What is there to do in Golden?
Golden Colorado is the perfect blend of city and mountain town. It is 30 minutes from downtown Denver, and a little bit closer to Buena Vista (not by much though!) since it's in the front range.
From beautiful river walks/biking, endless shopping, tubing down the river, and touring the Coors Brewery, it's impossible to have a bad day in Golden!
1
Coors Brewery Tour
The Coors Brewery in Golden is the largest single-site brewery in the world and one of Colorado’s most famous beer landmarks. Founded in 1873, it produces well-known beers like Coors Banquet and Coors Light using water from nearby Clear Creek. Visitors can take a brewery tour to see the brewing and packaging process and learn about the company’s history, with beer samples included for guests 21+. You can do the tour if you are underYou MUST have a reservation which we recommend booking well in advance since they sell out. Click HERE to make a reservation
2
river tubing
Tubing in Golden is one of our most favorite ways to spend a hot summer day around Denver. While definitely thrilling, it's totally safe if you are prepared. It's a SUPER popular activity. Below we've included our entire guide on absolute best way to experience tubing in Golden. This activity is only recommended for stronger swimmers.
The most important thing to do before going is to make sure to check the water levels on THIS website (switch data type of Discharge, cubic feet per second, aka CFS) under 300 CFS is super mellow good for kids, 300-500 cfs is for kids 12+ or strong swimmers. we’d recommend staying out of the water if it’s 500+CFS.
Get to Golden around 9-10am, rent tubes in advance from a local river shop, they sell out early, so try to make a reservation in advance.
What to Bring: Wear your bathing suit & Chacos/sturdy sandals with straps (NO flip flops), bring towels, leave in the car, get a dry bag (SO WORTH IT), LOTS of sunscreen, sunglasses, hat (that is secure on your head)
The absolute best place to park is right next to Vanover Park (HERE) but it is a tiny lot that fills up fast, if you cannot get a spot the there you can park at the lot at 304 10th St, Golden, CO 80401 (HERE)
Walk along Clear Creek Trail to coordinates below(roughly 2 miles), then drop in and float back! Lots of rapids, but kids go down all the time so you’re fine, Signs on the river will tell you when to exit the water, total float time is probably 30 min, you can walk back up to sections you like and do them as many times as you want!
39.753333, -105.241294
Bring a change of clothes and towels to keep in the car. After drying off, go to The Golden Mill for a beer, sit on the patio on the second level close to the river for some fun people watching and a view of the Coors factory.