Spanning more than 80 acres in Denver’s historic City Park and home to numerous endangered species, the Denver Zoo is itself a rare bird among animal parks. With Bear Mountain, it was the first in the nation to create a naturalistic habitat; since then it has gone on to build Predator Ridge for African wildlife, the world’s largest Komodo dragon exhibit, and various other sanctuaries for the threatened likes of Andean condors, Pallas’s cats and Bactrian camels. But there’s nothing like Mshindi—a rhinoceros who paints with a brush and whose works are on permanent display in the Pachyderm House.
Tag Archives: city park
Let Izba Spa Whisk You Away—Literally
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First they beat you with whisks made of birch and oak, then they rub you down with honey—it may sound odd, but you won’t knock it after you’ve tried it at Izba Spa. Izba means “log cabin,” and this beautiful Russian banya, wood-lined and painted with frescoes, indeed transports you far from the grind of City Park. Although there are more basic options, a two-and-a-half-hour deluxe package includes a dip in the hot tub, a full-body massage, and a body polish as well as two traditional sessions in the sauna—yet costs only $135. So go for broke, or you may be kicking yourself for passing up a bargain later, which will be far more painful than the treatment itself (really, it’s very gentle).
From Mummies to Meteors: Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Founded by Colorado pioneer Edwin Carter to house his natural history collection- and growing ever since- the venerable, solar-powered Denver Museum of Nature and Science is as major a find 
as the million-plus artifacts and specimens it displays (including the original Folsom point).
Located at the same City Park address since 1908, it has expanded over the decades to include a planetarium and an IMAX theater among its exhibitions of Native American culture, dinosaurs, gems and minerals, Egyptian mummies, and more (to ensure you’ve got the energy for it all, there’s a café on site as well).
And just as the Discovery Zone provides an interactive wonderland for the kiddies, the Science Lounge caters strictly to adults with a monthly series of lectures and happy-hour cocktails.
Psst: PS Lounge is a Local’s Secret
In a town whose cup—
make that tallboy—runneth over with legendary dive bars, PS Lounge floats to the top. What makes the dark, kitsch-filled corner joint on Colfax—once dubbed the wickedest street in America by Playboy—so special? You. At least that’s how you’ll feel when your first round comes with Alabama Slammers and long-stemmed roses for the ladies, compliments of the house. The icing on the cake (or topping on the pie, rather): you can even have a pizza delivered right to your booth from Enzo’s End next door.