Mile High Station

The forge half of the old Midwest Steel and Ironworks complex, built in 1897, where hundreds of Denver ironworkers once turned out large steel sections. The brick walls and the I-beam frame stayed put; a mezzanine, a kitchen, a bar and a patio were added around them. It takes up to about 1,200 people, which is why so many Denver galas and wedding receptions end up here instead of a hotel ballroom. It sits just west of Ball Arena, close enough to walk, with its sister venue Ironworks next door.

Why go. A steel-frame room that beats any hotel ballroom in town for scale.

You get in by invitation or ticket; the weekday hours listed are the sales office, not the doors.