One Day in Golden, CO: Our Favorite Spots
Hi, travelers!
When traveling to Colorado, we chose to stay in the city of Golden which sits 12 to 15 miles away from Denver proper. We were glad we did, since the town was super cute, there were fabulous views of the mountains, and there was so much to see. If you are ever in Golden for a day or two, these are our recommendations for what to do, where to eat, and places to visit.
PLACES OF INTEREST
Coors Brewery
One of our first stops in Golden was the Coors Brewery located only a few blocks from Downtown Golden. When you first arrive at the facility, you are instructed to park in a lot and take a shuttle bus over to the main site. Once you enter the building, you are asked to present your ticket for a tour. When we went, we made a beeline to the gift shop to get souvenirs!
It is important to note that tours for the brewery book up fast. The tickets are released 25 days in advance, so if you know that this is something your group wants to do, set a reminder for yourself to be ready to secure your spot. Click here to see tour options and availability.
Lookout Mountain
While on the Coors shuttle, they mentioned for us to drive up Golden’s iconic Lookout Mountain which is Golden’s largest peak at 7,300 ft elevation. We just had to take their suggestion and make the trek up to the mountain that towers over the city. After winding, twisting roads up the mountain, we stopped at a scenic overlook to take some photos. This is a must-stop location to take in the beauty of Colorado and capture the moment with stunning views in the background. We highly recommend taking the trip up there!
Buffalo Bill’s Museum and Burial Site
Located atop Lookout Mountain is the Buffalo Bill Museum and Burial Site. A short walk from the scenic overlook is the actual resting place of Buffalo Bill Cody, famous soldier and showman from the 1800s. He chose specifically to be buried on Lookout Mountain because of the fond memories he had there, the magnificent scenery, and his connection to the West. The graves of William and Louisa Cody are made of small stones and have American flags surrounding them. To learn more about the history of Buffalo Bill and see the hours of the museum, click here.
SHOPPING
If you want an eclectic shopping experience, make sure to stop at Golden Curiosity Shop. Once you walk in, you feel as if you’ve entered a mini museum! There are skeletons to observe, art from local artists, and all sorts of quirky gifts to give your loved ones, including things like earrings shaped like Dungeons and Dragons dice and books on cadavers. It was one of our favorite stops as we walked around Golden, and spent a good chunk of time there simply looking around at all the oddities.
Ryan’s brother, who was with us on the trip, had a sunglasses mishap and needed to buy new ones. We stopped into Vital Outdoors, a locally owned store selling outdoor wear and gear. Huge and well-stocked with popular outdoor brands like Sorel and North Face, it has everything from footwear and backpacks, to clothing and water bottles.
RESTAURANTS
The Golden Mill
The Golden Mill ended up being one of our most favorite spots in Golden. Set up like a food hall, you receive a Golden Mill card that’s connected to your personal card once you check in. That card opens up a world of possibility, as it allows you to sample from their walls of self-serve taps of beers, ciders, and seltzers. As you pour, it will charge you by the ounce. We loved sampling different types of beers and ciders, and grabbed a seat up top where they had an outdoor patio. We highly recommend this unique dining experience!
Golden Diner
If you’re looking for that classic, hometown diner feel, the Golden Diner should be your pick. They have a wide variety of breakfast and lunch options, offer adult breakfast beverages like mimosas and bloody marys, and have unique flavors on their menu. We were pleased with our breakfast before heading to the airport, and the service was quick and accommodating. We highly recommend this if you want to feel like a Golden local!
Atomic Cowboy
This was on many lists when we were researching where to eat in prep for our trip, and now we know why. At Atomic Cowboy, they’re known for their massive homemade biscuits that build their breakfast sandwiches! When we went, we each got a breakfast sandwich, some hashbrowns, and split their cinnamon roll flavor of the day, lemon blueberry. Everything was delicious, and the atmosphere in the restaurant was super cool. If you want to start your day with something very filling and want to check out a famous Golden dining spot, we’d recommend going here.
Bonfire Burritos
Outside of the main drag through Golden and tucked into a neighborhood is Bonfire Burritos, a funky and colorful food trailer that offers burritos and tacos made from scratch. It’s become a little tradition the past couple of years that we’ve traveled together that we find a good spot for breakfast burritos at least once, and Bonfire Burritos did not disappoint! Their menu is mostly made up of Southwest flavors, with many burritos, bowls, and tacos having ingredients like peppers, pico de gallo, crema, and chorizo. We loved the laidback vibe there, the staff was friendly, and the food was delicious.
If you want to read more food content from our trip to Colorado, we talk about our top five favorite spots on the trip here. (You might see some of these restaurants there!)
VERDICT
We loved exploring and staying in Golden, Colorado. We think that this charming town should be on everyone’s radar when looking at a trip to Denver, or Colorado at large. There’s so much more to offer that we did not even do like hiking, biking, and even tubing in Clear Creek!
Golden encapsulates the small town energy not only from its looks, but from every interaction we had. Everyone in Golden was so welcoming, kind, and helpful. From amazing restaurants, eccentric shopping locations, caring locals, and some really good views, we loved every moment we spent in Golden.
We hope you enjoyed our recommendations! If you want to read more about our travels to Colorado, check out the West section under the “U.S. Travel” tab of our blog for more content!
Happy travels,