Denver’s Wild Side: A Guide to its Tunnels, Ghosts, and Notorious Past

Denver’s colorful past includes everything from underground tunnel systems to notorious red-light districts that shaped the American West’s early history. On this walking tour, you’ll hear the stories behind Lower Downtown – or LoDo’s – transformation from a rough warehouse district to the city’s most vibrant neighborhood.

The tour starts at the sealed entrance to Denver’s mysterious tunnel system on Market Street. You’ll pass the 16th Street Mall’s rattlesnake-inspired design, and the towering Daniels & Fisher clock tower that once dominated the skyline. You’ll walk through historic Larimer Square, where Denver’s founding fathers held whisky parties to unite three frontier towns. You’ll head into the atmospheric LoDo district, where old warehouses became trendy shops and restaurants.

Along the way, you’ll explore Union Station’s romantic wartime history and learn about the tragic destruction of Denver’s Chinatown. You’ll also visit the haunted Honor Farm, where Lydia the “lady in red” still roams the stairs, and hear ghost stories at Corridor 44’s Champagne Bar and Restaurant. The tour ends at the infamous House of Mirrors on Market Street, once home to Mattie Silks’ elite brothel in what was the West’s most notorious red-light district.

On this 45-minute tour, you’ll have the chance to:

• Spot the historic tunnel entrance where coal was once transported before these became underground havens for illicit activities
• See the Sugar Building that housed Colorado’s once-thriving sugar beet industry
• Visit the Oxford Hotel and its haunted Cruise Room, where the ghost of Florence Montague disturbs guests in room 320
• Learn about Denver’s transformation at McGregor Square and Coors Field, which sparked the revitalization of the entire LoDo warehouse district
• Browse Rockmount Ranch Wear, the three-generation family business that created the first western shirt with snaps, and dressed plenty of Hollywood stars
• Explore the Dairy Block alley with its European atmosphere, and visit Blanchard Family Wines in the beautifully restored 1918 Windsor Dairy building
• Find out where the only known gun duel between two women took place over a man named Cortez Thompson

By the end of this tour, you’ll have a greater understanding of Denver’s wild past and the secrets that shaped the Mile High City.