I spend most of my days in and around the bustling heart of Denver in LoDo. As a Colorado Native, I’ve seen some of the change that’s happened in the city over the last 15 or so years but most of the town has been a vibrant cultural scene for longer than I can remember.
Standing on the corner of of Wyncoop and 17th Street it’s almost possible to close your eyes and imagine what life would have been like 100 years ago when hundreds of travelers surged through Union Station and into the city beyond. Today, thanks to the hard work of community leaders and preservationists like Dana Crawford, the historical buildings have remained as vibrant as they were when the Edbrook Loft was home to Spratlen-Anderson grocer and the Denver City Railway Building housed horses instead of diners.
The area called LoDo is officially known as the 23 block space bounded by Speer Boulevard on the south, 20th Street on the North and Lawrence Street to the East. The western most edge of the neighborhood is closed in by the South Platte River as it cuts through town. It was registered as a neighborhood district in 1987 and the mixed use combination of loft style housing, retail and dining has since given the area new life. As one of the most in demand areas in town, LoDo is the must see destination for Denver tourists and one of the most sought after areas of town for urban living.
Starting this summer, visitor’s can go beyond imagining the history in the bricks, to learning about them as they traverse the city. The LoDo District just recently launched their Explore LoDo app, marrying the technology of geofencing with the rich history of the area into a fun to navigate app. As you navigate the area Explore LoDo will notify you of happy hours, sales and historical details through easy to follow alerts.
Outside of the app, the Explore LoDo website provides much of the same information and can be easily navigated through your phones web browser, although the alerts are what I feel make the app a fun way to experience the city. Once inside the app, users can create an account to favorite information you wish to return to later, like which happy hours are your favorite for a girls night out.
As a local, its always fun to be a tourist in my own city and Explore LoDo provides the tools to view the city through a unique lens that I might not experience outside a historical tour.
Explore LoDo is available to download on the app store, or you can head over to their website to browse LoDo businesses and history online.
What are your favorite ways to learn about the history of towns you visit?
Mockups courtesy of MagicMockup.com. All photography and opinions are my own.
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