Denver Local Guide
Denver Dining, Entertainment, and Transit Notes
From Your Local Co-Chairs John Rief and Rodney Herring
Greetings, RSA 2024 attendees! We are so excited to welcome you to Denver, CO this May! The Denver metropolitan area is home to nearly three million people, a diverse array of dining and entertainment options, and numerous transit possibilities for getting from one part of the city to another. We are also a stone’s throw away from the Rocky Mountains. Below, we offer a few notes about ways to enjoy your time and get around the city and its surrounding environs while you are here.
Transit
The easiest way to get from Denver International Airport to the city center at Union Station is on the A Line, a commuter rail that runs every 15-30 minutes depending on the time of day. Please note that this line briefly shuts down during the early morning hours. The fare is $10 and there is simply no cheaper or more direct way to go. When you arrive at the airport, just go to the south end of the main terminal and exit through the glass doors. Take the escalator down and you will see pay stations and the tracks. Purchase a ticket and board the train. You will stay on the train until you arrive at Union Station. The Sheraton is located about 1 mile southeast on 15th street. You can walk but there is also a free MallRide shuttle that will take you to the hotel from Union Station. As with the A Line, the MallRide does shut down late at night and into the early morning hours. You will want to get off at 17th and Glenarm Place [Y Stop]. You can walk southwest from there to 16th street, turn southeast, then turn southwest on Tremont Place. 15th street is one block down. Turn southeast on 15th street and you will arrive at the hotel.
Please note that if you opt for an Uber ride from the airport, you are likely to run into surge pricing (which can be extreme) and, depending on the time of day, you will face significant traffic on our main interstates as you make your way into town.
We also have an extensive light rail system that can connect you to various parts of town. Many lines leave from Union Station and other stops in the city center. Please note that given construction projects in the downtown area and elsewhere, there may be disruptions and delays on the lines. Please view the RTD Service Alerts website before departing.
The Sheraton hotel is near the heart of Denver’s premier dining, cultural, and sports districts. No matter what your interests are, you should be able to find options within walking distance or a short Uber trip from the hotel.
Dining
For an extensive list of dining options throughout Denver, please click HERE.
The Denver Pavilions Mall is basically right next door to the Sheraton. It boasts extensive dining and shopping options as well as a movie theater. It is the easiest and most accessible location if you are looking for something fast and nearby.
The Sheraton is one block from the 16th Street Mall, the heart of downtown Denver. Unfortunately, the mall has been under construction for some time causing transit delays. It is also not the most scenic part of town at the moment. But, it is lined with shops, bars, cafes, and restaurants. If you walk up to 16th street, you are likely to find numerous options.
The famous Larimer Square is only a 15-minute walk from the Sheraton. It boasts high-end dining and shopping options. Some of our favorite restaurants at the square include Tamayo and Osteria Marco.
If you’re looking for vegan options, try City O’ City, just south of the Capitol and a half-mile walk southeast of the Sheraton. Or if you’d like to venture just a bit farther, you can visit City O’ City’s sister restaurant Watercourse in the Uptown neighborhood—about a 20-minute (one-mile) walk to the east.
You might also enjoy a short trip (just over 1 mile northwest from the Sheraton) to the Tivoli, the student center and brewery at the heart of the Auraria Campus. This campus is home to Metropolitan State University of Denver, the Community College of Denver, and the University of Colorado Denver. At the Tivoli, you will find the Tivoli Brewing Company, a tap house and restaurant that offers a selection of locally made beers along with a few made right on our campus.
If you are up for something a bit fancier, you might enjoy afternoon tea at the historic Brown Palace, just a 5-minute walk northeast from the Sheraton. And just around the corner (also about a 5-minute walk from the Sheraton) is La Loma, where you can enjoy one of the best green chilis in town.
Finally, we do have a bit of bad news for you if you were hoping to dine at the famous Casa Bonita restaurant. The wait list is long and, unless you already have tickets or know someone with them, it is highly unlikely you will be able to get them before the conference. But, if you want to try, you can fill out the form on their website linked above. Good luck!
Entertainment
Denver offers numerous opportunities for entertainment to fit anyone’s interests. If you are looking for sports, theater, art, music, and/or the natural world, you will find them all easily accessible from the Sheraton.
Just 15 minutes northwest of the Sheraton on 14th street, you will find the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, a complex with multiple theaters set up for opera, ballet, symphony, and theater performances. If this sounds interesting to you, you will want to search upcoming shows and purchase tickets ASAP as they do sell out.
If your interests tend more toward art and museums, you will find them in abundance. Just over a mile and half west of the Sheraton, you will find Meow Wolf, a unique immersive art experience. We highly recommend you check it out. But, please do note that you will want to buy tickets and reserve an entry time before you go. If you head south of the hotel across Colfax Avenue, you will find Civic Center Park, the Colorado State Capitol Building, the Denver Art Museum, the Clyfford Still Museum, History Colorado Center, and the Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Art. To the southeast, you will find the Molly Brown House Museum. If you have a bit more time, you might also take in the Art District on Santa Fe which has numerous galleries, dining options, and other attractions. It is about a 30-minute walk southwest of the Sheraton.
If you are interested in a trip to the mountains, you might consider taking a hike or catching a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater, just a short drive out of town. If you are feeling a bit more adventurous, you might consider driving to Estes Park (about 90 minutes away) to take in food, shopping, the historic Stanley Hotel (where Stephen King was inspired to write The Shining), and Rocky Mountain National Park.
Ball Arena where the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche play is just over a mile to the northwest of the Sheraton. Both are in the playoffs but may or may not still be playing by the time the conference takes place. Coors Field where the Colorado Rockies play is just over a mile north of the Sheraton. They will be playing the Phillies at Coors Field the weekend of the conference. It should come as no surprise that you will want to purchase tickets well in advance to see any games scheduled during the conference.
Miscellaneous Needs
If you need a pharmacy, you’ll find a Walgreens at the corner of 16th and Stout, just a 10-minute walk northwest from the hotel.
You’ll also find numerous coffee shops within a short walking distance, including Novo Coffee, just over a block away on Glenarm Place.