Denver

An open-air venue set between two red sandstone monoliths, opened in 1941. By day, when no show is on, you can walk in free, and many climb the seating rows as a workout. Close to 2,000 m up, a few rows of steps leave you breathless.

The 13th step on the west side is inscribed One Mile Above Sea Level, but later surveys disagreed, so two more markers followed. The dome is covered in leaf beaten from Colorado gold. Free tours climb to a viewing deck beneath it.

The 1914 railway station was refurbished in 2014, its great hall turned into a hotel lobby and bar. Anyone can sit in the hall's big chairs with a coffee, train or no train. The airport train leaves from here and takes close to 40 minutes.

The Hamilton Building, like titanium folded into points, was designed by Daniel Libeskind and opened in 2006. The Native American collection is deep, and anyone 18 or under always gets in free. Some say the leaning walls throw off their balance.

The block dates from the city's founding around 1858, its 19th-century brick buildings full of restaurants and shops. Strings of lights zigzag over the street, so go at night to see it at its best. In summer the road closes to cars and tables spill into it.

Two hours or so northwest, the park carries Trail Ridge Road above 3,700 m, the highest continuous paved road in the US. Snow keeps it open only from late May to October or so. In that season you must reserve an entry time slot in advance.

Home of the Rockies, the ballpark has one row of purple seats, row 20 of the upper deck, because it sits exactly a mile above sea level. Thin air carries the ball, making it a famous home run park, so game balls are kept in a humidor.

North America's highest paved road climbs to a car park just below the summit, at over 4,300 m. Mount Evans was renamed to this in 2023. The road opens only a few summer months, driving up needs booking, and the top can drop below freezing in midsummer.

An hour south, at the outskirts of the city below Pikes Peak, fins of red sandstone rise straight from the ground. The land was given to the city in 1909 on condition that it stay free, and it still is. Morning light with the peak behind the rocks is finest.

Molly Brown, made famous by surviving the Titanic and taking charge of her lifeboat, lived in this 1889 house. Guides open by explaining she was never actually called Molly in her lifetime. The house can be seen only on a tour.

The York Street site has alpine rock gardens, a Japanese garden and a tropical conservatory under a concrete dome. Beds of plants that endure dry ground at 1,600m are rare in other city gardens. Summer nights bring outdoor concerts on the lawn.

Immersive art opened by the interstate in 2021, its rooms spread over several floors as linked alien worlds. A fridge door or closet may lead to the next room, so getting lost is easy. Tickets are timed, and weekend afternoons are the busiest.

The Abstract Expressionist willed his work to any American city that would build a museum for him alone; Denver did, opening it in 2011. Most of what he left can be seen nowhere else. Next door is the Denver Art Museum, making a double visit simple.

About 110km south of Denver, a cog railway climbs from a foothill town known for fizzy mineral water to the 4,302m summit. It returned to service in 2021 after a long rebuild. Even in midsummer the top is cold and thin-aired; bring a jacket, move slowly.

In Boulder, about 40km northwest of Denver, the park began in 1898 as a summer lecture colony; its wooden auditorium and cottages are still used. Trails to the Flatirons, tilted red rock slabs, start here. Weekend parking fills early; come before mid-morning.