Our 2026 Denver, CO Trip - Day 1

*This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

On Thursday, June 25, we got up at 6:30 AM, we showered and finished packing, and then we hit the road to catch a flight to Denver from Atlanta.  In case you didn’t read my by the numbers post, here’s a little background information on why we went on this trip.  My cousin, who is only two years older than me, has been battling cancer for many, many years.  She fought so very hard for so very long, but sadly, she is succumbing to the disease.  Instead of having a traditional funeral, she decided that she wanted to have a celebration of life, and that she wanted to be there for it so she could say goodbye to everyone who loved her. 

She chose a beautiful day at the end of June for her day, and the rest is history.  Since the trip popped up unexpectedly and amid several other trips for us, Brian and I discussed whether I should go alone or if we should all go as a family.  Ultimately, Brian decided that he didn’t want to miss it, and we decided that if we were going to have to fly across the country that we might as well make a whole vacation out of it. 

I’m so very glad we did, because even though we were there under sad circumstances, I will remember this trip my whole life.  We made so many beautiful memories as a family, we explored so many new places, we spent some wonderful last moments with my cousin and my extended family, and I will never forget any of it.  I’m so grateful that everything came together perfectly so that we were able to attend, especially since it was on very short notice.

Our drive to Atlanta was smooth and easy and we arrived at the park and ride with plenty of time for our flight at 11:10 AM.  After we made it through security (which was also a breeze), we found some breakfast at one of the cafes, and we all enjoyed various pastries while we waited to board.  I also spotted Theo of Golden by Allen Levi in the airport shop!

Our flight there had quite a bit of turbulence, and while the turbulence lasted throughout a lot of the flight, it was mild.  We took off and landed on time, and everything was very smooth, and for that, I was grateful.  I’ve heard nightmare stories about flying in recent months! 

We landed in Denver at 12:15 PM MDT and we didn’t have to stop to get our bags since we’d all carried on the flight.  We took a bathroom break and then jumped on the shuttle to the rental car place, and then we drove straight to In-N-Out Burger for a super duper late lunch (it was already 4 PM our time).

The kids had never had In-N-Out, and they enjoyed it, but I’m sure Brian and I enjoyed it even more since it had been so long since we’d had it!  Gah, that In-N-Out sauce is so good!  I asked for extra packets, and I was shocked because the packets were like three times the size of a standard ketchup packet.  And yes, yes, I did eat an entire packet all by myself in addition to what they’d already put on my burger.  One layer of sauce around the edge, eat all those bites, add another layer of sauce, eat all those bites, and so on.  Haha.  SO GOOD.

After we were done eating, we headed to the hotel to check in, drop our bags, change clothes, and freshen up, and then we drove back into Downtown Denver.  We stayed in Highlands Ranch on this trip since that’s where my family was, and the drive from there to downtown Denver is supposed to be around 25 minutes or so, but with traffic on Friday, it took us 45 minutes.

We found a parking garage and then walked to the first thing on our list – Union Station.  Union Station is the city’s old train station that was eventually converted into a space for shopping and dining, and friends, it is such a fun place!

Just outside, there is a splash pad that Brian and the kids ran through, and then we headed inside to check out the station.  We stopped in several little stores there including Tattered Cover which is a local bookstore in Denver (with several locations).  I was excited to see that they had Theo of Golden by Allen Levi (an old friend of my dad’s) in the #1 bestseller spot with a sweet little note from the bookstore owner.  We told the cashier that we were from the city that the book is based on and she was amazed!  (We actually have people flocking from all over to visit because of that book.)  She also told us that they can’t keep the book in stock because it’s just flying off the shelves.

The kids grabbed souvenir Palm Pals to remember the trip (a seagull with a fry in his mouth – LOL), and then after walking in a couple of the other shops, Brian and I decided to grab happy drinks from Terminal Bar, the old ticket windows from the train station.  The kids grabbed some water and then they went to find a place to sit, and friends, this was just the most beautiful place to enjoy our old fashioneds!! 

After our drinks, we walked to Larimer Street to explore, and it was the cutest little area.  Of course, we had to take photos of all the flags – they change them for the different seasons, holidays, or occasions – and they had the Colorado state flags flying as well as a bunch of flags for Pride Month, diversity, and inclusion.  We took soooo many pictures because it’s seriously the cutest little area!

The weather was perfection that evening, so it was the most pleasant walk.  It was cool in the shade (which we were mostly in since the sun had started its descent behind the buildings), the humidity was low, and there were beautiful blue skies.

The kids wanted to stop in Rocket Fizz, which is a unique candy store with pretty much every type of candy imaginable (including a bunch of really weird stuff), and they each bought one thing.  Olivia also saw butter squishies (IYKYK), and she also had to take a picture with a Wonka Bar since she had just danced in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory for her end of the year production.  And I had to take a picture of the Crème Savers because I used to have those in my purse all the time in college and when I worked at the movie theater.  I didn’t even know they made them anymore!  Memory unlocked!

We walked around some more after that, and then we headed to Marco’s Coal Fired for dinner.  Someone had recommended it to me for their pizza, and whoever that was – thank you!  It was delicious!!  On the way, the kids wanted to stop and climb inside this big honeycomb thing in the middle of downtown.

Brian and I had a round of drinks (a Manhattan for me and a paper plane for him) and just look at that delicious pizza.  It was so good!

We walked back to Union Station after dinner, so we could get some ice cream from Milkbox Ice Creamery.  On the way, we swung by Coors Field to see it, and then Olivia wanted me to run through the splash pad with her, so I did.   

We all decided to get salted Oreo ice cream because it sounded intriguing.  But y’all, when I say this stuff was too salty, I mean it was disgustingly salty.  It was not even edible.  My tongue was literally burning because it was so strong.  I ate as much as I could, but I wasn’t able to finish it.  In hindsight, we should have sampled it first, but oh well!  Brian and Olivia didn’t think it was that bad, but Jacob and I were appalled, and he and I both LOVE salt.  Haha.  They did have really cute signs hanging up in the store, though.  Haha.

After we were done with dessert, we walked back to the car, drove back to the hotel, and we watched a little bit of Team USA playing in the World Cup while the kids showered.  Once everyone was in pajamas, we went straight to sleep… around 9:30 PM MDT.  That was 11:30 PM our time, though, so we were exhausted.

And because I took soooo many pictures, I’m dividing these recaps into three separate posts, so stay tuned… day two is on the way!