Explore Denver nightlife and have after work fun this summer!
Whelp, we’re past the summer solstice and past the longest day of summer: everything is downhill from here. Downhill in the most rad, skiing/sledding/mountain biking way possible!
There are tons of options for weeknight activities in Denver during summer. Summer is one of the best times to be in Colorado because there is no humidity, no mosquitos and it’s very rare that our thermostats have to exercise their third digits (people even complain here when it gets above 90 degrees F).
Here at the Pedal Hopper Denver, we decided to put together a list of our favorite weeknight activities in Denver so you can take full advantage of the beautiful weather and long days we will enjoy here for the rest of the summer!
Thursday Jazz Jam – Dazzle
1512 Curtis St, Denver, CO. Price: free: Denver used to be a jazz hub in the Mountain West, and there is a resurgence in the jazz scene that has been happening over the last decade or so thanks to the organizers of the Five Points Jazz Festival and the Jazz in the Park events in City Park every summer. Formerly known as the “Harlem of the West,” Denver hosted some amazing talent like Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald back in the day.
There is equally good, if lesser-known, talent gracing the streets of Denver these days, really enhancing the Denver nightlife. Dazzle is a great place to find it, especially at their free weekly jazz jam every Thursday night, the perfect place for after work fun! Make sure to say hi to host Jean Luc Davis on the bass!
Pedal Hopper Denver
2265 Lawrence St, Denver, CO. Price: varies depending on private or public tour options. The Pedal Hopper is fun. Like, super, super fun, and the best part is you get to either bring your best friends along for this ride or take part in a public option where you reserve a seat on a public bike and get to meet a ton of new friends. Pedal Hopper’s experienced tour guides will steer while you and all of your friends pedal in between the coolest bars, pubs and clubs that Denver nightlife has to offer.
Best of all for those looking for the best weeknight activities in Denver, you save money booking a Pedal Hopper tour on weekdays as opposed to weekends when the streets get a little bit busier and the prices get a little bit higher. We know you’ll join for some after work fun with us at the Pedal Hopper!
Film on the Rocks Series
Red Rocks Amphitheater, 18300 W Alameda Pkwy, Morrison, CO. Price: $16-$32. Just outside of Denver, CO lies Red Rocks Amphitheater, a city-owned concert venue that hosts some of the biggest acts in the music business every summer. This amazing setting that has been frequented by humans for thousands of years has another trick up its sleeve: hosting movie nights on Monday nights throughout the summer! For a low price you can go to see some of your favorite classic movies as well as some more recent blockbusters, a great weeknight activity in Denver!
For the rest of the summer of 2019, you can see Top Gun (7/1), the Mighty Ducks (8/5) and the mountain climbing documentary Free Solo (8/19). There are live bands and live comedians performing every night before the movie as well, so your whole family can have after work fun, as this kid-friendly event. This author will for sure be at the Mighty Ducks in August: quack quack!!
Georgetown Loop Railroad & Mining Park
825 Railroad Ave, Silver Plume, CO. Price: $20.50 and up. You can get a Wild West experience at the Georgetown Loop Railroad, west of Denver on Interstate 70 by about 50 miles. This family-friendly weeknight activity in Denver comes in different packages; you can just take the family on the train or you can add in museum visits to immerse yourself in the history of the mining communities that helped to build our great state of Colorado. The round-trip railroad excursion takes you past some beautiful vistas, and its best enjoyed during the week in my opinion because it is less crowded. Have some after work fun up there choo-chooing around with all the other train enthusiasts!
Bar Hopping in Boulder, CO.
Price: how much can you drink? If you want to get out of the big city and take a break from Denver nightlife, you could make your way to the home of the University of Colorado in Boulder. Located about 30 minutes west and north of Denver, Boulder is a nice little town that features hundreds of bars, clubs, restaurants with reasonable prices and cheap drinks that appeal to the college scene.
There are tons of options there, but we recommend going to the Pearl Street Mall which is a pedestrian mall, meaning you don’t have to worry about getting run over by a taxi cab like what happens to so many poor residents in Denver. Best of all, on summer weekdays most of the college kids are away on summer vacation so the traffic isn’t too bad and you will be able to find a stool at the bar.
You can’t go wrong with summertime in Colorado, especially when you could experience Denver nightlife. The temperature stays cool, the mountains beckon you to come raft and fish their waters and bike their trails, and the city has a lot of options for having a blast, even during the week! We hope you can find something on this list to occupy your time during those long summer weeknights activities in Denver, and we hope even more that you come to hang out with us at the Pedal Hopper!