Things to Do in Denver for Black Couples
Whether it’s date night or just trying to figure out what life would be like in Denver as a couple, fortunately there’s tons of activities and experiences for couples to explore while living in Denver or visiting.
No. I’m not mentioning that infamous swingers place. You’ll have to search for that place yourself.
But in all seriousness there are so many things to do in Denver, that I thought it would be fun to put together some ideas for different types of Black couples. I will also update this post and add new events whenever I learn about them.
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Black AF Date Ideas for Couples
This is a little tongue in cheek. But, I thought it would be fun to share some ideas to help a couple design a date that is guaranteed to be as Black as possible in Denver.
- Agave Shore-Enjoy some delicious drinks and tacos before hopping into an Uber and making your way to the next destination of your date.
- Status Ultra Lounge-Enjoy Sunday brunch and good vibes.
- Rhythm R&B Skate Experience (Skate City Aurora) Not an ongoing event, but definitely something to keep an eye out for. Or, just attend Adult nights.
- Denver Soul Line Dancing-If you’re from Chicago, then you’re very familiar with soul line dancing. I had so much fun attending a class at (of all places) Little Man Ice Cream. Great people, fantastic music and a good time. Classes are normally held in Aurora. But, they are held in different venues from time to time.
- Slam Nuba-I’m a huge, huge fan of slam poetry and for a long-time Denver had the best slam poetry team in the United States. Slam Nuba is a vibe. Typically held once a month at the end of the month.
- Juneteenth Music Festival-Denver hosts one of the largest Juneteenth celebrations in the United States. Enjoy good music, people watching and step shows that weekend.
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Red Rocks)-The most amazing movie experience I’ve ever had was watching Black Panther at Red Rocks. It was a sold out crowd of 9,000 people and a full-moon. AMAZING. I held off on seeing Wakanda Forever with the hope that it would be shown at Red Rocks. I’m so happy.
- LL Cool J: The F.O.R.C.E. Concert-There is a lot of incredible music coming into town this year. But this concert, this is the one that I have to attend. I am so excited!
Date Ideas for Couples that Love Sports
There are so many sports related activities in Denver that you and your boo could spend years just working through all of the sports related activities you could experience in Denver. In fact, there are so many sports experiences that I’ve opted NOT to share all of them and also to share some that you might not have considered.
- Denver Nuggets
- Denver Broncos
- Colorado Mammoth
- CU Football
There are so many opportunities to enjoy sports in Denver that most sports fanatics have a team that they can enjoy during every single season.
Date Ideas for Active Couples
The cliche about living in Denver is that people are constantly hiking, biking, skiing and participating in outdoor adventures. One of my core missions with this website is to normalize Black and Brown faces in outdoor spaces by sharing how we are safely enjoying the outdoors.
- Go Skiing-There are a number of groups focused on creating community for Black and Brown skiiers based in Colorado. If you’re feeling a little shy about skiing on your own or would like to ski with a community-definitely check these groups out. I recommend going on a Tuesday or Wednesday and staying overnight if possible.
- Hiking with Outdoor Afro-This is one of my favorite groups and I love hanging out in the outdoors with the other members.
- Denver Urban Skate Troop-Have fun skating through the streets of Denver with a huge group of likeminded roller skaters. Wear a helmet and get some cute roller skates.
- Denver Cruiser Ride-Ride your bike through the streets of Denver with hundreds of other cyclists. Each ride has a theme, wear a costume have fun.
- Epic Sky Trek-If you used to love jungle gyms as a kid, this is the adult version and it’s MASSIVE. One of my goals this summer is to get a group of people together for a day at Epic Sky Trek.
- Blitz Paintball-I used to work with adult international students learning English as a Second Language. One of my favorite activities to take them on was paintball so that I could target the students who got on my nerves. It was always a great day.
- Pickleball-I haven’t had a chance to play pickleball yet, but I do love tennis so I think I would enjoy it. Let me know how it goes.
- Kickball League-Several years ago (pre-COVID) I was a member of a kickball league. I had a great time.
Date Ideas Who Love Theater and the Arts
The Denver Center for the Performing Arts is the crown jewel of theater in the Denver Metro area. However, there a so many performance venues and companies to enjoy that I thought I would share some that I recommend checking out as well as upcoming performances.
- Cleo Parker Robinson Dance-In addition to dance performances, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance also has a school of dance.
- Meow Wolf Denver-It’s hard to describe what Meow Wolf is. It’s an interactive arts experience that both adults and children will enjoy. One thing to know is that Meow Wolf does host adults only evenings so check those out as well.
- Tina Turner the Musical-Denver Center for the Performing Arts
- Michael Jackson the Musical-Denver Center for the Performing Arts
- Emancipation Theater-I’m not sure how often the Emancipation Theater performs shows throughout the year but I do want you to add it to your list.
- Colorado Symphony-One of my favorite things about the Colorado Symphony is their collaborations with unexpected musicians and groups…like Cypress Hill and Al Green. I just love all of the outside of the box creative music that they’re performing.
- Colorado Ballet-Some of my favorite memories of being a kid were from taking ballet classes. I was so short that my hand barely reached the barre. I absolutely love watching ballet and the Colorado Ballet is a great regional troupe.
This is a short-list of the many opportunities in Denver to enjoy the theater and related arts experiences.
Date Ideas for Couples Who Love Vinyl Records
There has been a reemeergence of enthusiasm connected to vinyl records and the beautiful listening experience connected to records. Denver has some great spaces that embrace this
- ESP HiFi-If you love a moody bar with drinks, records and a calm atmosphere, you should check out this space. It’s referred to as a “listening bar”
- Vinyl Me, Please-If you would like to see how records are made you’ll be able to watch the process and take tours of Vinyl Me, Please.
- Stylus and Crate-Located in Wheat Ridge, my mom and I really enjoyed eating freshly made waffles and listening to music in this coffee shop.
- Rocky Mountain Record Show (Winter or Summer Show)-I hope that they continue to hold the record show at the Sports Castle. I liked how open the space was and that we could sit downstairs in the main lobby area.
Date Ideas for BLERD Couples
I am unapologetically a blerd (Black + Nerd) for those of you wondering what that means. I also have strong opinions about Star Trek vs. Star Wars (Star Trek is better) What I love about blerd life is the opportunity to embrace whimsy and imagination.
- Fan Expo Denver-If you love Star Wars, Star Trek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and other pop culture favorites while expressing yourself wearing your favorite cosplay costume-this is a space you must be at.
- May the 4th Be With You-There are events around town but I think a fun place to be is Wings Over the Rockies. Check out the X-Wing fighter before heading out and enjoying other events (Google them)
- The 1UP Bar-If you like Ms. Pacman, Donkey Kong and playing old school arcade games while drinking 40’s-The 1UP Bar is where you would do it.
Date Ideas for Couples Who Love Live Music
There are so many opportunities to enjoy live music in the Denver metro area that I’ve included a brief list below. In fact, at the time I’m putting this post together two more venues were opening up.
- Jazz in the Park-By Blair Caldwell Library
- First Fridays
- Levitt Pavillion-This venue has free concerts throughout the summer
- Burn Down-This venue I recommend taking the light rail to Alameda station (about 2 blocks away) or a Lyft. Parking is an issue.
Date Ideas for Couples Who Love Random Adventures
One thing that Denver does well is party. We love any excuse to have fun or do something that may feel completely random to someone else. I’ll be adding to this section as I hear about fun and random things to do around town.
- Fritzler Corn Maze-Fall
- Great American Beer Festival
- Derby Day
- ¡Viva Streets Denver!
- Ziplining
- Go Kart Racing
Date Ideas for Foodies
It pains me to say this but I don’t think that Denver will ever be a “food city.” It does have good food but there are way too many people here who won’t eat gluten, sugar, salt and lard. These are all of things that make many of our favorite foods great. That said, the food scenes has definitely gotten significantly better in Denver and Colorado. There’s good food to be eaten but I thought it would be fun to share interesting food experiences vs. restaurants to eat at.
- Omakase-If you love Japanese food then you know what I’m talking about.
- Top Taco-The first time I experienced Top Taco I was working a side-hustle as a brand ambassador passing out a product. Once we were done with work we proceeded to eat our weight in tacos and enjoyed so many drinks. I love Top Taco.
- Beano’s Cabin-My mom and I ate Christmas dinner here once and it was an incredible experience. You have to take a snowcat up the mountain to the cabin. We had a 5 course meal and it’s one of the dining experiences that I plan on booking again.
- Sushi Making Class-Drink sake while making sushi.
Date Ideas for Couples Who Want to Explore the Mountains
I spend A LOT of time in the mountains. I often stay for a couple of nights just to relax, soak in the hot tub and drink wine. If you’re thinking of doing a mountain date I have 3 suggestions. Sign up for a tour and leave the driving to someone else. Traffic on I-70 and all roads going West are a PITA. If you haven’t had the chance to check out the mountains, book a tour with a company that has a set itinerary.
The next suggestion is to stay overnight in the town that you would like to experience. Then book an in-town adventure.
Finally, road trip down to Taos, New Mexico. No, it’s not Colorado. Yes, road tripping is a part of the Colorado experience. On your way down take US-285 (my favorite route) stop by the Great Sand Dunes, head to a hot springs and just enjoy yourselves.
Design a Staycation Experience
Staycations are a great way to decompress, reignite energy into a relationship and introduce some random fun into your life. If you’re a parent, spending quality time with your person is a great way to keep your relationship fresh.
What to consider:
- Types of activities you would like to enjoy
- Budget-What is the maximum you would like to spend during your staycation?
- Theme of your staycation
- Transportation-Do you want to do the driving or let someone else do it?
- Where do you want to eat?
Things to Do in Denver for 11 Different Types of Black Couples
I hope you enjoyed this post and the 11 different types of Black couples represented in this list. We don’t all like the same types of things and I thought it would be fun to share ideas of things to enjoy while keeping in mind that there are different strokes for different folks. Let me know what you end up doing!