Denver, Colorado

The Mile High City sits exactly 5,280 feet above sea level – somewhere on the west steps of the Colorado State Capitol, anyway. Three surveys came back with three different answers, so Denver marked the 13th, 15th and 18th steps and got on with its day. Very Denver.

On a clear morning the Rockies run along the western horizon, and plenty of visitors take the hint, grabbing a rental car and heading for the peaks. The railroad did much the same in the 1860s, bypassing Denver when the mountains behind it looked like too much trouble, but the city has always been better company than its reputation as a gateway suggests.

VoiceMap’s self-guided audio tours give you reasons to linger. Hear how the Cheyenne and Arapaho camped where Cherry Creek meets the South Platte long before the 1858 gold rush, then find out how one woman’s broken-down car saved Larimer Square from the bulldozers. Climb to the Molly Brown House on Capitol Hill, or loop City Park until the skyline lines up with the Rockies.

Plug in your earbuds and take Denver one step at a time – the 13th, 15th or 18th will do.