Travel with a Cocktail

We took an uber from the airport to our hotel

I chose the Thompson Hotel in downtown Denver for its “walkable” location and the fact that we could use points to book (making out stay free)

This place was on the Michelin list and got great reviews for gluten free. I was SO excited to try the gf focaccia. Unfortunately that ended up just being baked pizza dough – still good, but not focaccia. The service was also frustratingly slow despite there only bein 4 tables in the restaurant during our visit.
That said, my gf pizza was really good and hubby’s meat lovers pizza was also very good so I still recommend it as an option.

This was a cool rooftop local bar that only serves local booze and beer. It was a hot, sunny day and we loved the mister system!

We loved the Zinfindel cask-finished bourbon so much that we bought a bottle to take home! They also have mocktails if you’re avoiding alcohol.

They do have a gf section 143. but we didn’t eat there. Instead, (totally not gf) but we found the most amazing chicken tenders on the 3rd floor by the clock tower.

We could have walked but it would have been about 20 minutes and it was raining that morning so we ubered. We used points to book the car so there may be other rental car options closer to your hotel.

We LOVE bacon, so we had to go to Bacon Social. Unfortunately, we were not impressed. It was expensive for breakfast and the bacon was a bit soggy. The view was cool.
If you like softer bacon and/or are big brunch fans, you might like it. For us, it wasn’t worth it so I’d recommend that you swap this stop our for somewhere else.

Gorgeous views. It was super busy and there was a wedding there that day!
We went up and down the amitheater, then walked the 1.5 mile trail that goes around the Trading Post. There are some elevation changes so I would say the trail is ok for most but not for elderly or those with mobility challenges.

Unfortunately, it got progressively cloudier as the day went on and there was the threat of a thunderstorm. I had chosen the Flats Beer Garden for lunch because I had read that they have incredible views of the mountains. Because of the clouds and impending storm, we couldn’t see the mountains at all! And the food was mediocre so if you are lucky enough to have clear visibility, it might be worth the stop but otherwise you should choose a different lunch location.

I hope you’ve already read my planning for Denver post here, but this is where you’ll need that “Timed Entry Pass” if you’re visiting during high season. Stop in to the visitor’s center and the park ranger will give you a map, tell you where the animals are being spotted that day, and explain the best route to you!

Uber back to hotel

We opted for door dash to our hotel because it was pouring rain when we got back. We had reservations at Fire Restaurant & Lounge – a rooftop restaurant – that didn’t seem like the hassel to get to in the rain to not have the view. Let me know if you get to check this place out and what you thought of the food!

After a day of hiking, I was so grateful to myself that I booked a relaxing day of mostly indoor activities. At Oakwell Beer Spa, they have private rooms for 2 people. You begin in the lobby where you choose your hot tub ingredients (3 to choose from) and then the host takes you to the wall to choose from beer, wine, or non-alcoholic beverages. Then, they take you to your private room to do a dry sauna for 15-ish minutes, then rinse off in the shower and get into a hot tub that includes hops and other beer ingredients. You lock the room, but they have a button that alerts them if you need something – like refills 🙂
Not pictured here – the most incredible zero gravity massages from a chair. They have several so we were able to do it at the same time. We were in heaven after and so relaxed!
HIGHLY recommend addint this to your itinerary!

It rained pretty much all day on Sunday. We got dropped off at Lob to eat lunch and play. Imagine golf and bocce ball had a baby. I thought it sounded fun, but my husband wasn’t excited to play there. The burgers were pretty good and it was just a block away from the Dairy Block – where we were headed to next.

We had a break in the rain (and I brought an umbrella) so we headed just a block over to the Dairy Block to do the wine tasting at Blanchard Family Wines. I was intrigued because they grow grapes in both CO and CA. We split multiple tastings here and made an afternoon of chatting with the bartender on a rainy afternoon. We didn’t like anything enough to take home, but it was a lovely experience.

Again – it was raining so we didn’t think our rooftop reservation at 54thirty Rooftop was worth the logistics and cost to get there. Very luckily for us, Water Grill Denver was across the street from our hotel. I had never heard of it before but let me tell you, It. Was. DELICIOUS.

The salted Paker Rolls were incredible (not gluten free). The octopus appetizer was so tender and we loved our entrees and brussel spouts.

From what I can tell, it’s a chain restaurant. Typically we try to avoid those while on vacation but if you need a good meal in downtown Denver, I would recommend.