U.S. News Insider Tip: Visit in the fall for Glow at the Gardens, a Halloween festival complete with stunning (and spooky) light displays and epic pumpkin art. – Leilani Osmundson

The Denver Botanic Gardens' 24 acres feature a whopping 50 gardens for visitors to explore. This expansive facility in downtown Denver's Cheesman Park treats travelers to a variety of different environments, from a traditional Japanese garden (complete with bonsai trees) to the South African Plaza blooming with exotic plants like asparagus fern and torch lilies. Meanwhile, art aficionados will also appreciate the gardens thanks to the numerous sculptures that grace the grounds; the facility also plays host to touring exhibits that have included works by such artists as Stephen Talasnik and Dale Chihuly.

U.S. News Insider Tip: Watching a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre is an essential experience in Denver. There's no such thing as a bad seat, either; in fact, the best views are in the back, where you can see stunning sunset views over the red rocks and city skyline. – Amanda Norcross, Content & SEO Strategist

With its excellent views of the Rocky Mountains, miles of hiking trails and cinnamon-hued sandstone cliffs, Red Rocks Park is a big draw for outdoors enthusiasts. Occupying 700-some acres, this impressive park offers visitors the opportunity to experience the fascinating geographic transition between the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. If you only have a short amount of time here, stretch your legs along the Trading Post Trail; this nearly 1 ½-mile-long path weaves through the rust-colored buttes, making for some spectacular scenery. Before you head out, travelers recommend stopping by the visitor center, which features information on the park’s history and trails.

With exhibits featuring everything from dinosaur bones to Egyptian mummies, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science inspires learning in the young and young at heart. This impressive facility houses artifacts pertaining to a variety of scientific areas, including anthropology, zoology, geology, health sciences, paleontology and space science. Some of the more popular displays include the wildlife exhibit, which includes more than 90 habitat scenes containing information on animals from around the world, from Alaska to Australia. Meanwhile, the hands-on Space Odyssey area introduces travelers to the outer reaches of the galaxy and beyond. 

Recent visitors said the Denver Museum of Nature & Science was a great place for families. A few reviewers who were not traveling with children said the museum may not be as engaging for adults as it is for kids because of the elementary nature of the displays. Many recent travelers were particularly impressed with the gems and minerals exhibit, which features artifacts like an 8-pound nugget of crystallized gold discovered in Breckenridge in 1887.

U.S. News Insider Tip: Have breakfast at Snooze (a local chain), but get there early – there's almost always a line because the food is that good. – Amanda Norcross, Content & SEO Strategist

Denver's Union Station serves a dual purpose: it's a working public transit station and a highly-praised dining and shopping center. The station was a huge success when it first opened to the public in 1881, providing railroad service until the center of the building caught fire in 1894. The architecture from the 1914 redevelopment remains, and today, it's home to an Amtrak hub and a bus concourse. Located in the hip Lower Downtown neighborhood (aka LoDo), the station also houses multiple dining options and boutiques, as well as The Crawford Hotel.

U.S. News Insider Tip: Plan to spend several hours (at least two) here if you're hoping to see everything, and remember as you explore that there is an underlying storyline that connects all the exhibits and includes a mystery for visitors to unravel. – Leilani Osmundson

If you’re a fan of immersive art installations, you’ll probably enjoy Meow Wolf Denver, which is best described as a contemporary art museum, a haunted house, an amusement park and a film set all rolled into one 90,000-square-foot space. There are several Meow Wolf locations around the U.S., including Las Vegas and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Denver’s iteration is spread across four stories and features more than 70 distinctive installations that feature colorful lights, sounds and interactive displays. The largest permanent installation is the Convergence Station, a “multiverse transit station.”

Modeled after a Kenyan nature preserve, the Denver Zoo is home to more than 4,000 animals, including tigers, black rhinos, kangaroos and orangutans. Sprawling across 80 acres of City Park, this impressive facility boasts a number of ways to view our furry, feathered and reptilian friends. Head to Predator Ridge, the recreated African savanna, to see hyenas, lions and African dogs roam, watch monkeys swing from tree branches at Primate Panorama or catch a glimpse of colorful critters like Panamanian golden frogs and green tree pythons at the Tropical Discovery center. You can also overload on cute during a visit to the nursery and take on a ride on the zoo's train and carousel.

While you're here, many travelers highly recommend timing your visit around feeding times, during which staff offers educational lectures about the zoo's residents. Keep in mind that this is a large facility; you'll want to budget plenty of time to see all the animals.

U.S. News Insider Tip: Pay attention if you're in the flash flood simulation room – you might get wet! – Leilani Osmundson

Visit the AZA-accredited Downtown Aquarium to see more than 500 species of animals across a variety of ecosystems both underwater and on land (including tigers). In addition to the exhibits, the aquarium also boasts a Stingray Reef touch tank, a 4D theater, scuba and snorkel experiences, a shark cage experience, and in-person and virtual animal encounters. Kids can participate in a plethora of activities from a fun overnight stay to a five-day summer camp. Day programs for children include "Marine Biologist for a Day," which includes encounters with exotic species from the deep sea, as well as "Zoologist for a Day," where kids can learn how to handle and train animals that live outside the ocean.

With galleries showcasing more than 70,000 works by famed artists such as Vincent Van Gogh and Winslow Homer, the Denver Art Museum houses one of the most impressive collections of art between Chicago and the West Coast. Spread across two buildings, the museum's holdings range from pre-Columbian artifacts to contemporary displays with such mediums as painting  and sculpture represented. One of the highlights of a visit to the Denver Art Museum is its extensive assembly of western American art, which includes paintings, sculptures and works on paper related to the West going back two centuries.

Past visitors raved about the Denver Art Museum, praising its diverse and varied collections, especially its collection of western American art, and the museum's ability to appeal to kids through interactive activities. If you don't make it here on your own, you'll find that the museum is a popular stop on many of the best Denver tours.

U.S. News Insider Tip: Visit Skyline Park (located at 15th and Arapahoe streets) in the summer for draft beers at Skyline Beer Garden and the winter for outdoor ice skating at the Downtown Denver Rink. – Leilani Osmundson

Walk along this mile-long pedestrian mall for restaurants, shops, entertainment and more. Described as "the spine that connects all of downtown," the mall starts with Union Station on the north end and the Colorado State Capitol on the south end, with attractions like the Denver Performing Arts Complex, Larimer Square and the Denver Pavilions – a shopping and dining complex with multiple movie theaters and pop-up events – along the way. If you've worked up an appetite walking around, you won't go hungry: There are more than 40 outdoor cafes throughout the mall, as well as plenty of casual, upscale and international eateries.

U.S. News Insider Tip: Take a seat in row 20 – the only purple row in the stadium – and you'll be sitting exactly one mile above sea level! – Leilani Osmundson

Named for Denver's famed beer, Coors Field in Denver's LoDo district is home to Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. The stadium occupies a whopping 76 acres and has the capacity for more than 50,000 fans. Of course, the main reason to come to Coors Field is to catch a game, but there's more to this stadium than a diamond. Whether you're traveling with children or alone, be sure to spend some time at the Interactive Area, where you can test your skills in the video batting cages and the Speed Pitch area. And if you've left the kids at home, take the opportunity to sample some of Denver's local brews on the Rooftop, a 38,000-square-foot platform with fantastic views of the field and downtown Denver. If the weather isn't cooperating, pay a visit to the on-site SandLot brewery instead.

U.S. News Insider Tip: It's not the easiest to find parking in Denver, but don't worry -- Wash Park has plenty of street parking, and it's easy to find a spot even during events. – Leilani Osmundson

Located south of central Denver, Washington Park is consistently praised by Denverites and visitors alike for its ample facilities and enjoyable atmosphere. Occupying 155 acres, this immense park boasts miles of jogging paths, two massive lakes and two formal gardens, one of which is a replica of George Washington's Mount Vernon gardens. Wash Park, as it’s called by locals, is a popular weekend hangout spot thanks to the variety of things to do here. You can spend your time simply relaxing on the grass, or you can take advantage of the park's 10 tennis courts, boat rentals and recreation center, which houses a pool and offers scheduled fitness classes and swim lessons.

In 1858, a group of settlers struck gold at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Their discovery soon spread back to the East Coast, prompting people to pick up and move west. The site of the original pioneer camp (known back then as Auraria) soon grew into the charming area now known as Larimer Square. Although the city has since expanded, this historic neighborhood remains the heart and soul of the Mile High City, and according to some, it's the place to start your Denver experience thanks to its variety of restaurants, bars and shops. It's also a featured stop on many of the best Denver tours. 

Before venturing to Larimer Square, you may want to pay a visit to the Larimer Square website. Here, you'll find a listing of all the local businesses and upcoming events, not to mention maps that can help orient where specific dining, shopping and entertainment options are.

Football fans won't want to pass up the chance to spend some time on the Denver Broncos' home turf. Empower Field at Mile High can hold more than 76,000 NFL fans and is notable for its elevation, which sits at 5,280 feet above sea level. That, combined with the view of the Rocky Mountains to the west and the Denver skyline to the east, makes it a unique venue to visit.

If you can swing it, try to catch a home game. Ticket prices vary by game and availability, and you'll want to purchase your seats well in advance to ensure availability. If you can't make it to a game, you can tag along on a guided tour of the stadium. Led by employees from the on-site Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Museum (one of the stops on the tour), these 75- to 90-minute tours take participants to the visiting teams' locker rooms, the end zone as well as into the network television production compound and the TV and radio broadcast facilities. Recent visitors described the tour experience as incredible thanks to the knowledgeable guides.

U.S. News Insider Tip: Though you can explore the museum on your own, a guided tour is vastly more educational. Register for a late morning tour and then walk to The Corner Beet after for tasty juices and brunch options. – Leilani Osmundson

Nestled among the contemporary architecture of the Capitol Hill district is the Molly Brown House Museum, an eccentric example of Victorian life and design that no history buff should miss. Once the home of the "unsinkable" Margaret "Molly" Brown (Kathy Bates' character in the film, "Titanic,"), this museum offers a glimpse into Denver's history and the life of one of its most fascinating residents. On a guided tour of the house, you'll learn about Brown's experience aboard the Titanic, as well as her role in the women's suffrage movement and her endeavors in Colorado's mining industry.

U.S. News Insider Tip: Visit the park in winter for its Luminova Holidays event and don't forget to bring your camera; there are plenty of beautiful holiday light displays for photo opportunities, and some rides are open as well. – Leilani Osmundson

Open first as actual gardens as well as a zoological park in 1890, the long-running Elitch Gardens now boasts a theme park, a water park, entertainment and more. At the theme park, fly 17 stories above Denver on the Star Flyer swing ride, or dive and spin at 50 mph speeds on the Mind Eraser coaster. If thrills aren't your thing, you'll find plenty of more relaxing rides and activities in both the theme and water park, such as the Commotion Ocean wave pool and Castaway Creek lazy river.

Even if you hate the sound of excess change rattling around your pockets, you'll find a tour of the Denver branch of the United States Mint to be an interesting way to spend an hour or so. Having opened in 1863, its purpose was to transform the Gold Rush's findings into coinage. Today, the U.S. Mint in Denver can produce up to 50 million coins a day.

A free guided tour of the U.S. Mint in Denver will allow you the opportunity to learn more about each stage of coin production, from the design and sculpting of each piece to the cutting of each type of coin. Some recent visitors marveled at the coin-making machines, but say that not all travelers will likely find it enthralling.

Housed in a hangar on the former Lowry Air Force Base in eastern Denver, this museum has more than 100,000 square feet of exhibit space that explores the history of the base's role in World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars and the Cold War. A variety of iconic aircraft, space vehicles, artifacts and military uniforms are on display. The collection includes bombers from World War II, reconnaissance aircraft and commercial planes. One of the most iconic symbols of the Vietnam War – the Bell UH-1M Iroquois “Huey” – is among the displays. 

Past visitors enjoyed seeing the variety of aircraft and especially the replicas of “Star Wars” spacecraft. About 20 miles south of the museum is its sister location, the Exploration of Flight, which offers visitors a more immersive experience. They include a pilot simulator and actual flights in vintage and modern aircraft. The 15-acre site is located at Centennial Field, about 20 miles south of downtown Denver.