Denverites (you'll know who they are by the "native" stickers pasted to their SUV bumpers) make it their ongoing mission to dispel the thorny myth that the Queen City of the Plains is really nothing more than a glorified cowtown, a stomping ground where you can dust off your boots and tip your cowboy hat before heading west to the state's swanky ski resorts. It only goes to solidify the city's pioneer image that it was founded on gold by opportunistic prospectors in 1858, lays claim to the largest rodeo in the country, and sits some 600 barren miles from the next major metropolis.

But Denver, the nation's eighth largest city (and the birthplace of the cheeseburger, if you believe the lore), revels in its historic Western roots. Walk the streets of downtown, and you'll still see bona fide cowboys garbed in Western threads, likely purchased from Rockmount Ranchwear (1626 Wazee Street, 303-629-7777), a three-generation business that put the first snap on a shirt.

Over the past decade, however, an onslaught of young, hip, and well-educated professionals have flocked to this megalopolis for its unparalled recreational pursuits, booming business opportunities, flourishing housing market, delightfully mild climate, charming, tree-lined neighborhoods and dynamically diverse cultural attractions.

Denver may be the only city in the country where you can nosh on a tenderloin of buffalo, imbibe a locally brewed beer, attend a world-class opera performance and wrap up the night at a speakeasy jazz club that's welcomed the pipes of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennett.

The city's character
Denver's proximity to the glorious Rocky Mountains, those towering, snow-capped peaks that jet jaggedly into the skyline, makes it an unrivaled playground for outdoor pursuits. This means that no matter the time of year, the city's parks, trails, sidewalks and streets are flush with cyclists, inline skaters and joggers. And just so you know, Denverites unabashedly flaunt the fact that the American Cancer Society deemed their hometown the thinnest city in America.

But life wasn't always so rosy. Denver experienced a devastating fire in 1863 that left the prominent business districts in ashes, then a deadly flash flood followed a year later. When the energy boom crashed in the mid-1980s, thousands of Denver oil industry workers lost their jobs. The city went quiet, and the downtown area rivaled a ghost town.

It wasn't until the 1990s that Denver began to rebound. Newcomers, lulled by vacant office space, affordable housing prices, open spaces and outdoor adventures, began arriving in droves, and a healthy, robust economy emerged.

Today, Denver touts itself as both a tourist and business destination (the city logs between 2 and 2.5 million overnight stays by business travelers annually)—and considering that the Colorado House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would earmark $20 million for tourism promotion, it's clear that city officials want to compete in the big leagues. But from the hive of professional sports teams to a recently expanded, state-of-the-art convention center, myriad urban trails, golf courses and parks and the swank boutiques, restaurants and watering holes of Lower Downtown, there's already much to appreciate about Denver.

Like most cities of its size, Denver experiences its share of snarled traffic problems and never-ending construction projects. Cranes and scaffolding are commonplace, and the congested highways provoke fits of frustration, but the city's light rail system, ongoing freeway expansion programs and free downtown mall shuttle, which services the pedestrian-only 16th Street Mall promenade, are highly utilized by both local commuters and business travelers.

Shedding their cowtown image hasn't been easy for Denverites, but the Mile High City is flourishing at a fast pace. By year's end, the Denver Art Museum plans to unveil its $80 million, titanium-clad expansion wing, and the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, which opened to great fanfare in October 2005, is a spectacularly appointed cultural marvel on par with the best opera houses in the world. And the city is downright giddy with news that a Ritz-Carlton hotel, complete with all the luxuries you've ever dreamt about, is slated for a spring 2007 opening in the city center.

What to see
Lounge with the locals in Lower Downtown (LoDo), a vibrant, eclectic and lively oasis pulsating with an urban beat. In the heart of LoDo sits Larimer Square, a one-block historic district where you can join other caffeine connoisseurs at The Market (1445 Larimer Street, 303-534-5140), a popular java spot wedged between upscale galleries, unusual boutiques, swank wine and champagne bars, and trendy restaurants, all of which are housed in pristinely restored century-old buildings. Gurus of the grape gather at the brand-new Cru (1442 Larimer Street, 303-893-9463) to sample the wine bar's stellar global selection. You can also behold majestic views of the Rocky Mountains from the sun-kissed rooftop patio at Tamayo (1400 Larimer Street, 720-946-1433) while sipping one of the city's best margaritas.

If you're a connoisseur of culture, then the Denver Art Museum (100 West 14th Avenue Parkway, 720-865-5000), located downtown within walking distance of the Colorado State Capitol Building, merits a visit. The museum harbors one of the finest collections of Native American artwork in the world, covering area tribes, along with 40,000 other unique art objects in eight curatorial departments. From the Denver Art Museum, it's a short stroll to the Colorado State Capitol (200 East Colfax, 303-866-2604), a gold-domed masterpiece that stands a mile above sea level with a plaque on the 18th step to mark the spot where it's exactly 5,280 feet high. From the rotunda, you can take in the entire Front Range, from Pike's Peak to the Wyoming border—a distance of more than 150 miles.

Approximately three miles east is the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (2001 Colorado Boulevard, 303-370-6300). Here you can further your fossil knowledge while exploring the fascinating dinosaur collection, follow a mineshaft into a Mexican silver mine shimmering with crystals or marvel at the mysteries behind two 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummies. Purchase tickets in advance for Body Worlds 2, the world's most popular touring exhibition, featuring more than 200 real human specimens.

If artifacts make you shrug and body parts make you squeamish, you can head across the street to the superb Denver Zoo (2300 Steele Street, 303-376-4800), or join the other duffers at the nearby municipal City Park Golf Course (2500 York Street, 303-295-4420). Clusters of trees line the sloping greens, tight fairways and humbling bunkers, and the views of the Denver skyline and the Rocky Mountains make for fine distractions.

Those looking to hobnob with the who's who of Denver converge in chic Cherry Creek, a tony burg chockablock with fashionable shops, glitzy bars, luxe spas, posh art galleries and hopping restaurants. One-of-a-kind boutiques dot 2nd and 3rd Avenues—and all the streets in between—but the price tags aren't for the faint of heart. Then again, life is short.

Entertaining clients
It's true that Denver parades more steakhouses than you can shake a steer at, but the city's dining scene also encompasses a smorgasbord of bona fide chef-driven restaurants to impress both culinary elitists and business travelers with generous expense accounts.

First, the prime cuts: Both Elway's Colorado Steakhouse and The Capital Grille roll out the red carpet for power-broking pinstripers looking to seal the deal. If you want to rub shoulders with past and present players from the Denver Broncos football team, including the great John Elway, for whom the restaurant is named, Elway's is your place. Capital Grille's A-listers include powerful lobbyists, prominent attorneys and politicians.

Delectable Mediterranean-inspired fare lures the cognoscenti to Rioja, a stylish and perpetually packed eatery helmed by celebrity chef-owner Jennifer Jasinski. Revel in Jasinski's braised veal cheeks with ricotta gnocchi, explore the winsome wine list and pause for a post-dinner cocktail in the snazzy bar teeming with well-heeled city slickers.

For a down-home taste of Denver's Wild West roots, look no further than the Buckhorn Exchange, the city's oldest restaurant. The kitchen unleashes wild game dishes, including red-chile marinated rattlesnake, fried alligator tail, elk and buffalo prime rib in a dining room walled with taxidermy.

In the Hotel Teatro, Restaurant Kevin Taylor lives up to its reputation as Denver's top fine dining destination. The seared French foie gras with pineapple gelée, roasted rack of Colorado lamb and crisp-roasted Australian barramundi with bouillabaisse sauce are delightful. Tuxedoed servers, a sterling wine cellar and an opulent setting just add to the bliss.

At the Wynkoop Brewing Company, you might see Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper talking politics at the bar over a pint of Railyard Ale and a plate of stout-braised pot roast. It was Hickenlooper, after all, who opened the state's first brewpub.

Restaurants
Buckhorn Exchange
1000 Osage Street
La Alma/Lincoln Park
303-534-9505

The Capital Grille
1450 Larimer Street
Larimer Square
303-539-2500

Elway's Colorado Steakhouse
2500 East First Avenue
Cherry Creek
303-399-5353

Restaurant Kevin Taylor
1106 14th Street
Downtown
303-820-2600

Rioja
1431 Larimer Street
Larimer Square
303-820-2282

Wynkoop Brewing Company
1634 18th Street
Lower Downtown
303-297-2700

Hotels
Brown Palace
321 17th Street
Downtown
303-297-3111; 800-321-2599 (toll-free)
www.brownpalace.com
Denver's most celebrated grand dame, with Old-World elegance inside and out, a new spa, wonderful restaurants and slumbering quarters for VIPs

Burnsley Hotel
1000 Grant Street
Downtown
303-830-1000; 800-231-3915 (toll-free)
www.burnsley.com
Exquisitely furnished, spacious suites with spectacular mountain views, complemented by a sleek bar with live piano music and a stylish in-house restaurant

Hotel Monaco
1717 Champa Street
Downtown
303-296-1717; 800-397-5380 (toll-free)
www.monaco-denver.com
Hip and modern hotel with whimsical rooms, top-of-the-line amenities and a goldfish to keep you company in your room

Hotel Teatro
1100 14th Street
Downtown
303-228-1100; 888-727-1200 (toll-free)
www.hotelteatro.com
Showy boutique property with luxurious amenities, fantastic dining options and an exceedingly helpful staff

JW Marriott
150 Clayton Lane
Cherry Creek
303-316-2700; 888-782-9722 (toll-free)
www.marriott.com
Not your average Marriott, this class act boasts gorgeously appointed rooms and public spaces, multiple meeting areas and excellent service

Getting There
Denver International Airport
A major hub for Unites Airlines, Denver International Airport (DIA) opened in 1995 roughly 24 miles northeast of downtown. Sprawling, efficient, enviably clean and accessorized with enough paintings, sculptures, murals and exhibits to outfit a major museum, the building is often a conversation piece for its iconic, peaked, white roof that mimics the Rocky Mountains. The three concourses are serviced by a speedy train system, which also funnels passengers from the concourses to baggage claim (level 5). If you need directions, hospitality ambassadors—identifiable by their white cowboy hats—can assist you in locating gates, services and amenities.

Internet AT&T Wi-Fi provides wireless Internet access service throughout Concourses A, B, C and the Jeppesen Terminal, and all public payphones have laptop-accessible data ports for standard dial-up Web access.

Security Denver International Airport is the nation's fifth busiest airport, which means that waiting times to get through security can be lengthy. The DIA Web site (www.flydenver.com) posts up-to-the-minute security wait times.

Waiting around If you want to alleviate stress, there are professional massage therapists in the main terminal and on Concourse B. Neck and backrubs and full-body massages are available from $45–75.

Transportation Most of the major rental car companies—Advantage, Enterprise, Hertz and Avis—are a short shuttle scoot away, and taxis are readily available. A cab ride to downtown takes about 30 minutes and costs around $50. Numerous shuttle providers lie in wait to shuffle passengers between DIA and various points in and around the city, including several hotels. Prices are generally around $20 per person.

LORI MIDSON is a freelance writer in Denver.