Two of the Best Ways to Beat the Heat During Summer in Denver, CO
Hello, travelers!
If you are visiting Denver during the summer, like we did, it is very important to find activities to do indoors! During the week we visited, there were highs of 98 ℉, so it was pretty hot! Even though most of our activities in Denver were indoors, we still had a great time! These are two spots we’d immediately recommend if visiting Denver and the sun is high.
1. Union Station
Denver’s Union Station is located in LoDo (short for “Lower Downtown”), a bustling neighborhood downtown known for its shopping and dining. Apart from offering rail and bus transportation, the Union Station also houses restaurants, bars, shops, and The Crawford Hotel.
When we first walked in, we sighed with relief due to their air conditioning! But then, when we looked around, we were in awe at the beauty of this historic and elegant building. There were people everywhere grabbing a drink, talking with friends, or walking around with shopping bags. We were immediately drawn to the Tattered Cover Book Store, a small space that had many shelves filled with new and used books. It was so cozy inside, and it was very hard for us to walk out of that bookstore empty handed!
You could easily spend hours inside Union Station, and we highly recommend spending time here if you are traveling in Denver!
2. Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station
Something that was on our radar from the beginning stages of planning this trip was going to Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station. This is a walkthrough art installation that is located right next to Empower Field where the Denver Broncos play. Each installation that Meow Wolf does around the country is uniquely themed and highly interactive. Ryan previously went to one of Meow Wolf’s other locations in Las Vegas called Omega Mart, which you can read about here. While he felt like the theming in the Vegas location was little more cohesive, the story within this Denver one was just as intriguing.
In this installation, you are transported to an inter-dimensional transit hub where four timelines have crossed into each other and converged. Each room is different, some having wall art, others including interactive games, one being a movie room, and so much more. The main feature is an atrium that is multiple stories tall with a tree in the middle where you can walk around and see some extraterrestrial creatures.
We also visited the bar at this location, Sips with a Z, for a mixed drink before entering the experience. We both loved our drinks that we got called “The Memory Storm” which is a mix of 44 North Huckleberry Vodka, Leopold Bros. Aperitivo Bianco, lemon juice, pea flower, edible glitter, and a cotton candy cloud. Also: shoutout to whoever controlled the playlist in the bar, because Ryan was jamming!
We explored Denver’s Convergence Station for a few hours before heading out, so you can easily plan a day where that’s the main event when traveling in Denver. For our purposes, it was the perfect place to be when hiding from the extreme heat. It was pretty impressive, and you can tell that there was a lot of thought and work that was put into this artistic concept. Not to mention, there was constant air conditioning!
The one downside to this experience is that it can, at times, be very overstimulating. There were many people, lots of children wanting to run around and touch the interactive spots of the exhibit, and lots of music, light, color, and noise. If you or those you’re traveling with get overwhelmed in crowds or have sensitivities to light and/or sound, this might not be the place for you. But, if you have little ones who need stimulation, or you’re someone who enjoys walking around a museum or exhibit for a day, you’ll find this super fun! Want to learn more? Here’s the link to their website:
Meow Wolf Denver | Immersive Art Experience | Convergence Station
If you’re traveling in Denver during the summer and are dealing with extreme temperatures, these two spots in Denver were our favorites. We hope you enjoyed reading! 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! And, if you want to keep updated on our adventures, subscribe to our newsletter or follow our socials for a more exclusive look at our blog.
Happy travels,