Hidden Gems in Auraria: A Beer Garden and Campus Stops

Hidden gems in Auraria start at the Tivoli beer garden at 900 Auraria Parkway: it sits in a 1859 historic brewery building, and well-behaved dogs can come along for a pint. The other stops here are a bar on Curtis Street and a hotel on the campus. For those, the parking and access details decide the order.

Tivoli Brewing Beer Garden suits anyone who wants to sit outside in an old brewery with a dog at their feet. The outdoor beer garden is housed in the 1859 historic brewery building, and AHEC covers the historic building on its campus event pages. It opens at 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday and at noon Friday through Sunday, and closes at 9 p.m. every day. It is an inexpensive stop. The entrance is wheelchair accessible, and parking is in a paid garage.

Under the same roof, or at the same address, Tivoli Turnhalle is a historic event space on the Auraria campus, built in 1870. Parking near it is paid parking in the area. Come for the building itself, and plan around whatever event is on.

From the beer garden, Test Connect Venue - Active is the next stop, a bar at 800 Curtis Street, Suite 216. It is 0.26 mi (414 m) from the beer garden, so the two work as a pair. The CCD Testing Center page places it on the Auraria Campus.

The bar has a wheelchair accessible entrance and wheelchair accessible seating, which makes it a straightforward choice for a group with mixed mobility. You can park on the street or in a garage. Both are paid.

SpringHill Suites by Marriott Denver Downtown is an all-suite hotel on Metropolitan State University of Denver's campus, at 1190 Auraria Parkway. It makes sense for anyone staying the night near the beer garden, which is also on Auraria Parkway. The Marriott overview page says the hotel offers valet parking only, at $55 a night. Vehicles over 8 ft pay $65 a night. The hotel does not run a shuttle, so plan your own way between stops.

Parking costs money at every stop here, and the way you pay differs from one to the next.

• Tivoli Brewing Beer Garden: paid garage parking.
• Tivoli Turnhalle: paid parking in the area.
• Test Connect Venue - Active: paid street parking or a paid garage.
• SpringHill Suites: valet only, at $55 nightly, or $65 for vehicles over 8 ft.

Two stops, the beer garden and the Turnhalle, share one address on Auraria Parkway, so a single garage visit covers both. For campus event calendars and access notes, the Auraria guide covers more, and Denver Hidden Gems collects under-the-radar spots across the city.

Go to the beer garden first, since it opens by 2 p.m. every day, then walk the 0.26 mi to Curtis Street for a second drink.