what are fun things to do in denver colorado?
Black American West Museum & Heritage Center Denver Firefighters Museum Colorado State Capitol Denver Mint Molly Brown House Forney Transportation Museum Denver Botanic Gardens Museum of Contemporary Art Denver Denver Museum of Nature and Science Chamberlin Observatory
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 Because of its proximity to the mountains and generally sunny weather , Denver has gained a reputation as being a very active , outdoor @-@ oriented city . Many Denver residents spend the weekends in the mountains ; skiing in the winter and hiking , climbing , kayaking , and camping in the summer . 

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 As of 2006 , Denver had over 200 parks , from small mini @-@ parks all over the city to the giant 314 acres ( 1 @.@ 27 km2 ) City Park . Denver also has 29 recreation centers providing places and programming for resident 's recreation and relaxation . 

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 Denver has one of the country 's largest populations of Mexican Americans and hosts four large Mexican American celebrations : Cinco de Mayo ( with over 500 @,@ 000 attendees ) , in May , El Grito de la Independencia , in September , the annual Lowrider show , and the Dia De Los Muertos art shows / events in North Denver 's Highland neighborhood , and the Lincoln Park neighborhood in the original section of West Denver . 

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 In addition to the parks within Denver itself , the city acquired land for mountain parks starting in the 1911s . Over the years , Denver has acquired , built and maintained approximately 14 @,@ 000 acres ( 57 km2 ) of mountain parks , including Red Rocks Park , which is known for its scenery and musical history revolving around the unique Red Rocks Amphitheatre . Denver also owns the mountain on which the Winter Park Resort ski area is operated in Grand County , 67 miles ( 110 km ) west of Denver . City parks are important places for both Denverites and visitors , inciting controversy with every change . Denver continues to grow its park system with the development of many new parks along the Platte River through the city , and with Central Park and Bluff Lake Nature Center in the Stapleton neighborhood redevelopment . All of these parks are important gathering places for residents and allow what was once a dry plain to be lush , active , and green . Denver is also home to a large network of public community gardens , most of which are managed by Denver Urban Gardens , a non @-@ profit organization . 

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 Denver 's relationship with Brest , France , began in 1948 , making it the second @-@ oldest sister city in the United States . Since then , Denver has established relationships with additional sister cities , and currently has a total of ten partnerships : 
