the Beatles, Stevie Nicks, BB King, and Willie Nelson. Start your tour at the Trading Post. This gift shop doubles as a rock memorabilia museum. Be sure to check out the awesome views from the back deck.
We love to hike and there are several trails in Red Rocks of various lengths and skill levels. We opted to do the short and sweet 1.5 mile Red Rock Trading Post Trail. There were a few challenging stairs and plenty of great views to keep the hike interesting.
Afterwards we headed over to the Red Rock Amphitheater. Be warned there are a lot of stairs. However, this amphitheater among the rocks is pretty unique and worth a look. Also be sure to stop at the visitor center which houses special exhibits and the Hall of Fame. Unfortunately it was under construction during our visit.
Colorado State Capitol
Capitol buildings can actually be pretty fascinating. They are full of interesting art, murals, and portraits as well as architecture unique to the period the building was built. For instance this is the only place you can see Beulah Rose Onyx. They actually exhausted the entire supply while building the capitol and it has never been discovered anywhere else in the world.
The Colorado Capitol is open to the public and offers free 1 hour guided tours at 10 a.m., 11a.m. 12 p.m., and 1 p.m. Tours are limited to 20 people but we only had 3 on our tour! Most importantly if you want a view from the balcony surrounding the golden dome, you can only do so on a tour.
Beer Crawl Through the RiNo Arts District
So beer isn’t free nor is it cheap, but craft beer is a Colorado tradition. There are over 150 breweries in Denver. A reasonably affordable way to have a taste is to order flights and share. Coincidentally this method can prevent you from getting inebriated too quickly, at which point you might as well be drinking a can of Pabst.
RiNo stands for River North. Its a trendy area full of restaurants, music venues, food trucks, and art galleries. There is also a density of breweries in the RiNo area, over 20 in fact. Which means you can Uber to and from your hotel and walk. Safety first. It is approximately 1.5 miles from where the breweries start to where they end. Did I mention it’s an arts district? There are a multitude of murals to see here, certainly making your walk-about more entertaining.
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
Rocky Mountain Arsenal is a 15k acre wildlife refuge. The plains were previously home to large herds of buffalo and the former hunting grounds for the Apache, Ute, and Comanche. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, this area was used for chemical weapon manufacturing.
In the 1980s extensive environmental cleanup began and shortly thereafter a roost of bald eagles were discovered prompting Congress to designate the site as a national wildlife refuge in 1992. Cleanup was completed in 2010 but restoration efforts continue and including efforts to replant native grasses and grow endangered animal populations. 16 bison were moved here in 2007 and the herd has grown to more than 180! Its also home to the endangered black-footed ferret. There are over 350 animal species that call Rocky Mountain arsenal home including over 500 mule deer.
Stop at the visitor center for a map and a quick walk through a nicely done display on the history, present, and future of the refuge. Also grab the QR code for the audio tour for the 11 mile wildlife drive. This drive takes 45 minutes to an hour where you are sure to see buffalo. We lucked out and had several grazing near the side of the road. There are several nice short trails that take you around the lakes with plenty of opportunities to see animals in their natural habitat. We watched 2 dozen deer cross the path in front of us. The cost for this special experience? Free.
Larimar Square, Dairy Block, & Union Station
These are often listed as must see stops in Denver. There is a variety of shops, restaurants, bars, breweries, and even pop up farmer’s markets. Larimar square in particular has many vintage stores if that interests you. While worth a look, we didn’t spend a ton of time in these places. These trendy areas are free to visit but have a high likelihood of separating you from your money.
