Founded in 1993, 5280 is the largest local magazine in Colorado. The magazine's stories often make national headlines, and since 2005 5280 has been nominated for four National Magazine Awards. Get 5280 Magazine digital subscription today.
I don’t know if I’m allowed to do this, but…I’m the editor, so I’m doing it anyway. Every July for more than two decades, 5280 has published its Top of the Town awards (see page 40) honoring the best of Denver. We pay tribute to the hippest new restaurant, highlight the hottest local author, and give kudos to the coolest craft brewery, among countless other awards. Those who receive these accolades do so (hopefully) knowing that these bestowals are the result of robust and unbiased reporting by hardworking journalists who make it their jobs to know Denver so our readers can better enjoy the city. I am in no way unbiased, however, when I say I believe the 5280 team has earned its own Top of the Town award this…
Features editor Features editor Spencer Campbell was just a little bit busy this issue: On top of co-editing 2024’s Top of the Town awards (page 40), he reported on Colorado’s growing number of firms dedicated to pet law (“See Spot Litigate,” page 30) and wrangled a feature on the Centennial State’s long history of roping and riding (“They Call The Thing Rodeo,” page 58). He leaned on his colleagues to help identify the city’s best coffeeshop, spa, and jewelry designer and relied on seven attorneys to break down the animal law scene. But chatting with cowboys, cowgirls, and the folks behind the chutes in towns small and large across the state came naturally to the native Texan. “In high school, I wore boots, drove a pickup, and listened to country…
Think landing a reservation at Casa Bonita is difficult? Try snagging one for a weekday tour of the University of Denver’s Chamberlin Observatory. “They’re sold out for a year in advance, which shocks us,” says Ken Sturrock, a volunteer guide with the Denver Astronomical Society (DAS). The Romanesque sandstone building’s giant refracting telescope saw the stars for the first time 130 years ago this month, and Chamberlin hasn’t changed much since. Nearly everything in the structure is original, including the hand cranks that deftly maneuver the 26-foot-long telescope, which has charted stars, discovered comets, and almost confirmed Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity during June 1918’s total solar eclipse. (Another observatory got the honor due to unfortunate cloud coverage over the Mile High City.) But the instrument has actually been obsolete…
1. Cooper Lounge 1701 WYNKOOP ST. Union Station’s latest update includes a revamp of the mezzanine’s ritzy Cooper Lounge, which will host its grand reopening from July 12 to 14. You can still indulge in the bar’s flaky Brie en croute and signature Old Manhattan cocktail, a marriage of single-barrel whiskeys and Carpano Antica vermouth. You’ll just do so from new, plush banquettes that overlook the refreshed Great Hall. 2. Flight Club 1959 16TH ST. If you like darts but would rather spend your time socializing than keeping score, Flight Club is for you. The national chain opened a location on the 16th Street Mall in June 2023 and uses an automated system to track winners and losers in its six custom darts games, including Donkey Derby, in which you…
For decades, Coloradans flocked to a privately managed yurt system inside beautiful State Forest State Park, a 71,000-acre woodland just outside Walden. Then, in 2022, things got ugly. Never Summer Nordic—the longtime park concessionaire that contracted with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to operate eight year-round yurts and two cabins—quit paying its bills, forcing the agency to terminate the agreement and order the company to close its shelters and refund its reservations. Instead, Never Summer’s owners kept booking stays, pocketed the money, and ghosted would-be guests, many of whom never realized they’d been had until they tried to check in at an empty office. It didn’t take long for authorities to get involved. In March, 19 months after CPW canceled the contract, Never Summer Nordic co-owner Bron Austin Deal was…
1. Pearl Lake, Clark With ceiling fans, window screens, and a nearby reservoir to explore, these yurts are hot commodities in summer. Available year-round; $90 per night 2. Golden Gate Canyon, Golden Just an hour’s ride from Denver, the park’s two drive-up shelters are some of CPW’s most accessible lodgings for Front Rangers. Available year-round; $90 per night 3. Sylvan Lake, Eagle County At 314 square feet, with two futons and a bunk bed, the yurts off East Brush Creek Road have plenty of room. Available May through November; $90 per night…
