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Just a five-minute drive southwest, check out the galleries along Santa Fe Avenue, a stretch of colorful old buildings that now supports a vibrant gallery scene as well as the Museo de la Americas - there’s also a fun little gay bar, the Barker Lounge. Rooster and Moon Coffee Pub () is an inviting nearby spot to fill up on espresso drinks and light lunch and dinner fare. The district also has a few fun bars and restaurants, including the laid-back gay neighborhood bar Broadway’s (), which has fun drag shows and La Rumba (), an attractive, mixed gay/straight Latin club known for great salsa and meringue (Friday’s Lipgloss party is a particularly wild romp). Other cultural draws nearby include the Molly Brown House and the relatively new and very impressive History Colorado Center. Next door, the unusual Clyfford Still Museum houses nearly the entire body of work of the acclaimed abstract expressionist painter for which it’s named, and across the street you can tour the Byers-Evans House Museum, which was built in 1883 and now contains rotating history exhibits.
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The spectacular Denver Art Museum, in a memorable building with a striking expansion designed by Daniel Libeskind, contains a terrific and diverse permanent collection and also stages excellent temporary shows. Just south of downtown and its gleaming skyscrapers, this tract of first-rate museums can easily keep fans of art and history busy for a day or two.
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South Broadway is just a couple of miles south of downtown hotels, and there’s also a convenient chain property, TownePlace Suites Denver () that’s geared to extended stays and is within walking distance of the neighborhood. As for gay nightlife along this quirky corridor, you’ll find a somewhat cruise-y, all-ages bunch at the Compound (), the city’s longest-running GLBT dance club, and Boyztown (), a fun place to watch go-go dancers strut their stuff.
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Other neighborhood fixtures include Sweet Action Ice Cream (), which serves handmade desserts in fun flavors (biscuits-and-jam, blackberry whiskey), and the Hornet (), a venerable diner–cum–pool hall–lounge, great for everything from a full meal to cocktails.
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Catch a film at the gloriously restored Mayan Theatre, an ornate movie palace that was built in 1930 and screens indie and foreign flicks, or head to the Punch Bowl Social (), a quirky bar, bowling alley, craft beer hall, and restaurant with all sorts of amusing diversions, including ping-pong and shuffleboard. Along here you can stop inside Beatrice & Woodsley (), an urbane spot for creative regional cooking, while Happy Coffee () is a cool little java joint serving espresso that’s every bit as "freakishly amazing" as this establishment claims. With this in mind, here are five of the best parts of town for exploring, eating, drinking, and shopping.Ī part of town that’s long been a bastion of gay nightlife but has steadily developed cachet as a hotspot of hipster cafés and quirky clothiers, design boutiques, and arty mixed bars is South Broadway (aka the Baker District), especially the blocks from about 3rd Avenue south to Alameda. You can even make your way around on bike - just rent a two-wheeler from one of the many Denver B-Cycle bike-sharing stations around the city. With a vibrant arts and cultural scene, a vast supply of cool and hip lounges and restaurants specializing in craft beverages (from beer to spirits) and seasonal cuisine, and gay hangouts spread pretty evenly around a number of parts of town, Denver is a great city for neighborhood touring. Whether Denver really becomes "New Amsterdam," as some have predicted, is unclear, but this development does reflect the generally progressive nature of this city that’s long been a favorite LGBT destination. As of January 2014, both local and out-of-state residents will be able to legally purchase pot in Colorado. Situated a mile above sea level in the shadows of the dramatic Rocky Mountain range, Denver is home to plenty of locals whose personalities neatly match the city’s setting: think of people who are open, sunny, outdoorsy, and - thanks to last year’s vote to legalize small amounts of marijuana for personal consumption - high.