Denver in Summer
 

I may be going to Denver for 3-4 days this summer. Any recommendations?

I like museums, historical stuff, and restaurants. I don't like shopping that much, unless it is a farmers market type of place.

the art museum is quite good. the botanical gardens are nice. the zoo. you might go to golden to see some old west style stuff, but it's a bit touristy. coors give a good tour also in golden. boulder is nearby with the univ.

Do go to the Art Museum--the new wing just opened this year and is gorgeous. You can tour the the house that the unsinkable Mollie Brown owned --http://mollybrown.org/ There are many wonderful restaurants in Denver. What type of cuisines to you enjoy.

I second the suggestions about the art museum and the Molly Brown house. I do want to add that the natural history museum in Denver is fantastic.
I hate shopping too but found that the REI store is fun to visit.

The Colorado History Museum is interesting if you are into history & in the area of the art museum. If you like baseball, the Rockies games are fun.

ditto to all that! After the art, dinosaurs, etc., end up on the 16th street mall for lots of restaurants and people watching.

I like Italian food, but really just love really nice restaurants. I prefer nothing too fancy, and I don't drink - so the wine list isn't a concern.

I love, love, love photography. Do you know if the museum has any photography exhibits?

What museum is the best?

Check out the Denver Art Museum website for photography exhibits--www.denverartmuseum.org; also the Museum of Contemporary Art--www.mcartdenver.org. There are two photography galleries I am aware of (there may be others) Camera Obscura www.cameraobscuragallery.com and Gallery Sink www.gallerysink.com.
In my opinion, the three best Italian restaurants are Barolo Grill, Luca d'Italia and Panzano. Exquisite food at all three.

I second all the restaurants suggested by martym. I would also add Venice Ristorante, located at 17th & Wynkoop, to the list.

If you want photography, John Fielders gallery is a must at Santa Fe and 8th (I think). It is in the art district on Santa Fe.

If you have a car, two historically significant spots that might be worth your time are:

1) Dinosaur Ridge. Just west of town on Alameda Parkway. Dinosaur bones were discovered along this hogback type ridge in 1877. Small pullouts along the road allow for viewing of some still imbedded dinosaur bones as well as some dinosaur tracks. A small museum on Alameda just west of the bridge crossing Hwy C470 details the experience.

2) Buffalo Bills grave. Located on top of Lookout Mountain just west of Golden. After crossing west over the Dinosaur Ridge hogback, turn right (north) at the first intersection. This will take you back to I-70. Get on I-70 heading west for a short distance and get off at the exit to Lookout Mountain and Buffalo Bills grave.

I'm a big fan of Boulder, and it's especially nice during the summer, when all the college kids are back home. Perhaps you can spend a few hours there.