Things to Do in Denver & Cherry Hills Village This Fall
The Denver Botanic Gardens sits on the city's old cemetery, and every October they tell you about it after dark. That's the kind of thing you learn after fifteen years here, and it's the kind of thing this guide is for.
What follows is the version locals actually do. October events by date, the restaurants I go back to, pumpkin patches ranked by how long it takes to drive there from Cherry Hills Village, and which aspen drives still have color once the passes near Denver have dropped.
October in Denver, Date by Date
Most of these run for one weekend and then they're gone.
October 1 | Savor the Season, eight collaborative chef dinners across eight restaurants
October 4 | DIVA opens at the Denver Art Museum, through January 31
October 9 | Ghosts in the Gardens begins at Denver Botanic Gardens
October 9 to 11 | Pumpkin Festival at Chatfield Farms
October 10 | Last Saturday of the Cherry Creek Fresh Market
October 15 to 24 | Glow at the Gardens
October 16 and 17 | Joe Hisaishi with the Colorado Symphony at Boettcher, 7:30pm
October 16 | Mid-Century Modern Denver opens at History Colorado
October 17 | Paul Taylor Dance Company at Gates Concert Hall
October 23 | Other Sounds at the Clyfford Still Museum
October 24 | Día de los Muertos at Civic Center Park
October 31 | Trick or Treat Street on South Gaylord, 3 to 6
Joe Hisaishi will sell out. The Denver Film Festival runs late October into November and the program drops in early October.
Where to Eat in Denver This Fall
Uchiko, Cherry Creek. A black mid-century modern building that feels warm and woodsy once you're inside. Good for lunch or dinner.
Alma Fonda Fina, LoHi. I book late lunch reservations here because everything on the menu is worth ordering. Get the scallops, and the sweet potato for dessert. The avocado margarita is not optional.
Kizaki, Platt Park. Toshi Kizaki's swan song after 40 years of building Sushi Den into a Denver institution. An intimate omakase with two seatings, 5pm and 8pm.
Milpero, RiNo. Sixteen seats, eight guests at a time, and a brand new Michelin star. Reservations for the following month open on the 1st at 8am. Set an alarm.
Dear Emilia, RiNo. From the team behind Olivia, and the pasta is the reason I go back.
Two of these are Johnny Curiel's. He now has three Michelin-starred restaurants in three years, which is the story in Denver dining right now.
Pumpkin Patches Near Denver, by Drive Time
Times are from Cherry Hills Village.
Four Mile Historic Park, 10 minutes. October 17 and 18. The closest patch by a wide margin, on the grounds of the oldest standing structure in Denver. Artisan market, live music, and apple cider churros you can't get anywhere else.
Nick's Fall Fest, 20 minutes. Daily through November. Free to get in, which makes it the easy yes on a weekday afternoon. Straw maze, train rides.
Chatfield Farms, 25 minutes. Festival October 9 to 11, corn maze weekends through November 1. Ten acres of pumpkins on 700 acres of Botanic Gardens land.
Lone Creek Farms, 30 minutes. Wednesday through Sunday into November. Down in Franktown and the most actual farm of the group. Mutton busting, pig races, cart rides.
Miller Farms, 55 minutes. Through mid-November. You take a hayride out and pick your own pumpkins and vegetables across 180 acres.
Halloween in Denver
Ghosts in the Gardens, Denver Botanic Gardens, October 9, 10, 20 and 28 to 31. Self-guided after dark, with storytellers telling real staff accounts and the history of the land back when it was the city cemetery. About 90 minutes, $34, ages 12 and up.
13th Floor Haunted House, through early November. Denver's big one. Not recommended for 12 and under, and there's no toned-down version. Pay for Skip the Line on a weekend.
Victorian Horrors, Molly Brown House Museum, October 15 to 17 and 22 to 24. Dramatic readings in the house, entry every fifteen minutes.
Spirits and Spirits, Four Mile Historic Park, October 24. Silent film, a séance and a lantern walk. Twenty-one and up.
Trick or Treat Street, South Gaylord, October 31 from 3 to 6. The easiest good Halloween afternoon in Denver.
Where to See Fall Color Near Denver
The passes closest to Denver peak in the back half of September. By October, these are where the color still is.
Kebler Pass, west from Crested Butte. One of the largest aspen groves on earth.
Dallas Divide, Highway 62 west of Ridgway. The photograph you've seen on every Colorado calendar.
San Juan Skyway, Ridgway through Ouray and Silverton to Durango. A full day.
Last Dollar Road, Ridgway to Telluride. Narrow dirt. Skip it after rain.
Maroon Bells, southwest of Aspen. Timed reservation and shuttle required.
Closer to home, the cottonwoods at the Botanic Gardens hold through October, and the High Line Canal runs straight through Cherry Hills Village.
Coffee Worth the Drive Across Town
Little Owl at Populus, Golden Triangle. Inside the most interesting building anyone has put up in Denver in years, and a walk from the Denver Art Museum.
Huckleberry Roasters, Congress Park and four other locations. Where I take people who just moved here.
Weathervane Cafe, Uptown. An 1896 carriage house that's been a coffee shop since 2012.
Novo Coffee, Cheesman Park. The closest good coffee to Country Club and Hilltop.
The October Bucket List
- Brown butter and honey latte from The Carriage House
- Pumpkin patch and corn maze at Chatfield Farms
- Ghost stories after dark at Denver Botanic Gardens
- Broncos game at Empower Field
- Leaves along the High Line Canal
- Elk bugling at dawn in Rocky Mountain National Park
- Aspens on Kebler Pass
- Sunset hike at Red Rocks
- Día de los Muertos procession at Civic Center Park
- Trick or Treat Street on South Gaylord
Into November
Denver Arts Week runs November 6 to 15, with hundreds of events across the city. The Denver Film Festival carries into the first week. Most pumpkin patches close November 1, though Nick's and Miller Farms run later. Ski season usually opens at Arapahoe Basin or Loveland in the last week of October or the first week of November.
Fall color is finished statewide by November. If you haven't made the drive by Halloween, wait for next year.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is peak fall color in Colorado?
The passes closest to Denver, Guanella and Kenosha, peak between roughly September 18 and 30. Kebler Pass and the San Juans run later, into the first week of October. Color lasts days rather than weeks, so watch the week-ahead forecast and stay flexible about which route you take.
What's the closest pumpkin patch to Denver?
Four Mile Historic Park, at 715 South Forest Street, is inside the city and about ten minutes from Cherry Hills Village. Nick's Garden Center in Aurora is about twenty minutes and free to walk in.
When does Ghosts in the Gardens run?
October 9, 10, 20 and 28 through 31 at the Denver Botanic Gardens on York Street. About 90 minutes, self-guided, $34 general admission and $29 for members. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
What is there to do in Denver in October besides Halloween?
The Denver Art Museum opens DIVA on October 4 and History Colorado opens Mid-Century Modern Denver on October 16. Joe Hisaishi conducts the Colorado Symphony on the 16th and 17th, the Denver Film Festival runs late in the month, and Día de los Muertos is at Civic Center Park on the 24th.
Where should I eat in Denver right now?
Milpero just earned a Michelin star and books a month out. Alma Fonda Fina, Kizaki, Uchiko and Dear Emilia are the others I send people to.
