University of Denver Parent Guide
Welcome to Denver, the Mile High City!
Located on high, rolling plains at the base of the spectacular Colorado Rocky Mountains, Denver is one of America’s youngest cities – and one of the fastest growing. In the 1990s, the metro area grew by more than a thousand people a week, climbing to a population of nearly 3 million.
Denver receives 300 days of sunshine a year, more annual hours of sun than San Diego or Miami Beach. The mountains are just a short drive away, offering incredible adventures like white water rafting, narrow gauge steam locomotives, fly fishing, hiking, horseback riding, gambling in Old West mountain mining towns, quaint Victorian villages, luxurious five star resorts and camping in more than a dozen national parks, monuments and forests.
Today, Denver is the entertainment, shopping, cultural and sports capital of the vast Rocky Mountain West. The heart of the city is the 16th Street Mall, a mile long pedestrian promenade lined with 28 outdoor cafes and 50,000 flowers. Free shuttle buses stop on every corner making everything in downtown easy to reach.
The Brookings Institute selected Denver as the fourth “most walkable” city in America, and it’s easy to see why. The southern end of the Mall is Denver’s cultural center with the Colorado State Capitol, Colorado History Museum, Denver Public Library, Denver Art Museum and U.S. Mint all nestled around lovely Civic Center Park.
At the northern end of the Mall is LoDo, Denver’s hip historic district where 26 square blocks of Victorian brick buildings have been converted into restaurants, brewpubs, music clubs and rooftop cafes. Nearby are Coors Field, home to the Colorado Rockies, and the Pepsi Center, the 20,000-seat arena for the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche.
Along the South Platte River is the Downtown Aquarium with its collection of sharks and tigers and Elitch Gardens, a combination theme park and water park with more than 40 thrill rides. A trolley runs along the river to nearby INVESCO Field at Mile High, the home of the Denver Broncos.
Denver has the largest city park system in the nation with 200 parks in the city and 850 miles of paved, off-road bike paths. The city’s famed mountain park system includes Red Rocks Amphitheatre, a 9,000-seat arena carved out of sandstone, has hosted everyone from the Beatles to Bruce Springsteen, and Buffalo Bill Grave, located high on top of Lookout Mountain.
The city also one of most popular zoos in the nation, the incredible Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the Denver Performing Arts Complex – the second largest arts center in America with 10 venues seating 10,000 people.
For more information, please visit our Visitor Information Center on 16th Street and California which has hundreds of free brochures and maps, or visit our Web site.
Richard Scharf
President & CEO, VISIT DENVER
