off-leash dog park · since 2007
Railyard Dog Park
Downtown's only lit dog park, wedged against the tracks
A fenced triangle of just under an acre at 19th and Bassett (Little Raven), squeezed between the Riverfront condos and the Union Station rail lines. Downtown residents organized it in 2007 through the Riverfront Park Community Foundation, and it is still the neighborhood's dog commons: separate high-energy and low-energy sections, water, and, per Denver Parks, the only dog park in the city with lighting, so it runs from 5am into the evening year-round. Surface is gravel and turf, so expect dust in August. Trains rumble past constantly, which most dogs stop noticing after a week.
Why go. If you are staying downtown with a dog, this is where the dog goes.
Evenings after 6 are the social hour; mornings before work are quieter and cooler.
A short walk from Railyard Dog Park
Denver Skatepark
Sixty thousand square feet of free concrete at the north end of Commons Park
LoDo · 2205 19th St
Woodie Fisher Kitchen & Bar
$$Bar and grill inside Hose House No. 1, Denver's oldest surviving firehouse.
LoDo · 1999 Chestnut Place
The Pig & The Sprout
$$Half the menu is pork, half is vegan, and both sides are serious.
LoDo · 1900 Chestnut Pl
Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ
$$Grill-your-own Japanese barbecue by Union Station, with an all-you-can-eat option.
LoDo · 1998 18th Street
Ambler
$$Kerouac-themed hotel bar and grill behind Union Station, easy at any hour.
LoDo · 1801 Wewatta St
Da Sauce
$Chicago tavern-cut pizza and Italian beef, open until 3am on weekends by the ballpark.
LoDo · 2907 Huron Street