Colorado Roadside Attraction: Denver’s Big Blue Bear

I’ve gotta say – I have a real love/hate relationship with Denver, Colorado.  On one hand, it’s undeniable that Denver has the worst traffic in the entire state…period.  On the other hand – well who cares about the other hand because the traffic is going to be horrible to get to whatever it is!

Seriously though, this is the reason I’ve lived in Colorado Springs for three years and can count on one hand the number of times I’ve gone to hang out in Denver.

Now to be fair, Denver has a lot of cool things to do. It has Museums, Street Art, The Rockies stadium, the State Capitol, the flagship REI store for the country, Red Rocks Amphitheatre…I mean, the list could really go on and on.  It’s a cool place to live and a cool place to visit, so I decided to bury my grudge with the horrendous traffic long enough to make a stop in downtown Denver to see one of its infamous public artworks.

The Big Blue Bear of Denver is a public art display located at the Colorado Convention Center and is a creation of a local artist named Lawrence Argent (who sadly has recently passed).  The title of this local art piece is “I See What You Mean”. I don’t know why I was so entertained by the Big Blue Bear, but I seriously was! I loved the perspective on the Bear looking into the Convention Center. There’s always something going on in there and the bear embodies the curiosity of the passerby in true Colorado style! (There’s a great interview with the artist here about this iconic Denver Attraction!) The Convention Center and its Bear are located right in the thick of all the touristy things to do downtown, so there’s really no reason for you not to make time to see it on your visit!

What You Need To Know:

Location: The Colorado Convention Center is located at 700 14th St, Denver, CO 80202.  The Bear is on the side of the building that faces 14th.

Restrooms: Yes inside the Convention Center

Wheelchair Accessible? Yes

Pets OK? Yes, outside the Convention Center.  The Northwest corner of 14th and Welton is the designated spot for pets. Check out this link to read more about it!

Crowds: Heavy

Fees: The only fee will be for parking, prices will vary according to the lot you park in.  If you ride the Light Rail Service there are small fees associated with that as well.

Tips:

• If you don’t want to navigate driving downtown, I don’t blame you! It is kind of a mess, especially depending on the time of day! Denver offers the Light Rail Service that conveniently drops you off at locations all across the city even into Boulder! I’ve never ridden it, but a lot of people prefer to take it over driving themselves. The Light Rail station is actually across the street from this attraction.
• If you park a couple of blocks away, parking is sometimes cheaper…so shop around before you commit!
• Be ready to walk, because the Convention Center and Big Blue Bear are very close to a lot of other Downtown Denver Must-See’s!
• There are many restaurants within walking distance of this area, so you may opt to save your eating for one of them over the vendors inside the Convention Center. Many people complain that the vendors are overpriced with so-so cuisine.
• Be aware of your surroundings! This is an area that is subject to crime.
• There is always something going on in the Convention Center, so check out the schedule of events and try to plan your trip around something you’d like to experience!
• Depending on the events inside, it’s possible that you won’t be allowed to walk around inside the Convention Center, but you will always be able to visit the Bear outside!

What You Need to Bring:

• Sperry’s Women’s Shoes – You have to have comfy shoes with all the walking you’re going to be doing!! Sperry’s are my go-to slip-on shoes when I’m not on the trail!
• High Ponytail Hat – I pretty much don’t leave home without these days, I love it so much!
• Anti-theft Backpack – This is a recent purchase for me – but I love it! It has enough room for all mine and my daughter’s necessities, it’s a backpack so I’m hands-free to keep track of my daughter, it’s anti-theft and it looks nice! A total win, in my book.
• Nikon camera – The love of my life, as far as cameras go! This particular link gets you 2 lenses so it’s a nice deal.

40 feet doesn’t sound that high, but when you’re standing underneath it trying to fit it all into your camera (that does not employ a wide-angle lens), I can tell you that it’s actually pretty big!

I love the area of downtown that this is in! There’s a ton of attractions within walking distance, so you can really cross a lot of things off your “Denver Must-See” List in one encounter!

I couldn’t resist doing a copycat pose, I’m sure I’m not the first to think of this!

Here’s a pic from the other side! I was lucky not to get a lot of people in my pictures.  Every time I go on vacation or do a local attraction my goal is always to make it look like I was the only one there! Not true by any means in downtown Denver!

And finally a look at our friend the Bear from inside the Convention Center.  We walked around inside just to see what was up! As you can maybe tell from the above picture, there were lots of vendors, a coffee bar, and snacks inside! We made use of their facilities and then proceeded to walk around downtown for a bit!

To help you better plan your trip, here’s a list of some of the other things there are to do and see in the area!

• Denver Art Museum
• Denver Central Library
• Denver Civic Center Park
• Denver’s Firefighters Museum
• Theatre District
• 16th Street Mall
• The Money Museum at the Federal Reserve
• Colorado’s State Capitol
• Molly Brown House Museum
• Downtown Aquarium
• Coors Field
• Byers-Evans House Museum
• Denver Union Station
• Check out the many street art murals on Larimer St

I hoped this has helped convince you to see this famous roadside attraction when visiting Denver, CO! Denver really is a cool city…even with the horrendous traffic!

Don’t forget to leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Until next time!