how to spend 5 days in Colorado

last October (2022), my sister and I finally booked our first Denver, Colorado trip! it has been a long overdue trip we had wanted to do for months. we planned to visit Denver in April of last year for my sister’s birthday, but work obligations got in the way. gah, adulting is annoying sometimes. all good though because we made it work during halloween weekend. here’s our itinerary for our 5 day fall trip to Colorado.

thursday, oct. 27th

Denver International Airport
- we flew in on a late thursday morning to snow! for weeks we were struggling with types of outfits to pack in case it snowed while we were there. the forecast showed that it was going to be in the 60s and mostly sunny, but that changed the day before we were leaving. shocker. last minute, I decided to bring my parka instead of suffering through the cold. my sister, on the other hand, put fashion above anything else. mad respect for her. however, she instantly regretted it the moment we had to wait outside for the rental car shuttle. my goodness, it was freezing.
olive & finch
- after we got our car, we had brunch at a cute cafe called olive & finch in the cherry creek neighborhood. I got the farmhouse scramble, and my sister got the milano hash and beignets.
cherry creek shopping center
- once we finished brunch, we drove to the mall to get my sister a proper coat. if you’re in need of a good puffer, my sister loves the aritzia puffer she got.
ac hotel by Marriott
- we checked into our hotel after spending some time at the mall. we were situated near the central part of downtown Denver, and our room had a great view of the city and mountains. we could easily walk to restaurants and bars within the vicinity, but aside from that, you’ll probably want a car.
dinner at ChoLon
- wow, this place was delicious. unfortunately, I can’t remember everything we ordered, but you have to try their pork belly bao buns. they are perfectly made; it’s a must try! we also ordered the general tso soup dumplings, ribbon of salmon belly, espresso spiced donuts, jade green stir-fry. you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, in my opinion. I highly recommend going here when you visit.

friday, oct 28th

Whole Foods snack run
- we needed to stock up on waters, breakfast snacks and snacks in general
Rocky Mountain arsenal national wildlife refuge
- this was a cool attraction to visit, and it’s free. it’s a self guided driving tour about 20 minutes outside of the city that allows you to drive around their grounds to see their rescue animals. first, stop by the visitor center to grab a map of the driving route, or if you’d rather bike or hike, there are trail options for those too. I was most excited to see buffalos in person! they were difficult to see since they were further out in the fields, and you’re required to stay in your car; but there were deers, prairie dogs and other animals you can see along the way!
drove to boulder
- from the refuge we drove straight to the city of boulder. it was about an hour drive, and the temperature difference was noticeable. i would say the temperature was around the high 60s to low 70s.
had lunch at the rosetta food hall
- we made it to downtown boulder and had lunch at the cutest food haul. if you’re looking for an instagram aesthetic place, this is it. they had a variety of food cuisines to order from. we sat on the rooftop and order through their website. once our food was ready, they sent us a text.
walked down pearl street mall
- my goal on this trip was to start my touristy sweatshirt collection. I was on the hunt for a vintage style Colorado sweatshirt, and i wasn’t sure what I wanted until I saw it. there was a cute outdoor mall not far from the the food haul. it reminded me of the Santa Monica 3rd street promenade. it covered several streets and had many cute boutiques to shop. after stopping in multiple gift shops, we stumbled into a t-shirt shop and found my boulder sweatshirt. I love it so much.
had dinner a three saints revival
- once we found my sweatshirt, we drove back to our hotel to get ready for our one fancy dinner on our trip. funny story. we had to park a block down from the restaurant, and for some reason, we couldn’t find it. I was in heels, and by our third loop around the block, I was ready to take them off. i’m not a heels person, so I can only walk for so long. luckily, we found it and had a very delicious dinner. since their menu changes seasonally, our order is no longer listed besides their flat bread which was delish.
went to halloween pub crawl
- After dinner, we got into our halloween costumes and hit the denver streets. We dressed up as the brothers from the movie Night at the Roxbury. Omg, it was fun! Within a few blocks of the downtown area there were bars participating in the pub crawl. We think we got there too early because everyone was standing around the dance floor instead of dancing. Each participating bar had different perks like free shots and free cover for the most part. We didn’t stay long, but if you got there later, it probably was more fun.

saturday, oct 29th

Horseback riding at american safari ranch
- We got up early to fulfill my sisters dream of riding horses in the wild country. She was inspired by the show Outlander which I highly recommend watching. We booked a 90 minute ride out in the wilderness and the views were incredible.
drove to Breckenridge
- The next destination on our itinerary after horseback riding was Breckenridge. It was about an hour away, and the drive was stunning. The slopes weren’t open yet, but there was plenty of snow. We had lunch at the Blue River Bistro, located at the farther end of the main street. Compared to Vale, the energy was more relaxed.
drove to vale
- Vale, on the other hand, was definitely more of a resort town. It was giving very luxe vibes. We got there later in the day, so most stores were closing, and there weren’t many people out. It was obvious that it wasn’t cheap to stay there.

sunday, oct 30th

red rocks amphitheater
- The number one attraction I wanted to see while in Denver was the Red Rocks Amphitheater. When we got there around 10 am, there were people working out and hiking. The view is incredible in the daytime, so I couldn’t imagine what it’s like at night. It’s now on my bucket list to see a live show there.
cog railway at pikes peak
- I didn’t realize when I picked this activity that it was a 3 hour excursion. Classic move. I highly recommend doing this if you have the time. The train takes you to summit which is about 14000 feet, and it takes about 90 minutes each way. There’s a gift shop and snack bar at the top. We even got lucky and saw mountain goats!
walked the village
- On the drive into Pike Peak, there’s a cute village of shops and restaurants that I wanted to see once we were done with the trip. After realizing that the train was going to be longer than we expected, we didn’t get to experience the full vibes of the village since most places were about to close, but it was cute for pics.
Walmart pitstop
- we needed more snacks.
dinner at corinne
- Corinne was located in the hotel adjacent to ours. The atmosphere was nice, but the food wasn’t as exciting compared to the meals we’ve eaten on our trip. My sister got the three course meal with steak, fries, the kale & apple salad, and oyster. I had the diver scallop.

monday, oct 31st

walked downtown denver
- We were so busy scratching off our list of things outside of Denver that we didn’t make time to explore the city, so we visited the notorious touristy spots.
dairy block
- It’s a cute setup. The diary block is a mini market of different food stalls like a meat shop, ice cream shop, cheese stand, gift shop, etc. We got there right when the market doors opened, but most stalls didn’t open until later.
union station
- Highly recommend walking through the station! The bright white subway tiles, antique gold lighting fixtures, and the classic tall benches made it look like a scene from a rom-com movie. They also have vendor stands, coffee shops, and restaurants.
got lime scooters.. LOVED
- This was the best way to tour the city. Since it was during a work day, there wasn’t much traffic, so we cruised through the neighborhoods in style. Highly recommend this if you want an easy way to get around.
had lunch at the denver central market in RiNo
- The Denver Central Market is a food haul with different types of cuisine and open seating inside and outside. I can’t remember the name of where we ordered from, but it was delicious. My sister had the plantain chorizo bowl if that’s a good enough hint to find our lunch spot lol. It’s a cute place to take a break from being a tourist and chill. It was a beautiful sunny day, so we took full advantage of their outdoor seating.
then, we scooted to the Cheesman Park
- Unfortunately, this had to be our last scooter stop as we racked up quite a bill, but this park was a great stopping point. People were out running, walking their dogs, and having picnics. It was a gorgeous day to be outside, and the locals took full advantage.
went back to ChoLon
- After the park, we headed back towards our hotel (on foot) so we had enough time at the airport. But before we left, we had to say goodbye to ChoLon. We couldn’t leave the city without eating their pork belly bao buns one last time. I was full from lunch, so my sister ate it for the both of us, and it still held it’s title of being one of the best food we have eaten thus far.
headed to the airport
- After a jam-packed day of adventure, it was time for us to go home so we could make more money for our next one.
Travel Tip!
- This was my first experience using CLEAR. I was skeptical at first, but the setup process takes a few minutes at the airport, and it’s a breeze after that. Since there isn’t a large number of people using CLEAR, there isn’t a line, and they take you to the front of the line after your identity is confirmed. The price can be a downfall, but if you travel often, it’s worth it. This isn’t an ad; it’s just saved our asses a few times.