The Denver Metropolitan Area is the state’s most populous region, so even though geographically it only covers a small part of the state, this region is packed with interesting things to see and do.
The map above is from www.Colorado.com, the state’s official tourist website. They define the region as including the metro area north to Boulder, south through Douglas County, west to approximately Evergreen, and east through the western parts of Arapahoe County.
If you’re visiting this part of the state, there are things to do for every taste. If you’re into cultural activities, there’s the Denver Art Museum, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Denver Zoo, Denver Botanic Gardens and many other museums and cultural centers in Denver alone. In other parts of the metro area you can also find small museums and places of interest. Spring and summertime visitors are also likely to find some kind of festival going on in downtown. There are many historic buildings to visit as well for those interested in history and architecture.
If you’re looking for something to do outdoors, you may not think of Metro Denver as the place – but actually, there are many places right in the metro area to experience the outdoors. Boulder offers the Flatirons while Evergreen has Mount Evans and Echo Lake. You’ll also find several State Parks in the region: Golden Gate Canyon and Eldorado Canyon near Boulder; Barr Lake, on the northern edge of the region, south of Brighton; Cherry Creek State Park in Denver; and Chatfield, Roxborough, and Castlewood Canyon south of Denver. The City of Denver also has a mountain parks system.
Whether you’re visiting from out of town or live in the metro area and are looking for a weekend activity, be sure and visit Colorado.com’s website of attractions for the area. If you’re heading to the outskirts of the region, be sure and travel along some of the area’s scenic byways.
If you’re interested in finding out more, you can find many publications in our library collection that tell more about this part of the state, including:
- Denver’s Historic Markers, Memorials, Statues, and Parks
- Denver Mountain Parks
- Denver: An Archaeological History
- Denver Landmarks & Historic Districts
- Denver: Mining Camp to Metropolis
- Denver Metro Trails Guide
- Urban Trails in Colorado: Denver Metro
You can also search our web catalog for more publications. For geological maps and information, search by county name.
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