102 Things to Do in Colorado in 2020

Sweet home, Colorado — the place where you can find ski bums and tech bros at a craft brewery, enjoy street art and fine art in the same block, explore the outdoors using a variety of gear and techniques and elevate your mind through yoga, decriminalized substances and over 300 days of sunshine. We all know that Colorado is a magical state to call home, that’s why so many people have moved here over the last 10 years. Which is why we here at 303 Magazine keep making expansive Colorado bucket lists to stoke your excitement and keep you out there exploring and enjoying it. Are you ready for these 102 things to do in 2020?

Also check out our bucket lists from 2017, 2018 and 2019

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1. Go to the Mexican Modernist exhibit including works by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera at the Denver Art Museum starting in October
2. See Oprah when she comes to visit in March 7
3. Let your heart go on at the Celine Dion concert
4. Try one of the two nine-hole miniature golf courses inside Denver’s Old Spaghetti Factory at Urban Putt
5. Visit the Patagonia worn pop-up in Boulder before it leaves in February
6. Support your local activists by going to an open mic night or poetry reading
7. Check out the new $150 million addition and renovation to the Denver Art Museum when the first phase opens in June 2020
8. Shop from local companies that make a difference
9. Try ice climbing at Ouray’s ice park
10. Experience an immersive neuroscience-inspired theatrical show created by David Byrne and Mala Goankar at the Denver Center for Performing Arts

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11.  Check out new, established and emerging artists and vendors at the Colorado Anime Fest
12.  Gather together for the 2020 Womxn’s March
13.  Go to a special dinner or event at Castle Marne
14.  Get a new Instagram profile picture  at one of the new “selfie museums” in Denver and Boulder 
15. Drink wine and listen to vinyl at one of Denver’s coolest new restaurants.
16.  Go to Colorado Springs to explore some quirky places like this restaurant inside of a historic airplane or an underground Alice In Wonderland themed restaurant. 
17.  Celebrate 303 Day on March 3 including the release of a Denver Alphabet, 303 Music Vol. 3 and more
18.  Donate to Impact Humanity, Denver’s first free clothing store 
19.  Soak in a new Denver beer spa and then drink at a pint at the taproom 
20.  See one of the most-talked-about performers of 2019 when Billie Eilish comes to The Pepsi Center in April
21. Try uphill skiing and find out why people do it.
22.  See a Norman Rockwell exhibit at the Denver Art Museum which features new research
23.  Take a field trip to Denver Botanic Gardens’ Chatfield Farms to walk through the Stickwork sculpture created by volunteers and Patrick Dougherty 
24. For all the newbies to Colorado, try hiking a 14er for beginners
25.  Vote!
26.  See The Eagles perform during their “Hotel California Tour” in March
27.  Seek out some water this summer at one of these 11 lake houses you can rent
28.  Enjoy Colorado’s magnificent scenery on one of these gorgeous train rides
29.  Despite being named one of the worst places to find love, have a great date night going to a romantic restaurant, a romantic concert venue or a sexy bar.

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30. Enter a different dimension at one of Meow Wolf’s Denver events, like a possible second year of Dark Palace or the Elitch Gardens’ ride Kaleidoscape 
31. Take a Colorado road trip only driving on the scenic byways, and use our guide which connects 10 of them in a seamless journey
32. Check out Estes Park’s first music festival, called Roots on the Ridge
33. Slow down, enjoy your food and learn about sustainable culinary choices at the Slow Food Festival
34. Make a trip to Fiddler’s Green in the height of summer to see the living murals made of plants
35. Take a trip to Victor and stay in a haunted Victorian hotel 
36. See one of the state’s best-kept secrets at Red Cliff
37. Learn to swim like a mermaid, including the tail at this rec center
38. Cool down with a non-traditional summer dessert treat at this Korean dessert shop
39. Drive east of Denver International Airport to see the bloom of sunflowers in August
40. Drive west into the mountains to see new street art in Fraser, Vail, Granby and Aspen
41. Spend a few days in Larimer Square at the annual Denver Chalk Art Festival
42. Get wet at the FIBArk — First in Boating on the Arkansas, the “nation’s oldest whitewater festival” in Salida
43. Chow down on tacos at Top Taco
44. Watch videos projected onto buildings at night during the third annual Side Stories in RiNo
45. Get muddy, compete, have fun and get in shape by doing one of these Mud Runs
46. Rent out a private zoo in Golden and do some yoga with kangaroos
47. If kangaroos aren’t your thing, try the adoptable puppy yoga night in the Denver co-working spot Green Spaces

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48. Get in touch with your inner teenager at The Cereal Box in Arvada
49. Celebrate with your girlfriends, and a male nude model by drawing him during a new kind of bachelorette party 
50. Get to know Colorado’s history at one of History Colorado’s exhibits or other events
51. Visit the Molly Brown House for some unsinkable Colorado history related to the Titanic
52. See some new activism-inspired murals created during Street Wise festival in Boulder 
53. Catch Green Day, Fallout Boy and Weezer at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in July
54. Shop locally for produce at a Farmer’s Market
55. See the new Everland eco-retreat and playground
56. Get an eco-pass for the light rail and explore Denver via train 
57. Shop at a new Cherry Creek boutique 
58. Get local beauty products with these six brands
59. Go outside without roughing it at one of these glamping destinations
60. Drive to one of these eight last-standing drive-in movie theaters for a nostalgic cinematic experience 
61. Take time to smell the flowers during Crested Butte’s Wildflower Festival
62. Experience world-class dancing surrounded by some of Colorado’s best wilderness at Vail Dance Festival
63. Go cliff camping in Estes Park (no prior experience needed, just a sturdy stomach and no fear of heights)
64. Spend a weekend backpacking on the Refrigerator Gulch Loop
65. Stay cool during the hottest days of the summer on these 10 shady hikes
66. Go camping indoors at Basecamp in Boulder 
67. Explore an enchanting outdoor art gallery during Breckenridge’s WAVE festival
68. Attempt the new Via Ferrata inside Royal Gorge
69. Hike to see the reconstructed giant troll created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo
70. Search through the streets of Denver for one of these 100 bronze plaques by Mexican artist Anuar Maauad
71. Explore South Broadway and the local music scene during the 20th year of the Underground Music Showcase (UMS). Don’t know what to expect? Check out our review from 2019
    

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72. Witness dozens of local and visiting artists transforming the streets of RiNo during the 11th annual CRUSH WALLS mural festival
73. Try some magic mushrooms since they are now decriminalized in Denver. We just can’t tell you where or how to buy them.
74. Run into some of your favorite local street artists at the Mural Lounge & Graffiti Bar on Broadway in Denver
75. Wait till the sun goes down to see a mapped projection on the Daniels & Fisher Tower on the 16th Street Mall through the program Night Lights
76. Go off the beaten culinary path with these interesting restaurants
77. Listen to one of these Denver-based podcasts
78. Watch Fort Collins welcome street artists for the second annual Fort Collins Mural Project
79. Dance for two days at an artsy indoor music festival decked out by Denver artists at the third year of Far Out Factory 
80. See over 3,000 carved pumpkins at the third annual Pumpkin Nights
81. Take a photo in front of one of Kelsey Montague’s seven Denver murals
82. Visit Reinke Brothers in Littleton for your Halloween needs
83. Elevate yourself inside the International Church of Cannabis with a laser show that interacts with Okuda San Miguel’s gorgeous ceiling paintings
84. Start an art collection by visiting the art districts in Denver
85. Eat and explore one of the trendy new food halls across Colorado
86. Wait until it’s cold enough and visit one of these must-see frozen waterfalls
87. Imbibe at The Wolf’s Tailor — one of America’s best new restaurants according to Bon Appétit

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88. Ski under the stars at one of these ski resorts that allow night skiing
89. Check out some “outlandish cattle” at the Hey Hey Yak Ranch outside of Cañon City
90. Get ready to go animal style when In-N-Out comes to Colorado
91. Witness a tower made up of 6,000 glasses with champagne poured over them at the annual Brown Palace Champagne Cascade
92. Share a giant cocktail with your friends at one of these Denver bars
93. Ski on one of these double black diamond runs at a Colorado resort
94. Get a one of a kind Christmas ornament at St. Nick’s in Littleton with more than 15,000 ornaments from around the world.
95. Make a trip to one of these bizarre roadside attractions 
96. Soak in one of these hidden Colorado hot springs
97. Make some resolutions to come up with even more items for this bucket list!
98. Read more 303 Magazine
99. Do the 99 things on the Colorado bucket list from 2017 
100. Do the 88 things on the Colorado bucket list from 2018
101. Do the 100 things on the Colorado bucket list from 2019
102. Be grateful that you live in Colorado (see numbers 1 – 101)