8 Exclusive, Secret Speakeasies That Are Hidden Around Denver

 
 

Prohibition may be over, but that doesn't mean we aren't still fans of secret speakeasies.

Walk into the past to underground lounges, behind bookshelves, and more at these hidden bars.

Password, please.

In the past year, there’s been some familiar speakeasies that have closed in the city. We’ve had to say goodbye to places like Brass Tracks but in its place, were introduced to the Pueblo-inspired Fuel & Iron, more of a community bar so it won’t make it on this list. and we’ve also said goodbye to Green Russell, a local favorite. But we’ve seen an increase in lounges, speakeasies and cocktail bars that have cropped up in Denver that are getting us excited for Friday nights.

If you didn’t know, Denver actually dealt with the Prohibition Era four years longer than the rest of America, giving it a bit of a underrated claim to fame when it comes to speakeasies. While speakeasies are quite popular in places like NYC, Chicago and LA, Denver’s reputation should be bigger than it is, and if the cocktail scene we’re seeing now is any indication, it will be in the coming years. With that being said, here are 8 of our favorite super secret speakeasies and hidden bars in Denver with beautiful interiors, hidden doors, and always amazing cocktails.

1. Retrograde

 
 

Retro 60s meets the future at this super secret speakeasy tucked away behind an ice cream shop, Sweet Action, previously Frozen Manner. Head into the ice cream shop and head towards the back. The freezer door is your secret passageway into Retrograde where you’ll flip the switch and await to be taken to a place of alien-themed libations that will change as summer approaches.

Where: 530 E 19th Ave, Denver, CO 80203

2. Ghost Donkey

 
 


A hot pink glow, red neon, and a ceiling that resembles a glittering night sky are just a few reasons why Ghost Donkey is one of our favorite speakeasies in the city. Situated in the Coloradan near Union Station, Ghost Donkey focuses primarily on mezcal and tequila cocktails, which is exciting considering mezcal’s time in the spotlight the past year and a half. Don’t forget to try out one of their killer plates of specialty nachos while you’re there.

Where: 1750 Wewatta St Suite 140, Denver, CO 80202

3. The Cruise Room

 
 

The Cruise Room is an art deco-styled secret speakeasy tucked away inside the Oxford Hotel. You’ll not want to miss out on visiting this speakeasy, as it’s actually Denver’s longest standing bar, opening up just one day after the repeal of Prohibition. We recommend making a reservation in advance.

Where: 1600 17th St CO, Denver, CO 80202

4. B&GC

This underground bar hidden away in Cherry Creek makes our list for its longstanding place in Denver. Born from an old post office and revitalized into a hideaway serving amazing specialty cocktails or classics. For fans of spirits, they’ve got a ton of variety from multiple brands of scotch, rum, and gin for you to experience. For reservations, text 720-925-8598 with your reservation date, time, and number of people joining.

Where: 249 Columbine St, Denver, CO 80206

5. Millers & Rossi Speakeasy and Bar

 
 

Art meets mixology at Millers & Rossi. What appears to be just an art gallery with beautiful art hung on the wall for you to peruse is also a secret speakeasy. Unassuming, contemporary, and uniquely decorated once inside, this is a special place you won’t want to miss.

Where: 3542 Walnut St, Denver, CO 80205

6. Five Nines

 
 

The Clayton Hotel is home to this hidden speakeasy. While it touts itself as a hidden bar and not a speakeasy because of its aesthetic interior, open arms, and lack of exclusivity, its specialty cocktails rank it as speakeasy in our eyes. Come in and stay awhile sipping on a crafted libation and small bites.

Where: 233 Clayton St, Denver, CO 80206

7. Run for the Roses

 
 

An underground lounge in Dairy Block that pays “homage to elegant cocktail clubs of yesteryear…with hints of superstition and luck seen throughout.” Run for the Roses offers a seasonal menu of crafted cocktails and rare and vintage spirits, along with elevated snacks, making it one of Denver’s newest but best secret speakeasies in the city.

Where: 1801 Blake St #10, Denver, CO 80202

8. Luci’s Shambles & Revisions

 
 

A sinful speakeasy, welcome to this eclectic underground bar that’s just hit the Denver scene. Luci’s Shambles & Revisions can be accessed by heading to the glass door by Modi’s and going downstairs into the underworld, right under the Goat head perched on the wall. Small bites, expert cocktails, and a lush, dark decor make this a super secret speakeasy you can’t miss.

Where: 1553 Platte St Ste 110, Denver, CO 80202

Read more at SecretDenver.com

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35 Halloween activities for kids to enjoy all season

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Who isn’t excited for Halloween? Let the festivities begin with kid-friendly but frightful activities.

Younger children who scare easily will love fall-focused activities, like hayrides and apple picking, while braver souls can enter haunted house attractions and embark on ghost tours. Families will also have fun doing crafts, making recipes and playing board games in the spirit of Halloween.

Try these 35 Halloween activities for kids and enjoy spooky season!

Dig through Halloween sensory bins

Grab a bucket and fill it with “eyeballs” (peeled grapes), “intestines” (cooked spaghetti) and “rotten teeth” (candy corn). Who dares to stick their hands inside?

Get a Halloween makeover

Transform yourself into Dracula, a witch or a ghost with face paint or dramatic makeup.

Take a bone-chilling walk

Stroll through a neighborhood to check out decorated houses with Halloween lights, decorations and animatronics. 

Try on costumes in a Halloween store 

Kids change their costume plans a jillion times before Oct. 31, so plan accordingly by hitting a Halloween store and trying on costumes. Remember to take photos so kids can review their choices.

Listen to a mystery podcast

Get into trouble with a fictional mystery kids podcast like “R.L. Stine's Story Club,” “Mina and Lucy’s Guide to Slaying Dracula” and “Are You Afraid of the Dark? The Official Podcast.”

Explore your town’s ‘haunted’ history

Uncover the chilling truth about your hometown, whether it’s the “headless horseman” of Sleepy Hollow, New York, or the witches of Salem, Massachusetts.

Make ‘Happy Halloween’ cards

Use construction paper, glue, and scary cut-out images to make Halloween cards. Don’t forget to mail them before Oct. 31!

Attend (or organize) a Halloween parade

Watch a Halloween parade or organize your own procession through the neighborhood.

Visit a theme park with Halloween vibes

Major theme parks usually introduce festive menus, scary characters and horror-themed rides in October.  

Spend the morning at a pumpkin patch 

When you’re done picking pumpkins, take holiday photos in the fall-like atmosphere.

Say ‘boo’ at the zoo 

In October, certain zoos (such as in San Diego, California, Grand Rapids, Michigan and Melbourne, Florida) host Halloween events.

Take a ghost tour

Many cities and towns advertise tours of so-called haunted places, such as The Queen Mary ship in Long Beach, California, the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia, and the French Quarter neighborhood in Louisiana.

Cook a terrifying meal  

Serve a zombie-themed cheese and charcuterie board, “mummified” hot dogs or jack-o’-lantern bell peppers (more meal ideas here). For dessert, offer chocolate-covered "booberries" or “sweet Dracula doughnuts.”

Visit a haunted house

Pop-up haunted house attractions can be exhilarating for older kids.

Hang Halloween decorations

Decorate rooms in your home with fake cobwebs, monster decals or pumpkin string lights.

Play scary board games

Games like Candy Land, Ghosts Can’t Draw and Halloween-themed Bingo are appropriate choices for this time of year.

Make a thrilling playlist

Get down with Halloween songs for kids, like “Monster Mash,” “Spooky, Scary Skeletons” or “This is Halloween.”

Carve (and paint) pumpkins

After you’ve carved your pumpkin, add color using glow-in-the-dark acrylic paint.

Play tag with orange glow sticks

Buy orange glow sticks for a nighttime game of outdoor Halloween tag.

Watch scary movies

“Hocus Pocus,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” are kid favorites. While adults can revisit “Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Halloween” and “Child’s Play.”

DIY your Halloween costume

Take the hassle out of costume shopping by making one at home. These DIY options are cool.

Play Halloween charades

Charades but make it Halloween-themed: Play a zombie, a witch or a ghost.

Wander through a corn maze

Get lost in a corn maze as a family or pair up to race against each other. Who will get out alive?

'Boo' the neighbors

Leave Halloween treats on a neighbor’s doorstep with a note stating, "You've been BOO'd" and instructions to pay it forward.

Find your way out of an escape room

Visit a child-friendly Halloween escape room, an experience that has players finding their way out of locked rooms by decoding clues and riddles. You can also play the game online.

Tell ghost stories

No campfire is needed to delight in the tradition of ghost stories. Cut the lights and pass around a flashlight to scare each other. 

Learn about Día de Muertos (“The Day of the Dead”)

Día de Muertos, otherwise known as “The Day of the Dead,” is a Latin American tradition to honor late family members and friends. Celebrants paint their faces with skulls and display altars with food and flowers. Kids can learn more about the holiday by watching the Disney movie “Coco.”

Guess at Halloween trivia

Why do we trick-or-treat? Why do we dress in costumes? Why do we eat candy? Learn about the history of Halloween with a fun trivia game.

Go on a hayride

No tricks, just a fun fall afternoon!

Try a Halloween craft

We love paper plate pumpkins and masking tape mummies.

Play Halloween musical chairs

Break out the Halloween tunes and play musical chairs.

Read scary stories

Hide under the covers with a flashlight and a scary book. Older kids can read the “Goosebumps” or Stephen King book series while younger kids might prefer "Spooky Pookie" by Sandra Boynton or “Creepy Carrots!” by Aaron Reynolds.

Go apple picking

Find a local orchard and stock up on a bushel or two of your family's favorite apples. Snack on them plain or dip them in caramel for a special treat.

Play, ‘Guess how many candy corns are in the jar?’

Remember this childhood game? Fill a jar with candy corn (only you know how many there are inside) and have people guess the right amount. The winner gets them all!

Host a post-Halloween candy swap

Little trick-or-treaters might not be entirely thrilled with the candy they collected on Halloween, so organize a swap to keep the fun going.

Read more at Today.com

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Secrets To Selling Your House Quickly

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Seeing your house sit on the market without any bites is the ultimate frustration. And unfortunately, some sellers are in that tricky spot today.

According to data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the average time a house spends on the market has increased over the past few years (see graph below):

 
 

A recent post from Realtor.com notes a similar trend:

“During the week ending Sept. 14, homes stayed on the market eight days longer compared to last year. With more choices available and mortgage rates expected to fall, buyers are taking their time, which means sellers will need to be patient and flexible.”

Some of that is because inventory has gone up, so buyers have more options. And higher mortgage rates have definitely slowed demand over the past two years, and that’s out of your control. But here’s the secret. There’s something you can control – it’s also where those other sellers missed the mark. They didn’t work with the right agent.

Make no mistake, with the right strategy and agent partner, your house can still sell quickly, even today.

If time matters to you, you need to partner with an agent who understands this shifting market. That agent will be your go-to resource on what buyers are looking for right now, and how to position your home to hit the mark.

Here are just a few tips a great real estate agent will walk you through. They may seem simple, but advice like this can make all the difference.

1. Competitive Pricing: One of the most critical factors in selling your home quickly is setting the right price. A local real estate agent will do a competitive market analysis by reviewing recent sales and current listings for your area. Then, they’ll use that data to make sure your home is priced accurately for today’s market. This strategic pricing approach is the best way to make sure you’re hitting the sweet spot on price. If you don’t lean on an agent for this, it can really slow your process down. As U.S. News says:

“. . . setting an unrealistically high price with the idea that you can come down later doesn’t work in real estate . . . A home that’s overpriced in the beginning tends to stay on the market longer, even after the price is cut, because buyers think there must be something wrong with it.”

2. The Home’s Condition: Homes that are well maintained, have great curb appeal, and are updated with modern finishes tend to sell faster. So, if speed is a priority, make sure your house makes a great first impression. An agent is a key resource on what buyers will be looking for, if staging is worthwhile, and what repairs you need to tackle before you list. Ramsey Solutions offers this advice:

“In the spirit of selling your home fast, take care of things now that will be a problem in the closing process. Talk to your agent about fixes you’ll need to make to pass the home inspection, like: plumbing problems, roof damage, electrical issues, HVAC glitches. . . These are issues you’ll be expected to take care of before any buyers close on your house—you might as well get ahead of the game to help your home sell faster.”

3. Incentives and Extras: If you want to stand out from those other homes on the market, offering incentives or concessions, like help with closing costs, a home warranty, or including additional items (like appliances or furniture) with the sale can sweeten the deal for buyers. A real estate agent can suggest the right incentives to offer based on current market conditions and buyer expectations, so you can close the sale even faster.

Bottom Line

Selling a home quickly in a shifting market requires a strategic approach and an in-depth understanding of what buyers want. That’s why partnering with a local real estate agent is so important. As Forbes says:

“When time is of the essence, you can’t afford to take a chance on an inexperienced housing professional. Instead, you’ll want to work with a real estate agent who knows your market and has helped sellers in your situation before.”

Connect with an agent to make sure you’re set up for success.

Read more at KeepingCurrentMatters.com

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This Is the Sweet Spot Homebuyers Have Been Waiting For

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After months of sitting on the sidelines, many homebuyers who were priced out by high mortgage rates and affordability challenges finally have an opportunity to make their move.

With rates trending down, today’s market is a sweet spot for buyers—and it’s one that may not last long.

So, if you’ve put your own move on the back burner, here’s why maybe you shouldn’t delay your plans any longer.

As you weigh your options and decide if you should buy now or wait, ask yourself this: What do you think everyone else is going to do?

The truth is, if mortgage rates continue to ease, as experts project, more buyers will jump back into the market. A survey from Bankrate shows over half of homeowners would be motivated to buy this year if rates drop below 6% (see graph below):

 
 

With rates already in the low 6% range, we’re not terribly far off from hitting that threshold. The bottom line is, that when they drop into the 5s, the number of buyers in the market is going to go up – and that means more competition for you.

That increased demand will likely push home prices up, which could potentially take away from some of the benefits you’d gain from a slightly lower interest rate. As Nadia Evangelou, Senior Economist and Director of Real Estate Research at the National Association of Realtors (NAR), explains:

“The downside of increased demand is that it puts upward pressure on home prices as multiple buyers compete for a limited number of homes. In markets with ongoing housing shortages, this price increase can offset some of the affordability gains from lower mortgage rates.”

So, while waiting to buy may seem like a smart move, it could backfire if rising prices outpace your savings from slightly lower rates.

What This Means for You

Right now, you’ve got the chance to get ahead of all of that. Today’s market is a buyer sweet spot. Why? Because a lot of other buyers are waiting – which means not as many people are actively looking for homes. That means less competition for you.

At the same time, affordability has already improved quite a bit. Recent easing in mortgage rates has made homeownership more accessible. As Mike Simonsen, Founder of Altos Research, says:

“Mortgage payments on the typical-price home are 7% lower than last year and are 13% lower than the peak in May 2024.”

And while the supply of homes for sale is still low, it’s also higher than it’s been in years. According to Ralph McLaughlin, Senior Economist at Realtor.com:

“The number of homes actively for sale continues to be elevated compared with last year, growing by 35.8%, a 10th straight month of growth, and now sits at the highest since May 2020.”

This means you now have more options to choose from than you’ve had in quite a while.

With fewer buyers in the market, improving affordability, and more homes to choose from, you have the chance to find the right one before the competition heats up.

Why Waiting Could Cost You

If you’re waiting for the perfect time to buy, it’s important to understand that timing the market is nearly impossible. The longer you wait, the higher the risk that market conditions will shift—and not necessarily in your favor. As Greg McBride, Chief Financial Analyst at Bankrate, says:

“It’s one of those things where you should be careful what you wish for. A further drop in mortgage rates could bring a surge of demand that makes it tougher to actually buy a house.”

Bottom Line

Don’t wait until you have to deal with more competition and higher prices – you already have the chance to buy a home while we’re in the sweet spot today. Connect with an agent to make sure you’re taking advantage of it.

Read more at KeepingCurrentMatters.com

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Featured at West + Main RiNo: Leilani Nobuko Derr

 
 

Please join us in RiNo for First Friday, featuring artist Leilani Nobuko Derr

Printmakers Exhibition

2632 Blake Street, Denver
10.4.2024, 6-9pm

Meet Leilani

Leilani Nobuko Derr (she/her) is a visual artist and designer who explores thought-provoking themes through whimsical illustrations. In her work, she often incorporates mythologies, symbols, and superstitions from her multi-cultural “hapa” upbringing and finds inspiration through shared experiences, relentless curiosity, and community connections.

She received her BA at Coastal Carolina University where she pursued graphic design and printmaking. Since moving to Colorado in 2010, Leilani has spent much of her creative career designing in branding agencies and marketing departments for which she has been the recipient of multiple ADDY and SPJ awards.

Her passion for public art expanded during her decade of work as Creative Lead of Art and Design in Adams County, Colo. public libraries. While working as a designer for the seven branch district north of Denver, she specialized in art direction and helped to launch community art initiatives, partnering with local artists and organizations.

 
 
 

Learn more about Leilani in our Q & A!

Where do you find inspiration?

Literally everywhere. My camera roll is full of photo-notes just from weird patterns, bugs, interesting shadows and lighting I find just in my house. Everything is a shiny object to me. I’m easily distractible and amazed by the most mundane things. My partner refers to me as a puppy sometimes.

What are you working on right now?

Lately, I’ve been leaning into these surreal depictions of what intense emotions manifest for me and often mixing them with cryptids and themes from Japanese folklore. It’s been work that I’ve been the most hesitant to share because of the vulnerability component, but they’ve often been the most well received because they are of a relatable emotional foundation.

 
 

What do you like to do outside of work?

Rhythm rollerskating! When I am able to roll to the beat of a song I love, the worst parts of my brain shut off for a moment and the world feels okay.

What are your thoughts about your city's creative scene for artists, designers, crafters, makers, and/or small businesses?

 It’s beautiful and growing! I’ve lived in and around Denver for 14 years now and I’m only just beginning to dip my toe into our arts community. Mostly because I felt intimidated. I came from a smaller town and wasn’t sure how to find or be a part of a community that seemed overwhelmingly large in comparison. And honestly, I was feeling terrified of rejection. Pushing past those fears and putting in the effort to seek out those friendships, supports, and communities in the Denver arts scene has been the most personally rewarding and fruitful work I’ve done in my young artistic career. We have this incredible community of diverse, loving, and helpful people who do not hesitate to support one another. I’m grateful to become a part of it.

 
 
 

What is the best piece of advice you ever received?

“Beating yourself up doesn’t make you stronger - it leaves you bruised.” Adam Grant
I’ve sunk so much precious time and energy into a practice of self-flagellation, that did way more harm to myself and artistic practice, than good. It resulted in higher levels of anxiety, fear of failure/rejection, and self sabotage. I would become creatively paralyzed. How could I possibly be good or helpful for others if I couldn’t even be good to myself? It was a realizations that lead me to finally be able to embrace self-compassion in a way that didn’t feel overly narcissistic or woo woo.

 
 
 
 

Get in touch with Leilani

Website: https://leilaniderr.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leilani.nobuko.derr

If you are a local artist/crafter/maker/indie business owner and would like to be featured on our blog, please fill out this form or contact Ashley at ashley@westandmainhomes.com with questions...we can't wait to learn all about you!

 
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