Westminster is a city located in the State of Colorado.
It serves as the home rule municipality of Jefferson and Adams counties.
It is seated on the northwest of Denver and accessed through US Route 36.
Westminster is popular across Colorado for its peaceful and vibrant suburban community.
It boasts beautiful landscapes that lead to numerous preserves, state parks, historical sites, and other attractions.
From a traveler’s perspective, Westminster is a potential tourist destination waiting to be discovered by everyone.
With that in mind, it would be interesting to set a travel adventure in this city that’s been named after United Kingdom’s Westminster.
Westminster, CO, has a lot to offer for those who want to tour its streets and parks.
You will likely find yourself spending a lot of time outdoors because of the outdoor recreations to do and attractions to check out.
Prepare yourself for an outdoor adventure that will treat you to excellent hiking, kayaking, camping, and wildlife viewing in Westminster.
So, read the rest of this post about the 15 best things to do in Westminster, CO, and its nearby places.
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The Standley Lake Regional Park is a public recreational space where many locals enjoy bonding with their families.
The entire regional park covers more than a thousand acres, and it also serves as an extensive reservoir—the third biggest in the Denver metropolitan area.
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Aside from supplying water to Denver and its neighboring towns and cities, including Westminster, Standley Lake is widely known for its fun-filled outdoor activities.
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You can bring your loved ones to the park to do hiking, camping, biking, and nature photography.
In addition, you will surely enjoy its various waterborne activities like fishing, paddling, and kayaking.
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The Butterfly Pavilion and Insect Center is home to more than a hundred species of common and exotic insects, including butterflies.
You should visit this attraction situated along West 104th Avenue if you’re looking for a unique experience in your travel adventure.
It would be more awesome if you bring your loved ones or kids to the Butterfly Pavilion and Insect Center.
It will be a guaranteed big hit for them to see exotic and colorful insects and butterflies up close.
In general, the Butterfly Pavilion and Insect Center is a foster not just for butterflies but also for other invertebrate species.
The facility also helps protect and repopulate those that are already endangered.
It is a stand-alone facility that also offers educational programs for visitors who want to learn about fascinating stuff about insects.
Clear Creek is a popular river system that runs through a parallel portion of the Interstate-70 highway.
Many people visit this place to enjoy waterborne activities such as tubing, rafting, kayaking, biking, and hiking along its shores.
It is located just outside Westminster, and it’s connected to the city’s smaller river system, the Little Dry Creek.
Historically, Clear Creek was formerly known as a gold-panning spot, while nearby areas were heavily mined back in the day.
Today, it is a popular destination for people who wants to have a waterborne adventure.
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Many visitors often describe the Westminster Castle as reminiscent of European castles, while some even call it the ‘Mini Hogwarts’ and ‘Big Red Castle’ of Westminster.
Well, there are loads of beautiful descriptions people say about the Westminster Castle that is why it is a must-place visit in the city.
The Westminster Castle got constructed back in 1892, and it took 15 years to complete this iconic building in Westminster University.
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It is located between 84th and 83rd avenues, east of Lowell Boulevard.
Today, the castle serves as a historic landmark, sitting on a hilltop that overlooks Denver.
Although an inside tour of the castle is not yet allowed, you can still take stunning photos outside.
The castle’s vibrant red sandstone building and Gothic design make a perfect backdrop for photoshoots.
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The Westminster Bell Tower is situated in front of the Westminster City Hall.
The bell tower is not just an aesthetic of the city hall.
It is also a symbol of its connection to Westminster in England.
The bell tower stands at 14 stories tall or 130 feet, while its top is adorned with a pyramid-shaped cover made from steel mesh.
Today, the bell tower is a landmark of the city’s prosperity while being referenced to the world-famous Westminster Abbey and Big Ben in England.
It would be great to visit this famous landmark in Westminster and seize the moment to take great photos as your souvenir during your visit there.
Located along West 92nd Avenue, the Westminster Center Park is a beautiful and well-maintained open space.
This ten-acre park in the city features a beautiful playground, an obelisk at its center, and an amphitheater usually occupied with fun shows.
The park is an excellent place to bring your kids because of its nice features such as splash pads, walking trails, its playground, along with its vast and well-manicured green open space.
Its splash pads’ design was intended to replicate the River Thames in London in terms of appearance.
It has a blue-ribbon meandering along its concrete floor, which has several splash pads where kids can enjoy.
If you want to spend quality time with your family in Westminster, don’t forget to visit its Center Park.
If you’re looking for a peaceful and vast open space in Westminster, you should check out the Westminster Hills Open Space.
It is a mixed open space park and hiking destination located next to the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge in the neighboring town of Leyden.
It’s a great place to meditate, breathe fresh air, or hike along with your dog.
Its monotonous environment makes it a perfect place for retreat and meditation.
It is less crowded considering its vastness, where people can stroll through various parts without getting cramped up in a single space.
In springtime, the Westminster Hills Open Space becomes a colorful field. It’s when wildflowers begin blooming, making this place even more beautiful to visit.
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Located along Westminster Boulevard, the Ice Center at The Promenade is another family-friendly attraction in the city that everyone can enjoy together.
It features a top-notch ice rink used for ice hockey, public skating, and figure skating.
This attraction is always packed with people who love to shred the ice.
You and your loved ones can do ice skating there or watch local tournaments featuring adult and youth hockey teams.
In addition, the ice-skating rink offers ice skating and hockey lessons for everyone.
If you’re unable to bring your gear, it has a full pro-shop to get you started on the ice.
The Hyland Ponds Open Space situated along 100th Avenue is a part of Westminster’s vast open space and parks system.
It’s one of the city’s beautiful recreational spots that is part of multiple trail systems spanning hundreds of miles across Jefferson and Adams counties.
It is a great hiking destination for those who want to discover Westminster on foot.
It takes you through multiple suburban communities and parks while traversing this trail.
In addition, the Hyland Ponds Open Space has two fishing ponds where you can lure your line if you want a relaxing experience there.
Visitors documented to catch carp, catfish, panfish, crappies, chubs, and bluegill from its ponds.
Overall, Hyland Ponds Open Space is a great place to breathe fresh air without going outside Westminster.
You will remain energized throughout your tour in Westminster, thanks to the coffee shops you’ll be visiting.
You won’t have a hard time finding a coffee shop to have your caffeine fix for the day since the city is home to locally-owned cafes that serve top-notch coffee drinks throughout the day.
These locally-owned cafes and coffee shops are worth visiting not just because of their delicious and aromatic coffee but for their welcoming vibes.
These are the highly-recommended coffee shops to visit in Westminster; Zoe’s Coffee along Decatur St., iVibe Coffee along 112th Avenue, Ziggi’s Coffee along West 100th Avenue, and Navah Coffee House along West 104th Avenue.
Before you continue your tour through Westminster, don’t forget to visit either of these coffee shops to start your day energized.
Westminster is home to a popular food company, FlapJacked known for its guilt-free food products such as pancakes, cookies, and muffins.
For conscious eaters who want guilt-free delicious food, FlapJacked is a popular choice.
The brand’s main store and factory are located in Park Technology Center in Westminster, making it a must-visit attraction for people who have known the brand.
It would be great to taste its famous pancake, cookie, and muffin mixes which you can bring home with you as souvenirs from Westminster.
If you’re planning to visit Flapjacked’s main store, it is located along West 124th Avenue.
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A 19-minute drive or 12.2 miles south of Westminster takes you to Denver’s famous 16th Street Mall.
This famous attraction in Denver has an entire mile of the street that is lined with various sizes of stores, entertainment venues, restaurants, and services.
It is a popular tourist destination in Denver that you should visit, especially if shopping is part of your itinerary.
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The entire street is solely a pedestrian thoroughfare that stretches from LoDo District to Larimer Square.
It is basically a lively and vibrant open-air mall where you can shop for anything you have in mind.
If you’re not a fan of walking, you can opt for a more convenient and enjoyable horse-and-carriage ride while having a wonderful time traversing this famous attraction.
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In Morrison, a 23-minute drive or 18 miles southwest of Westminster takes you to the famous Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater.
This attraction in Morrison is best known for its unique landscape that highlights the majestic Rocky Mountains, where you can do various outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, and climbing.
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However, the main attraction there is the beautiful amphitheater that has a scenic backdrop of a hundred-million-year-old tilted rock formation.
The amphitheater’s seats are landscaped from the sloping mountain, giving it a more dramatic view of the entire area.
You won’t just enjoy watching concerts there, but you will certainly fall in love with its whole beauty.
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Back in Denver, you should not miss watching the Colorado Rockies play their home game in the Major League Baseball (MLB) game at the famous Coors Field.
You will be amazed to hear the roar of thousands of spectators in this 50,000-seater stadium.
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Whether you’re a sports fan or a casual tourist, you will be amazed by the colossal stadium that covers almost 80 acres in the heart of Denver.
Aside from watching MLB Games, you can bring your kids to the stadium’s interactive area, where they can test their batting skills at its virtual batting cages.
In addition, it also has a separate speed pitch area for you and your kids to experience.
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The Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge is located 13-miles west of Westminster in Leyden.
This natural attraction in Leyden is known for its picturesque hiking trails that overlook the beautiful Front Range landscape.
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If you’re up for more hiking, you can traverse more than 10-miles of trails filled with local wildlife, prairies, wetlands, and woodlands.
It is also home to more than 230 species of animals.
In addition, you can also do horseback riding there and biking or perhaps display your photography skills and take photos of the local wildlife there.
Westminster is not just your typical suburban city.
It has its own distinct identity as an excellent outdoor destination that is a few minutes from Denver.
It has a beautiful and vibrant community that welcomes you warmly while it has many hidden gems waiting to be discovered.
Westminster alone is a great place to explore and a perfect jumping point to discover some of Colorado’s best attractions.
If you find this post interesting, you can bookmark this for an instant itinerary when you travel to Westminster.
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