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A gold-rush town that has blossomed into a banking and financial center, Denver's location at the base of the Rocky Mountains has made it a top destination for nature lovers, even as it has embraced art and culture. While the Mile High City boasts mountain views and the nation's largest city park system, it also features the Denver Performing Arts Center, second largest in the country. Museums, galleries and shopping populate downtown Denver, and the city's historic district, LoDo (Lower Downtown), is home to bars, restaurants and jazz clubs.

You'll want a car if you're heading to the mountains, but it's easy to get around downtown Denver via public transportation. The Regional Transportation District (RTD) operates buses and light rail for $1.50 per trip, with the light rail's C Line serving Coors Field, the Pepsi Center, Six Flags and Invesco Field, and the D Line stopping at the Convention Center. A free bus runs along the 16th Street Mall between Union Station and the Civic Center.

Denver International Airport is 25 miles northeast of downtown Denver, and cab rides can run up to $50. RTD's skyRide bus service into the city is just $8, while Super Shuttle vans are available for $19.

Hit the Slopes of the Rockies
Skiers and snowboarders will find some of the best powder in the U.S. among the peaks of the Rocky Mountains. Big names like Vail, Aspen and Breckenridge are the most popular destinations, but others like Eldora, Loveland and Winter Park are closer to Denver and more reasonably priced.

Explore the Trails on Horseback
Stay at one of the dozens of dude ranches in central Colorado and get a little taste of life in the Old West. Ranch owners offer plenty of instruction and guidance in handling the horses, and rides can range from a couple hours to a couple days, but if you're a total city slicker, you can stick to hiking, mountain biking or fishing.

Get Home Runs and a Scenic View at a Rockies Game
The baseballs fly out of the park in the thin air at Coors Field (a row of purple seats in the upper deck marks exactly one mile above sea level), so if you're a fan of offense, there's no better place to be. Sit along the first-base line or in right field and you'll also be treated to a spectacular vista of the mountains to the west of downtown Denver.

Check Out One of the World's Largest Rodeos
The National Western Stock Show and Rodeo, attracting more than 600,000 visitors over two weeks each January, has a variety of roping, riding and wrestling events for the pros, but even more entertaining is "Mutton Bustin'," where five- to seven-year-old kids emulate the cowboys by riding bucking sheep into the rodeo arena.

See a Game, any Game, at INVESCO
Is it INVESCO Field? Mile High Stadium? INVESCO Field at Mile High? No matter what you call it, Denver's state-of-the-art facility, opened in 2001, is among the country's best stadiums. If you can't land a ticket to a Broncos game during football season, you can always check out the Colorado Rapids (soccer) or the Denver Outlaws (lacrosse). The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame museum is also on site.

Denver Art Museum
100 W. 14th Ave. 720-865-5000
The cornerstones of this museum are its collections of Western and American Indian art. It is home to important works by Frederic Remington, Charles Russell and Georgia O'Keefe, as well as the art of 150 Indian tribes spanning 2,000 years.
http://www.denverartmuseum.org/

U.S. Mint
320 W. Colfax Ave. 303-405-4757
Where does money come from? Right here. Denver is one of four Mints, but only here and in Philadelphia can you actually see, while on tour, common metal being transformed into cold, hard cash.
http://www.usmint.gov/mint_tours/index.cfm?action=StartReservation

Denver Museum of Nature and Science
2001 Colorado Blvd., 303-322-7009 or 800-925-2250
You'll come for the two Egyptians mummies and the seemingly endless collection of gems and minerals. But you'll stay for the dozens of world-class dioramas.
http://www.dmns.org/main/en/

Denver Zoo
23rd Ave. and Steele St. 303-376-4800
This zoo has long been one of the nation's leaders in recreating natural habitats for its animals. Don't miss Predator Ridge, designed to resemble an African savannah, with lions, spotted hyenas, crowned cranes and banded mongoose among its 50 species.
http://www.denverzoo.org/

Larimer Square
1400 block of Larimer St. 303-534-2367
This restored two-block district is where Denver began, in 1858, as a home to gold seekers and other pioneers. Sixteen of its original buildings have been renovated; their ground floors now house shops, restaurants and nightclubs.
http://www.larimersquare.com/

2001 Colorado Avalanche (defeated New Jersey Devils, 4 games to 3).
1999 Denver Broncos (defeated Atlanta Falcons, 34-19).
1998 Denver Broncos (defeated Green Bay Packers, 31-24).
1996 Colorado Avalanche (defeated Florida Panthers, 4 games to 0).