Out of town friends or family traveling here for the AFC Divisional game at Sports Authority Field Sunday?

Denver welcomes Colts and Broncos fans alike with suggested hotels, dining options and sightseeing venues. The Mile High City loves out-of-towners who spend their money here and go home, but if you’re betting on the wrong horse, let there be no doubt that this is Broncos country.

Visitors coming to see the Denver Broncos face off against the Indianapolis Colts at 2:40 p.m. Sunday can also see a priceless exhibition of jewelry, dine out in a restored train station, stay at new “historic” hotels, grab brunch in the trendy LoHi, Baker, or RiNo neighborhoods, or take a walk on the Denver Beer Trail in America’s craftiest beer city.

Here is a list of stay, dine and see spaces compiled by Visit Denver, Denver’s convention and visitors bureau.

Stay:

There are 44,000 hotel rooms in Denver with 9,400 rooms downtown offering easy access to Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium. Most of the downtown hotels are just a block or two from the 16th Street Mall, Denver’s mile long pedestrian walkway. Hop on a free bus to Union Station, and catch the Light Rail two stops to the football stadium. Or you can travel there by pedicab or join the parade of people who walk across two pedestrian bridges to the South Platte River and walk along a paved river trail to the stadium.

Some of Denver’s newest hotels include:

The Crawford Hotel

This historic 112-room property opened in August 2014 as the centerpiece of the newly restored 1914 Union Station and offers three styles of rooms. The Pullman rooms on the second floor are modeled after the luxury private sleeping cars of old. The Classic rooms on the third floor come with tall ceilings and large windows. The former attic area is now the Loft, featuring exposed wood timbers, vaulted ceilings and a more contemporary design. To make the most of the architectural features, most of the rooms in the hotel are one-of-a-kind designs and shapes. The hotel shares The Oxford Club Spa with the award-winning Oxford Hotel across the street.

Renaissance Denver Downtown City Center

This full-service, four-star, 221-room hotel opened in May 2014 in the restored Colorado National Bank Building, which was originally built in 1915 from the same white marble used in the Lincoln Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  The hotel incorporates many historic details from the old bank, including three vaults with 33-inch thick doors that now serve as meeting rooms. The ground floor restaurant, Range, specializes in foods of the American West with many Colorado specialties, while the lobby bar is surrounded by huge, wall-size murals painted by local artist Allen Tupper True. Considered one of Colorado’s premier native-born artists, True focused his work on Western subjects. The murals in the hotel depict the lives of American Indians on the Plains region during the 1800s.

Play:

Football fans are lucky that Denver is hosting two world exclusive art exhibitions in January and is a year-round destination for professional sports and locally crafted beer.

The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame and Tour at Sports Authority Field at Mile High

If you arrive a day or two early for the game, make sure to take some time to visit Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The stadium is home to the free Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, which highlights the achievements of the great athletes who have played for the Broncos, Nuggets, Rockies, Avalanche and others. You can also get a behind the scenes look at this state-of-the-art football stadium on a 90-minute guided tour (offered every hour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Denver Beer Trail

The Mile High City brews more beer than any other city.  From the world’s largest single brewing site, Coors Brewery in nearby Golden, to small tasting rooms with only a dozen chairs, Denver has more than three dozen breweries in and near downtown and more than 100 in the metro area.  In 2013 and 2014, metro Denver opened a new brewery on average every other week. There are several beer tour companies set up that will drive you to several of the coolest – and tastiest – breweries near downtown Denver. Or, go out and explore on your own with some guidance from the Denver Beer Trail.

Mark Mothersbaugh: Myopia at Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (MCA), through April 14.

Organized by MCA Denver, this retrospective exhibition brings together the first comprehensive presentation of Mark Mothersbaugh’s art and music to date, from the beginning of his career in the early 1970s through the present. Though well known around the globe as a founding member of the popular band Devo, Mothersbaugh has been a prolific artist since before the band’s inception.

Brilliant: Cartier in the 20th Century at the Denver Art Museum, through March 15.

This worldwide-exclusive exhibition at the Denver Art Museum includes an astonishing assortment of jewelry, timepieces and precious objects from the Cartier collection. Many of the pieces in the exhibition were owned by aristocrats, celebrities and royalty, including Princess Grace, Elizabeth Taylor, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, J.P. Morgan and the Aga Khan, among other luminaries.

Eat:

Before the game, explore some of Denver’s trendy neighborhoods, all of them accessible from downtown.

Denver Union Station

Denver’s historid Beaux Arts 1914 train terminal reopened with 10 new restaurants and bars in July 2014, as well as a selection of fine retailers including a branch of the popular Tattered Cover Bookstore. Local powerhouse chef Jen Jasinski (winner of the 2013 James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest) has opened Stoic & Genuine, a seafood-centric restaurant in the tradition of Grand Central Station’s Oyster Bar, while Alex Seidel (Food & Wine’s Top New Chef of the Year 2010) has opened Mercantile, featuring locally sourced, farm-to-table items from his sheep farm located in nearby Larkspur. For larger groups, The Kitchen Next Door offers community-style seating and casual atmosphere. Step up to the Terminal Bar, situated in the station’s old ticket windows, to order one of 30 Colorado beers on tap, or relax in the Cooper Lounge overlooking the station’s grand hall.

Lower Highlands (LoHi)

Connected to downtown by three pedestrian bridges, LoHi has become one of Denver’s most popular dining destinations. Linger is housed in an old mortuary and was selected by Travel + Leisure for having one of “America’s coolest rooftop bars.”  Sister restaurant Root Down has a menu dedicated to locally sourced foods, while Ale House at Amato’s has 45 local beers on tap, outdoor fireplaces and an expansive city view. The walls of Denver Beer Company literally “roll up” (it was once an auto repair shop) and the outdoor beer garden has picnic tables and food trucks. Nearby, Prost Brewing has copper kettles from Germany and a delicious selection of sausages. Colt & Gray, Old Major and Duo are local neighborhood favorites, while My Brother’s Bar is a Denver institution, once frequented by beat generation legends Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassidy.

River North (RiNo)

RiNo is a former industrial neighborhood that is exploding with art galleries, restaurants, breweries, distilleries, and even a winery (with the grapes supplied from the Western Slope of Colorado). Swing by The Source, an old brick manufacturing plant that now houses a bakery, butcher, florist, the acclaimed Acorn restaurant, street tacos at Comida, Crooked Stave brewery known for their wide variety of sour beers and several shops. Work & Class, Populist, the Butcher Block, and Amerigo Delicatus are just some of the new restaurants gaining national attention. Down the block, Infinite Monkey Theorem Winery is building a name for its canned sparkling wines, while Epic, River North, Black Shirt and Our Mutual Friend are just some of Denver’s breweries located in this area.

South Broadway and Baker

Yet another hip neighborhood with new eateries, bars and nightspots is just one mile south of downtown along South Broadway. Check out the rooftop decks of the Historian Ale House or the Irish Rover, stop by for palm trees and umbrella drinks at Adrift Tiki Bar, or play a game of bowling, darts or shuffleboard at the massive 20,000 square foot Punch Bowl Social. From fine dining at Beatrice & Woodsley to homemade Sweet Action Ice Cream, Baker has a Brooklynesque feel with pizza shops next to bookstores on a street lined with one-of-kind clothing shops, galleries, original home furnishings and music clubs.

The Walnut Room, RiNo’s music venue and pizza place at 3131 Walnut St., is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a hearty party from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday with drink specials, complimentary appetizers and pizza and free performances by Adrienne O, Andy Palmer, Roo & The Howl, Matt Hoffman of Strange Americans and DJ Social Lubrication. The event is for guests 21 and over.

For years, musician and entrepreneur John Burr dreamed about creating a place where fellow musicians could relax after rehearsing at his RiNo sound studio. He envisioned a venue that hosted live music and served the thin-crust pizza from his childhood. In January 2005, Burr’s dream became a reality and The Walnut Room was born.

A decade later, The Walnut Room has become one of the premier venues for local bands to play and a popular dining spot for its palate-pleasing pies. In addition to hosting some of the city’s top bands, The Walnut Room has featured such established acts as Chris Isaak, Jewel and The Fray.

“The Walnut Room’s anniversary is really a significant milestone. We are proud to have survived a decade in an emerging neighborhood and grateful to have carved an identity for ourselves that has resonated with the public,” Burr said.

Burr plans to build on The Walnut Room’s reputation for hosting some of the city’s best live performances with an expanded kitchen which will allow the venue’s menu to grow this year.

Since opening the original Walnut Room location at 3131 Walnut St., Burr has expanded his pizzeria business to include a second outpost on South Broadway.

For more information, go to www.thewalnutroom.com/walnut-street/.

(Walnut Room photos)

Swallow Hill Music presents a concert by legendary Peter, Paul & Mary member Peter Yarrow at 8 p.m. April 17 at The Oriental Theater, 4335 W. 44th Ave. Tickets are on sale now at  www.swallowhillmusic.org/denver-concerts/ or by calling 303-777-1003, ext. 2

Yarrow’s talents as a creative artist, with Peter, Paul & Mary and as a solo performer, are frequently directed at using music to convey a message of humanity and caring. His gift for songwriting has produced some of the most moving songs from Peter, Paul & Mary, including “Puff, the Magic Dragon,” “Day is Done,” “Light One Candle” and “The Great Mandala.” Over the years, many issues have moved Yarrow to commit his time and talent including equal rights, peace, the environment, gender equality, homelessness, hospice care and education.

“We’re part of a long train ride,” is the way Yarrow visualizes the many events that have highlighted a career spanning more than four decades. “When I was in high school, I heard The Weavers’ concert at Carnegie Hall where they sang songs such as ‘If I Had a Hammer,’ and ‘Wasn’t That a Time.’ It was inspiring, and it showed me the extraordinary effect that music of conscience can have.”

Colorado, a new glass sculpture by artist Dale Chihuly  is now on view in Denver Botanic Gardens’ Ellipse garden at 1007 York St.

The work has been added to the Gardens’ permanent collection through the generosity of private donors including Robert and Judi Newman, John and Ginny Freyer and the RC Kemper Charitable Trust, UMB Bank, n.a., Trustee. It is comprised of 1,017 hand-blown glass elements and stands more than 14 feet tall. Viewing of Colorado is included in Gardens’ admission.

Chihuly used a red, orange and yellow color palette as it reminded him of the skies and sunsets he enjoyed during Denver visits. Chihuly’s collection set record attendance numbers at the Gardens.

He drew inspiration for the new work from one of his most challenging outdoor installations, Icicle Creek Chandelier, a permanent outdoor installation he did in 1996 at Sleeping Lady Resort in Leavenworth, Wash. Installed on a granite rock, the chandelier is a permanent reminder of how a work of art can be framed in nature and find harmony within it. Like Icicle Creek Chandelier, Colorado is designed to sustain similar outdoor weather conditions.

For more information, go to www.denverbotanicgardens.org.

(Denver Botanic Gardens photo)

Eavesdropping on a woman and a man driving by the lake at Georgetown: “Ice fishing looks like a miserable sport.”

“Those men really hate their wives.”

More than 100,000 spectators braved the cold temperatures to ring in the new year on the 16^th Street Mall during the 13^th Annual New Year’s Eve Fireworks Downtown. Two eight-minute shows with nearly 15,000 blasts exploded across the Denver sky in a myriad breathtaking and dramatic methods. With a 40-second finale, the hits rumbled Denver into the new year.

DJs along the 16^th Street Mall and festivities at the Southwest Rink at Skyline Park ramped up the energy between shows as people celebrated throughout the city center.

“The New Year’s Eve Fireworks provided the perfect atmosphere for the Denver community to come together and celebrate a fruitful 2014,” said Tami Door, CEO and president of the Downtown Denver Partnership. “With hundreds of thousands of individuals enjoying downtown restaurants, retail establishments and hotels, the celebrations continued throughout the night and helped drive our local businesses into the new year.”

The fireworks shows at 9 p.m. and midnight were created and managed by Western Enterprises, Inc. Launched simultaneously from two undisclosed locations downtown, the shows were fired using pyro seeking, the industry’s most advanced in digital firing technology, and SMPTE time code signal for synchronization with the music from the DJs. Nearly 600 cues were fired per show, and approximately 2,400 cues were fired overall.

The New Year’s Eve Fireworks Downtown were presented by the Downtown Denver Partnership and co-sponsored by Visit Denver and the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District.

(Larry Laszlo photo, CoMedia)

Millennials, the darlings of marketers at ages 35 and under, are desirable residents as young professionals, lifestyle fanatics and first-time homeowners.

Analysts at the news site Vocativ set out to determine the best U.S. cities for people 35 and under starting with the 100 most populous cities in the U.S., as reported by The Huffington Post.

“Then, they rated each one on their own personal measures of food, jobs, nightlife and more. A city’s entertainment score, for example, was determined by the price of an average movie ticket, the number of local music festivals, and the number of pro sports teams in the area. Others included:

• Night out: the average cost of beer, wings and (gasp!) weed.
• Housing: monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment, the cost of Internet and price of cleaning services.
• Getting around: percentage of population using public transit, the average price of gas, cost of a five-mile cab ride.
• Jobs: the median salary, unemployment and job growth rates.
• Food: the cost of groceries and number of coffee shops and take-out restaurants per 100,000 people.
• Appeal: number of sunny days per year, walkability, amount of violent crime.
• Demographics: the median age, ethnic diversity, amount of singles, percentage of LGBT individuals.”

The study resulted in “35 ultra-livable cities” – including Denver at No. 4 – where millennials are bound to find a great home. Here are the top 10:

Here are the top 10:

1. New York, NY.

2. Arlington, Texas.

3. San Francisco, Calif.

4. Denver (ranked high in food and entertainment).

5. Austin, Texas.

6. Minneapolis, Minn.

7. Seattle, Wash.

8. St. Paul, Minn.

9. Madison, Wis.

10. Portland, Ore.

For the rest of the story, go to www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/29/best-cities-for-millennia_n_6374304.html.

Cherry Creek North is a hotbed of revolving restaurant tenants within the chi-chi shopping district. And 2015 promises a new crop of eateries — many of which are under construction in luxury residential buildings.

Here’s what I know so far:

* Cucina Colore, 3041 E. Third Ave., a Cherry Creek veteran,  is currently expanding and will reopen in a few weeks.

* Departure, 245 Columbine, Chef Gregory Gourdet.

* Del Frisco’s Grille, First Avenue and St. Paul Street, opening in the fall.

* Kobe An Shabu Shabu, downstairs at 231 Milwaukee St.

* Hasu Asian Bistro & Sushi, now open at 250 Steele St.

* Aspen Juice, now open upstairs at 231 Milwaukee St.

* Old Ay Carumba Mexican Street Sandwiches space at 2817 E. Third Ave. is reportedly under negotiation for a new restaurant.

* 200 and 250 Columbine projects soon will announce restaurant tenants.

Aspen Juice, above, already has opened in Cherry Creek North and a remodeled Cucina Colore, below, will re-open soon.

While I much prefer to write about restaurant openings in our fair city, inevitably there are those that close. Some are big losses to our Mile High palate, others were more obviously headed for an epic fail.

Thrillist.com, the irreverent food and drink website, has compiled a list of the “12 shuttered Denver bars and restaurants that we’ll miss.” They are: Bonanno Bros. Pizzeria in the Vistas at Park Meadows, Catacombs Bar in Boulder, Corner House Neighborhood Eatery in Jefferson Park, Chef Liu’s Authentic Chinese Cuisine in Aurora, Le Grande Bistro & Oyster Bar downtown, Ondo’s Spanish Tapas Bar in Cherry Creek, Oshima Ramen in Southeast Denver, Row 14 Bistro & Wine Bar downtown, Restaurant Kevin Taylor downtown, twelve restaurant in ballpark, TAG Raw Bar Larimer Square, T-Wa Inn Southwest Denver.

Read more about each closure at www.thrillist.com/eat/denver/denver-bars-and-restaurants-that-closed.