If you’re looking for a perfect blend of history, good food, and relaxed vibes, an afternoon in Denver’s Lowry neighborhood is an excellent choice. We recently spent a few hours exploring the area, centered around the historic Hangar 2, and found a great way to escape the city bustle without leaving town.
Our adventure began with a trip to the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, a place that has been on my Denver bucket list for about 6 years. Located inside a former Air Force hangar, the museum is an impressive and vast space. We were immediately struck by the sheer number of different airplanes on display. With so much to see and read, we spent about 50 minutes exploring the main hangar alone, captivated by the stories behind each aircraft.
The museum also has several fascinating exhibits. While we didn’t get to see everything, we made a point to check out the “rocket area” and a full-scale replica of the Wright Brothers’ airplane. The most incredible part? A small, real piece of their original plane was on display, having been taken to the moon! It’s these small but significant details that make the museum so special. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, adding to the excellent experience. You could easily spend 2-3 hours here, especially if you’re a history or aviation enthusiast.
After our flight-filled journey, we needed a place to land. We headed right next door to the Lowry Beer Garden. It was a quiet, peaceful respite on a holiday weekend, which was a pleasant surprise. We grabbed a drink and enjoyed sitting in the open-air setting, relaxing and doing a little people-watching.
Feeling a bit peckish but not wanting to ruin dinner, our next stop was North Country. Our timing couldn’t have been better, as we arrived still during their happy hour. For just $8, we got a perfect snack-sized portion of delicious nachos. It was exactly what we needed to tide us over and was a fantastic, budget-friendly find.
Our afternoon was a great taste of what Lowry has to offer, but there’s so much more to explore. You can easily change up the restaurant or activities. Other things in this area include: Rocket Ice Cream (we hoped to get ice cream but were too full), Woodgrain Bagels, Cafe Mercado (I’ve been here a lot for work) and the Officer’s Club (been here two or three times). The Hanger Club around the corner is an indoor golf venue, and the firehouse theater company/ John Hand Theater (hope to catch a show here in the future). There are also several parks including the Lowry Sports Complex Park, Great Lawn Park and the City of Ulaanbaatar Park as well as the Lowry Reading Garden and if you have littles the Play Street Museum.
Lowry is a neighborhood that perfectly blends its rich past with a vibrant present.