Off to Golden, Colorado we go!
How in the world are we celebrating TWO years of marriage already?! Time sure does fly! I blinked and two years flew by; multiple countries visits, watching our friends get married, special time with family, and adopting our sweet pup.
The Red Rocks Amphitheater has been on our concert bucket list for a while now so when we saw that the Revivalists were playing at Red Rocks on our anniversary weekend, we jumped at the chance to buy a ticket. With a crazy fall agenda full of weddings, bachelorette parties, trips home and football – our trip was quick and packed-full of food, drinks, music and great company (!)
Below is our guide to 36-hours in and around Golden, Colorado. How to get there, where to stay, what to eat, where to drink and what to do below!
Logistics
Golden, Colorado is a quick ~45-minute drive from the Denver International Airport. There are so many beautiful places to drive and explore in and around Golden, Denver so we decided to rent a car. Luckily, we got a full-sized truck to cruise around and take in the mountain views.
From Golden, you are looking at roughly 25 minutes to downtown Denver, 1 hour to Colorado Springs, 30 minutes to Boulder and 20 minutes to Red Rocks Amphitheater.
Where to Stay
The Dove Inn – this boutique hotel is located right in downtown Golden. A unique mix between a bed & breakfast, boutique hotel, and an AirBnB. There is no formal check-in counter and you very well may never see any hotel employees throughout your stay. Don’t worry, the staff is always a quick text, email or call away and can be there for you quickly if you need it.
At check-in time, you will receive a code for your specific hotel room and voila, you are all set! Each room is unique and ours was no exception. Exposed brick walls, in-room subway tile showers, and an incredibly comfortable bed made for the perfect weekend getaway stay.
In the main downstair area, there is a community kitchen and living room. The mornings are filled with quiet and cozy corners of people enjoying their self-serve buffet breakfast, morning cup of complimentary, local coffee and kombucha on-draft.
Where to Eat & Drink
- Abejas: This is a must-visit for breakfast or brunch in downtown Golden. Try out one of their bloody marys, fresh and local french press coffee, special of the day (in our case a mexican chocolate breakfast pastry puff) and ANY of their yummy breakfast items. My personal favorite was the potato pancakes with an egg on top! Expect great service and a unique, quaint atmosphere.
- Breweries: See below list. We visited New Terrain Brewing and there were tons of food trucks on-site along with a great variety of beer for all types of beer drinkers.
- Woody’s: Located right downtown. Great pizza (dairy-free options) and an easy-going atmosphere with a variety of bar food as well. The buffalo cauliflower app was delicious!
- Tributary Food Hall: I always love a good city food hall. This one reminded me of a much smaller version of Krog Street Market in Atlanta. There is a little something here for everybody.
- Generous Coffee Shop: Coffee lovers out there who also enjoy giving back to the community; this place is a double-wammy. With every cup of coffee or other item purchased at the coffee shop, you are giving back to communities in need. Ben Higgins who was originally made ‘famous’ from the Bachelor has used his fame to create this amazing coffee company/culture. This is the first Generous coffee shop of it’s kind; beforehand it was purely an online shop.
- Kona Bowls: Acai bowls, chia seed and oatmeal bowls galore. Mouth watering combos that make for the perfect health-focused breakfast or lunch to kick off your day.
- Woodgrain Bagels: After a warm cup of coffee, treat yourself to an acai bowl and an amazing bagel breakfast sandwich to complete the perfect morning. All three spots located side-by-side. Try their Woodsman Breakfast sandwich or their Green Goddess Avocado Toast.
What to Do
- Hike: North Chimney Mountain, Chimney Gulch, Apex, Lookout Mountain Park, or the Clear Creek Trail (& many others)
- Visit Garden of the Gods: We were incredibly happy that we decided to make the one hour drive over to Garden of the Gods on our last day. The views were outstanding and the one mile hike through the red rocks is easy enough for all levels.
- Go to a show at Red Rocks Amphitheater: We planned our trip around this bucket-list concert venue and had a blast seeing one of our favorite bands, the Revivalists perform.
- DIY Brewery Tour: Golden City Brewery, Mountain Toad Brewing, Cannonball Creek, New Terrain Brewing Company, Coors Brewery Tour, Barrels & Bottles Brewery ( & many more)
For more outdoors inspired travel guides; check out my guide to Havasu Falls, Asheville and Maine!