Small Group Red Rocks Park Golden Town Tour from Denver

Today we will first visit the Denver city. We will go to the Big Blue Bear. Proceed to 16st Street Mall, home to some of Denver’s most historical buildings. Visit the Colorado State Capitol Building, Denver Art Museum and Union Station. Then we will head to the Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, which is located in Rocky Mountains overlooking Greater Denver Area next. Following, go to the Golden Town and visit the Colorado School of Mines and Coors Brewery. Finally, return to Denver.

Itinerary:

Denver → Big Blue Bear (15 mins) → The 16th St Mall, Denver (30 mins) → Colorado State Capitol Building (Outside Visit, 40 mins) → Denver Art Museum (Outside Visit, 15 mins) → Denver Union Station (Inside Visit, 30 mins) → Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre (2 hours) → Golden Town: Colorado School of Mines (Outside Visit, 25 mins), Town sightseeing (car tour, 30 mins), Coors Brewery (Outside Visit, 20 mins) → Denver

Big Blue Bear
The bear's gesture and size evokes a dialogue between viewer and the viewed. The sculpture is titled, "I See What You Mean." The title itself generates a dialogue between the bear and viewer, placing both in conversation about what they are visually witnessing and sensing. It is a clever site-specific bridge between Colorado's fauna and new digital technology. The final bear is made up of about 4000 triangles on the surface. The scale of the bear was propositional to the massive size of the Convention Center. The final blue color of the bear was a happy accident. When creating the first small prototype with a 3D printer, the ABS plastic that created the 3D print just happened to be a bright blue in color. Both Lawrence and Anne quite liked the result as blue also represents the Colorado sky. They agreed that the surface color of the final bear would be lapis lazuli in color. This is a rare powerful stone found in few places in the world, one being Colorado.

The 16th St Mall
The 16th Street Mall is located in the heart of downtown Denver, Colorado. Designed by famed architect I.M. Pei, the pedestrian promenade is made of red, white and gray granite in a repeating pattern that, seen from above, resembles the skin of a diamondback rattlesnake. The mall offers 42 outdoor cafés along the mall, making it the perfect place to grab a bite to eat or have a drink. Points of interest along the mall include the D&F Tower, a two-thirds replica of the Campanile of St. Mark's in Venice that was the highest building west of the Mississippi when it was built in 1909.

Colorado State Capitol Building (Outside Visit, 40 mins)
Dotted with stately old mansions, Capitol Hill is a residential district with a bohemian vibe. Popular attractions include the Molly Brown House Museum, a Victorian home decorated with period art and furnishings, and the gold-domed Colorado State Capitol. Capitol Hill is one of the most cosmopolitan neighborhoods in Denver, well known as a haven for artists and bohemians.

Denver Art Museum (Outside Visit, 15 mins)
Founded in 1893 as the Denver Artists' Club, the Denver Art Museum today is one of the largest art museums between Chicago and the West Coast. The museum’s global art collections represent cultures around the world, with more than 70,000 works of art in 12 collections, including African art, architecture and design, art of the ancient Americas, Asian art, European and American art before 1900, Latin American art, Oceanic art, modern and contemporary art, photography, textile art and fashion, Indigenous arts of North America, and western American art. The museum’s global collections also reflect work by artists from Denver and the Rocky Mountain region—and provide invaluable ways for the community to learn about the world.

Denver Union Station
A historic landmark in the heart of the Mile High City for more than a century, Denver Union Station is a vibrant destination for gathering, dining, imbibing, shopping, traveling, and sleeping in luxury at The Crawford Hotel. First opened in 1881, rebuilt in 1914, and revitalized 100 years later in 2014, the Station is at once a preserved monument to the city’s past, a celebrated placemaker of today, and a visionary beacon for Denver’s future.

Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre
At 6,450 feet above sea level, Red Rocks Park is a unique transitional zone where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains. The diverse environment allows visitors to see plants, birds and animals of both regions. Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a geological phenomenon – the only naturally-occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheater in the world. From Sting and The Beatles to opera stars and U2, every artist aspires to play on this magical, spiritual and emotional stage.

Golden Town: Colorado School of Mines (Outside Visit, 25 mins), Town sightseeing (car tour, 30 mins), Coors Brewery (Outside Visit, 20 mins)

Golden Town
Founded in 1859 and the territorial capital of Colorado from 1862 until 1867, Golden is an idyllic former gold-rush town that is completely surrounded by high points — to the east are two high volcanic mesas (North and South Table Mountains).