Lower Highlands Denver Events Guide: Ice Cream, Run Club, Bridge

This Lower Highlands Denver Events Guide covers LoHi, a neighborhood known for rooftop bars and upscale dining. Highland, Denver records those features, along with a pedestrian bridge that connects the neighborhood to downtown Denver. The reasons to go are evening drinks with a view, the skyline from that bridge, two food stops, and a run club that finishes at a bar. The sections below take them in that order, from the neighborhood's character to the walk in from Union Station.

Rooftop bars and upscale dining define the evening scene in Lower Highlands. Highland, Denver names both as the neighborhood's defining features, so a visit built around drinks or dinner fits the place well. A rooftop bar suits an evening where the view matters as much as the drink. Upscale dining suits a meal planned ahead rather than a quick stop between other errands.

For a single evening, the simplest plan is dinner first and then a roof. Choose the dinner first, since it sets the time, then pick the bar afterward so the view decides the stop. The LoHi & Highlands Happy Hours guide covers more bar options if you want to compare a second choice.

The pedestrian Highland Bridge is the link between Lower Highlands and downtown. Highland, Denver records it as a pedestrian connection that offers panoramic city skyline views, and that view is the main reason to cross it on foot. Treat the crossing as a stop in its own right rather than a shortcut. Give yourself a few unhurried minutes on the span before you reach the far side.

Because the bridge is a pedestrian route, it works without a car. Anyone coming from downtown can cross on foot and arrive in the neighborhood with the skyline already in view. Crossing the same bridge back toward downtown at the end of a visit gives the same view from the other direction.

Little Man Ice Cream serves homemade ice cream flavors from a 19-foot cream can, which gives the shop a distinct look among the neighborhood's food stops. Rosenberg's Bagels serves authentic New York-style bagels, as Denver (Wikipedia) records. The two stops suit different parts of the day: bagels for a morning start, and ice cream for an afternoon stop after the bridge.

Pairing both in one day is practical because each stop has a single purpose. Begin with bagels, cross the bridge for the view, and finish with ice cream on the way back toward the neighborhood's other stops. Neither stop needs a reservation plan, so the day stays flexible around them.

Highland Tap & Burger hosts HTB Run Club, a group run that ends at the bar. Mercuria Running organizes the club. For a visitor, the run combines a walk through the neighborhood with a finish in the same place, which is the reason to plan around it. Check the organizer's current listing before you go, since the club sets its own schedule.

The run club and the bar make a natural pairing for a visit that already includes drinks. A group run that ends at the bar lets you spend the evening in one location after the run, without moving to another stop.

Walk from Union Station via the Highland Bridge to reach the neighborhood. The route is on foot and gives the skyline view on the way in, so no car is needed for the arrival. Drivers will find metered street parking, and some blocks are residential permit zones, so read the signs before leaving a car. For a day that includes the bridge, the bagels, the ice cream and the run club, the walk from Union Station is the simplest starting point.

Start at Union Station and cross on foot, then choose the stops after you arrive. Taking the bridge first keeps the skyline view early in the day, while the rest of the route is still ahead. A morning bagel, an evening dinner or a rooftop drink, and a run club finish can all fit within one visit, and the order above keeps the walking to a single direction.

Updated 2026-10-11: removed unsourced figures, dates and addresses; added the HTB Run Club and the Highland Bridge route from Union Station.