Lakewood – Culture, Art and Nature

Lakewood can be explored through a variety of themes: cultural history and art sit alongside expansive open spaces, trails and waterside landscapes. When planning your stay, it may help to first decide which themes interest you most. Heritage Lakewood offers insights into historic buildings and local history, while parks and the 40 West ArtLine offer different experiences. If you’re looking for a hotel in Lakewood, these interests can guide your stay planning.

History and Culture in Lakewood

Heritage Lakewood offers two formats that explore history in different ways. A tour of historic buildings and structures lasts 60 minutes. Heritage Lakewood also offers a self-guided outdoor walk focused on local history and Heritage Lakewood’s buildings. The tour has a defined duration, while the walk focuses on independent exploration, local history and architecture. This lets you choose the approach that best suits your interest in a guided experience or an outdoor walk.

Heritage Lakewood’s permanent gallery also explores the past, highlighting significant events from across the 20th century. This chronological focus complements the look at historic buildings with events from an entire century. Those interested in Lakewood’s history can explore both the buildings and walking tour, as well as a gallery covering a broad historical period.

The Lakewood Cultural Center brings visual art and theater together in one place: it houses three rotating visual art galleries and a 320-seat theater. The galleries offer a different focus from Heritage Lakewood’s historical themes. Together, these venues offer a range of cultural topics to consider when planning, without requiring you to treat all the offerings as the same kind of visit.

Parks, Trails and Landscapes

William F. Hayden Park on Green Mountain encompasses more than 2,400 acres of open space and is Lakewood’s second-largest park. Its challenging trail network is designed for shared use. Another point of reference is the 6,800-foot summit on the Green Mountain Trail: from there, the view extends east to the Denver metropolitan area and west to high mountain peaks.

Bear Creek Greenbelt Park offers a different landscape, a 379-acre protected area along Bear Creek. Its features include wetlands, fishing ponds and riparian woodlands. The combination of creek, wetlands and riparian woodland distinguishes this protected area’s described landscape from the expansive open spaces and high elevations of Green Mountain. Bear Creek Lake Park’s campground has 47 sites with electrical hookups.

Art Trails and Events

The 40 West ArtLine is a four-mile art trail for walking and cycling in Lakewood’s 40 West Arts Creative District. It is near historic West Colfax Avenue and the RTD W Line. 40 West Arts is a state-certified Colorado Creative District along historic West Colfax Avenue in Lakewood. The ArtLine thus combines a clearly defined art and recreation trail with a district that is also described as being located along this historic avenue.

40 West Arts holds a First Friday program on the first Friday of every month from 5 to 9 p.m. Dates and program details may vary. If this program is important to your stay, check the specific event dates in advance.

Discover more destinations: Coal Creek, Golden, Edgewater, Wheat Ridge, Evergreen, Arvada

For the regional travel overview: Jefferson.