The curious-minded and comfortably shod can learn lots about Denver’s people and places without even paying cab fare. There are plenty of places in and around downtown to take an informative tour and gain insights on what makes the Mile High City hum. Tie those tennies and head out on foot:
The Brown Palace Hotel (321 17th St.; 303-297-3111) offers some of Denver’s most luxurious accommodations, but they also do free historical tours. And they’re not just for guests. Anyone can pop in and learn a little something about the 116-year-old beauty.
Starting in September, the free tours will begin at 1 p.m. on the first three Saturdays of each month. Led by a hotel historian, the tours cover a bit about the Palace’s founder, Henry Cordes Brown, and touch on the Palace’s prominent place in Denver history.
Architecture fans will especially enjoy discussions of the unique materials used to build and decorate the hotel, and the many changes it’s undergone over the decades.
Meet the tour in the sitting area outside the Ship Tavern.
Coloradans are famous for their many active endeavors. Few activities are as popular, however, as hoisting a beer from one of the state’s many hometown breweries. Two downtown breweries will show you around their operations, too, before you partake of their refreshments.
The Wynkoop Brewing Co. (1634 18th St.; 303-297-2700) offers free tours from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, led by one of the house’s own brewers. The facility is relatively small, so it’s a short tour, but it’s in-depth and intimate — the knowledgeable brewers will stick around to answer questions from the assembled hops-heads. Call ahead to make sure there’s a brewer on tour duty.
About 10 blocks away, Great Divide Brewing Co. (2201 Arapahoe St.; 303-296-9460) concocts some of Denver’s more popular craft brews. Stop in for a free tour at 3 or 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Saturdays, tours run between 2 and 7 p.m., starting on the hour. Each tour includes four free tastings of Great Divide’s gourmet suds. Meet up in the brewery’s Tap Room.
Free historical tours of the Colorado State Capitol (200 E. Colfax Ave.) start every 30 minutes from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Fully completed 100 years ago after decades of work, the gold-domed structure houses Colorado’s Senate and House of Representatives, along with the offices of the governor and other state officials.
The 45-minute tours cover some Colorado history, the tale of the Capitol’s construction and a stop outside the legislative chambers. Art buffs will enjoy the stained-glass windows, the “Women’s Gold tapestry and the Gallery of Presidents, a collection of oil portraits donated by a Colorado couple.
Note, however, that a trip to the dome isn’t included on the general historical tour. Instead, dome tours, which run 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, require a reservation. Call 303-866-3834 to make a reservation for a free dome tour. Just be sure you’re ready to hike up the 99 steps to the top.
Take a peek behind the scenes at Coors Field (20th and Blake streets), home of the Colorado Rockies, the 2007 National League champions. The Rox reign is coming to a close, alas, but the stadium tour is still a winner.
The tours vary, depending on the team’s schedule, but they usually include a visit to the Rockies dugout and a spin through the press, club and suite levels.
Tours start at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. on nongame days. Tickets are $7 for adults, $6 for seniors age 55 and older, and $5 for kids age 12 and younger.
Guide yourself through Denver’s notable neighborhoods with a downloadable audio tour. Visit and choose MP3s for a Capitol Hill/Civic Center tour or a tour of historic LoDo. You can also buy a package deal with both, or buy individual stops for the LoDo tour. Each neighborhood tour is $14.95, or $23.95 for both. Individual stops are 79 cents each.
Don’t have an MP3 player? You can use your cellphone, too, or buy a CD. They’ll even rent you an MP3 player and deliver it to your hotel, if you like.
