Need a relaxing small-town escape near Denver? Head to Parker! This friendly Colorado town blends charming downtown streets, outdoor adventure, and family fun—all just 25 miles southeast of Denver. Whether you’re strolling historic Mainstreet or biking scenic trails, Parker offers a laid-back Rocky Mountain getaway.
Parker, CO Highlights:
- Explore Downtown Parker and Mainstreet: Shop local boutiques, sip coffee, or enjoy live music at O’Brien Park amphitheater.
- Walk or bike the Cherry Creek Trail: Scenic, paved trail winding through parks, creeks, and open spaces.
- Visit the PACE Center: Parker Arts, Culture & Events Center hosts concerts, musicals, art shows, and classes year-round.
- Unwind at Discovery Park: Features a splash pad in summer, ice skating in winter, and community events all year.
- Tour the Parker Area Historical Society Museum: Learn about the town’s roots in ranching, railroads, and pioneer life.
Best Time to Visit Parker, CO
The best time to visit Parker is from late spring to early fall (May through October). Expect sunny weather for biking, hiking, and outdoor events. Winter is also beautiful with festive holiday markets, ice skating, and snowy views of the Front Range.
How to Get to Parker, CO
- If you are traveling by car: Parker is easily accessed via E-470 and Highway 83, about 40 minutes southeast of downtown Denver.
- By Air: Denver International Airport (DEN) is around 30 minutes away by car or shuttle service.
- By Public Transit: RTD bus routes and light rail connections via nearby Lone Tree or Centennial provide public transit access.
Where to Stay in Parker, CO
- SpringHill Suites by Marriott Denver Parker – Stylish suites, free breakfast, and convenient access to downtown and E-470.
- Hampton Inn & Suites Parker – Reliable comfort with an indoor pool, fitness center, and friendly service.
- Ascent on Main – Boutique hotel in the heart of downtown with modern design and walkable location.
Best Things to Do in Parker, CO
1. Parker Fieldhouse
The Parker Fieldhouse is a large sports and recreation center that spans 100,000 square feet and offers a variety of facilities, including a gymnasiums, indoor and outdoor sports turfs, an inline skating rink, a climbing wall, a fitness loft, and personal training, batting cages and indoor golf. The center has a state-of-the-art, climate-controlled indoor inline courts for hockey, futsal, and lacrosse with spectator seating, premium lighting, and direct access to team rooms. Two batting tunnels feature a portable pitching machine (softball and baseball), bats, helmets, and dimple balls, which can be reserved by individuals and teams for practice. The Parker Fieldhouse venues may be rented for team practices, games or other private events.
18700 E Plaza Dr, Parker, CO 80134, Phone: 303-805-6300
2. H2O'Brien Pool
The H2O'Brien Pool is a water center with a circulation and lap pool, two water slides, a spray garden, a waterworks play structure, a concession area, and a shade pavilion. Located in the center of town at South Parker Road and Mainstreet, the H2O’Brien Pool also boasts three smaller slides for kids 10 and under and safe zero-depth play area and paddling pool with sprays and geysers. Parker Aquatics offers small group swimming lessons for children, teenagers, and adults at the pool during certain times, and the complex has spaces that can be rented for private parties and special occasions. The H2O'Brien Outdoor Pool is only open seasonally during the summer months.
10795 Victorian Dr. Suite A, Parker, CO 80138, Phone: 720-851-5873
Attractions for Couples
3. Downhill Brewing (previously Elk Mountain Brewing)
Downhill Brewing, previously known as Elk Mountain Brewing, is a locally owned and operated brewery with a pizza kitchen and friendly, welcoming ambiance. The brewery produces a range of brews including IPAs, pale ales, seasonal and limited releases and more, which can be sampled in the tasting room or on the outdoor patio. Signature brews include Saturday Nut Fever – a peanut butter brown ale; Case of the Mondays – a coffee milk stout; Would or Wouldn’t IPA; Last Caress – an Imperial IPA; Collision Kölsch; Team America Fruit Saison and Aprés Amber, an American Amber. The friendly brewery team offer unscheduled tours of the brewery and a spacious, fenced in patio is available for visitors’ dogs to play.
18921 Plaza Dr, Parker, CO 80134, Phone: 303-805-2739
4. Vehicle Vault
Vehicle Vault is an auto gallery and elite custom garage that features an outstanding collection of rare and exotic automobiles from all over the world and offers a unique venue for special events and functions. Established to provide discerning car collectors with a place to keep and maintain their prize investments, Vehicle Vault is a stylish and modern museum spanning 35,000 square feet with permanent and rotating exhibits of cars from every decade since the turn of the 20th Century. The permanent collection features cars from critical periods in history ranging from the Prohibition and Pre-War era, the Brass Era, and Drive-In years to Hot Rods, Classic Muscle, Customs and Exotics. The spectacular museum also showcases a variety of fine artworks by local artists and provides a stunning venue for all types of events from board meetings to black-tie reception, banquets, and car shows.
18301 Lincoln Meadows Pkwy, Parker, CO 80134, Phone: 303-626-8920
5. Purgatory Cellars
Founded in 2014 by winemakers from Croatia with a love of Colorado and Colorado grapes, Purgatory Cellars Winery produces award-winning, handcrafted wines made from hand-selected Colorado grape growers. Using an ancient winemaking tradition that dates back to the 6th century, wines are fermented and stored in Georgian Amphora (Qvevri) clay pot containers to produce complex and soft tannins and incredible flavors. The first winery in Colorado to utilize this ancient method of producing Amphora-aged wines, Purgatory Cellars Winery has produced Colorado Governor's Cup Medal-winning wines such as Merlot Reserve (Silver), Cabernet Sauvignon (Silver), Riesling Ice Wine (Bronze), Malbec (Bronze), Riesling Late Harvest (Bronze), Chardonnay Amphora (Silver), and Cab Franc Ice Wine (Gold), among others. Purgatory Cellars Winery offers cellar tours, tastings, wine club memberships, and can be rented for special events and functions.
18921 Plaza Dr #100, Parker, CO 80134, Phone: 303-600-8209
Recommended Activities for Families
6. Sulphur Gulch Trail
The Sulphur Gulch Trail is a four-and-a-half-mile-long hiking and biking trail within Riva Ridge Park with an elevation of 5,912 feet. The trail runs along the Sulphur Gulch, which is one of the tributaries of the Cherry Creek and connects the Cherry Creek Trail within Bar CCC Park, before meandering east beneath Parker Road and through town. A variety of amenities can be found along the trail, including benches, restrooms, drinking water fountains, parking for bicycles and motorcars, and plenty of shade. The trail also features the Flat 14er Designation, an initiative to encourage community members to increase their level of physical activity by climbing virtual 14ers with directional signs along the way.
7. Parker Recreation Center
The Parker Recreation Center is a state-of-the-art recreation and sports facility with more than 30,000 square feet of space featuring an array of amenities and facilities for sports and fitness. Opened in 1994, the facility boasts a three-floor gymnasium and auxiliary gymnasium, fitness studios, a cycling studio and multi-station with free weights, cardiovascular and circuit equipment. The center also has a lap pool with a shallow end, a therapy pool, and an activity pool with zero-depth entry, play structures, an aquatic climbing wall, water slides, and a lazy river. Locker facilities and family changing rooms are available, and the Recreation Center offers an active schedule of sports and fitness classes including aerobics, cycling, toning and strength classes, yoga, Pilates, and Aqua Aerobics.
17301 Lincoln Ave, Parker, CO 80134, Phone: 303-841-4500
8. Discovery Park
Discovery Park is a 1.4-acre community park and plaza in the heart of Parker that features interactive fountains in the summer, a vibrant ice trail in the winter, and performances and events throughout the year. Located next to Parker’s new library on Mainstreet and Pine Drive, the park offers year-round activities such as the Discovery Park Play Fountain, a 900-square-foot water feature that includes programmable water jets and color changing LED lights. Winter sees the opening of the Parker Ice Trail at Discovery Park, which meanders through the park like a frozen river or canal with fire pits along the way for skaters to warm up and or enjoy hot chocolate while watching skaters pass by. A performance stage is located at the north end of the park for concerts or performances, which are hosted during the summer months and the park is home to the "Ball and Jacks" sculpture by local Colorado artist, Christopher Weed.
20115 Mainstreet, Parker, CO 80138, Phone: 303-841-0353
Recommended Attractions
9. The Jay Moore Working Studio and Showroom
The Jay Moore Working Studio and Showroom is home to local artist Jay Moore who graduated from the Colorado Institute of Art and worked in graphic design and illustration for several years before concentrating on full-time on painting. Today, his paintings have appeared in magazines, exhibitions, and collections across the country. His works can also be found in galleries around the country including the Denver Art Museum and the Pioneer Museum in Colorado Springs. Visitors can visit and tour Jay Moore’s working studio and showroom in historic downtown Parker by appointment.
11020 S Pikes Peak Dr #105, Parker, CO 80138, Phone: 303-588-4152
10. Parker Symphony Orchestra
The Parker Symphony Orchestra is a community orchestra that conducts performances throughout the year at the PACE Center in Parker. Established in 1994, the orchestra aims to educate, entertain and inspire audiences through beautiful classical orchestral music by presenting exciting and entertaining performances with a wide variety of musical genres. Based at the PACE Center, which has outstanding acoustics and seating with unobstructed views of the stage, the Parker Symphony Orchestra offers a full calendar of performances for the season.
20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker, CO 80138, Phone: 303-805-6800
Plan Your Trip