At the beginning of January, I spent 32 hours in Denver. It was a near perfect (boo on 8 degree weather!) weekend filled with some of my favorite things: cupcakes, bears, breweries, great food and adventure.

Cupcakes
One of my favorite things to do when I travel is visit the cupcakeries in the city. In Denver, I was able to visit two: The Shoppe and Church of Cupcakes.

The Shoppe is a hip shop with a huge variety of flavors. Take a look at that display case!

Church of Cupcakes is still building their religious-themed shop, but I have a feeling it will be a hit. I loved the clever Ten Commandments and the “Confectional” that will soon be a photobooth. The theme carried over to the cupcakes with names like Pillar of Salt-ed Caramel, Sprinkle Salvation, Venerable Velvet and Devil’s Food.

Bears
Although it was “Free Day” at the Denver Zoo, it was empty because it was so cold. Nevertheless, we endured the cold for a little bit to see the bears. One bear was taking a nap until he woke up and played with a cardboard box and the other bear paced non-stop back and forth while shaking his head at regular intervals, which looked so sad!

We also saw the 40-foot Big Blue Bear at the Colorado Convention Center.

Breweries
One of the best parts of the trip was going on the Denver Microbrew Tour. We got to visit and try beers at four brewpubs: Rock Bottom, Falling Rock, Breckenridge, and Wynkoop. They all had some unique beers and it was fun learning about Denver’s microbrewery scene from our very knowledgeable and fun tour guide. We even coincidentally met three other Texas Exes on the tour!

Food
We had some fantastic meals on the trip. We had yummy Italian food at Osteria Marco and delicious burgers and more local beers at Cherry Cricket.

Adventures
Some other highlights from the trip:
-Pretending to be a Denver Broncos fan and watching part of the playoff game in a bar packed with fans
-Visiting Tattered Cover Bookstore, one of the largest independent bookstores in the U.S.
-Walking around Larimier Square sipping hot chocolate
-Stopping by the state capitol even though it was in the middle of renovations
-Making a quick walk-through of the flagship REI store, which easily inspires you to go hike a mountain or something equally as adventurous

Denver is such a fun city, and I can’t wait to visit again. Hopefully the next time I visit it’ll involve hiking, skiing and/or a concert at the Red Rocks Amphitheater!

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