Local Information |
ACC 2020 was originally planned to take place in Denver. However, due to the impact of COVID-19, the conference will be fully online. If in the future you have an interest in traveling, do visit Denver! Denver is the capital city of Colorado with landmark 19th-century buildings and roots that date back to the Old West era. Located just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, the city's elevation of 5280 feet above sea level has earned it the nickname the Mile High City. Denver is known for sweeping views and easy access to the outdoors. In addition to the wide variety of available outdoor activities, Denver's downtown offers museums, art galleries, live music shows, water parks, restaurants and craft breweries for visitors to enjoy. Getting around downtown is easy through the free 16th Street Mall shuttle. Visit Larimer Square and the renovated Denver Union Station in historic Lower Downtown features restaurants, galleries, shops, bars, brewpubs and coffee houses. Denver Pavilions consist of shops, restaurants, bars and a movie theater. Local Attractions: The Brookings Institution ranks Denver is one of the most walkable downtowns in the nation. A free shuttle bus on the 16th Street Mall is available for your convenience. Some popular places to visit include Union Station and the LoDo Historic District. You can stand 5,280 feet above sea level (one mile high!) on the west steps of the Colorado State Capitol, where a quick climb to the rotunda affords you panoramic views of snowcapped peaks to the west. Free tours are available on weekdays. Other attractions include the Elitch Gardens Theme and Water Park and the family-owned Lakeside Amusement Park that's great for all ages. The legendary Coors Brewery in nearby Golden hosts 30-minute, self-paced tours of the brewhouse, malthouse and packaging complex. Their you'll see firsthand how more than 100 work teams make some of the most popular beer in the world. The Denver Zoo is an 80-acre zoological garden located in City Park of Denver, approximately three miles from the downtown. The Denver Zoo is the most popular paid attraction in the Denver metropolitan area, and it houses species from all over the world, including hoofed mammals, carnivorous mammals, primates, pachyderms, birds, reptiles, and fish. Laid out in a large loop, with exhibits both inside and outside the loop, the zoo's animal collection contains 3,500 specimens representing 550 unique species. For more attractions, please visit https://www.denver.org. Museums: Less than a 10-minute walk from the Sheraton Hotel is the Denver Art Museum. The museum is made up of two architecturally stunning buildings – one a fortress-like structure from Italian architect Gio Ponti, the other, a structure that resembles a titanium crystal with peaks and shards designed by Daniel Libeskind. Inside, find the world's greatest collection of Native American art and 68,000 other art objects, including works from European masters, Old West classics and phenomenal traveling exhibits. Within three miles of downtown, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science is a municipal natural history and science museum. A variety of exhibitions, programs, and activities help museum visitors learn about the natural history of Colorado, Earth, and the universe. The 716,000-square-foot (66,519 m2) building houses more than one million objects in its collections including natural history and anthropological materials, as well as archival and library resources. Dining: Home to award-winning chefs and restaurateurs, Denver has emerged as one of the top dining locations in the country. Denver's local culinary scene is thriving, offering everything from farm-to-table bistros to classic steakhouses to historic Denver restaurants. Whether downtown on the 16th Street Mall or looking for a unique spot in Cherry Creek, visitors have a variety of great options to choose from. For example, some local favorites include Tavernetta, Jax Fish house in Lower Downtown, the Family Jones Spirit House, Citizen Rail, Annette, El Five, Guard and Grace, to name a few. For families, the 12,000-square-foot gastohall, located in the hip River North Art District (RiNo), offers 10 stands vending everything from cheeseburgers and spaghetti to wood-fire pizzas, hand-crafted chocolates, sugar-studded pastries and Italian beef sandwiches. Complete with an ice cream shop, a coffeehouse, butcher shop, fish counter and bar that slings progressive cocktails (and mocktails), the Denver Central Market is headlined with foodstuffs to appease all age groups and every culinary persuasion. Each of the vendors has its own seating area, but the communal dining space—the market's focal point—is where everyone seems to congregate; there's a big-screen TV, too, that showcases sporting events.
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