Six Things to Do in Denver on Super Bowl Sunday Other Than Watch the Game

Chances are that most of us will be glued to the TV this Sunday, watching the Broncos play in the big game, rooting for the home team and seeing if Peyton can pull off one last win. But what if you couldn’t care less about the Broncos, the Manning legacy, or football in general? Here are six things you can do in Denver this weekend beside watch the game — though you still might want to wear orange and blue, if you don't want to become a social outcast...and do want to enjoy some deals.
6. Huddle up at History Colorado Center
Speaking of wearing orange and blue, that's your admission ticket on Super Bowl Sunday to the History Colorado Center, which is always an amazing location for appreciating Colorado's colorful past. This Sunday, the museum will include a nod to the spirit of sports, specifically football, along with its regular exhibits. If you're so inclined, you can ignore football completely — but if you want your stubborn cousin to tag along for the day, the promise of football paraphernalia (original seats from Mile High, classic Orange Crush merchandise, photo ops with a bison wearing a Manning jersey) might just convince him to join you. Besides, what does he care? He's a Patriots fan, and he's still in a bad mood.    


5. Wander the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Sunday is a free day at the Museum of Nature & Science, which is smart, since exhibits regarding science and nature are about as direct an example of counter-programming to a football game as you can get. (Not that interest in sports and the sciences are mutually exclusive…lighten up, Francis.) Most weekends of the year, this place is as much a zoo as the actual Denver Zoo right on the other side of City Park —but this Sunday, it should be far more peaceful. 

4. Lace up your skates at Skyline Park 
The Southwest Skating Rink at downtown Denver’s Skyline Park is a slick city amenity, and this Sunday is one of the last times you can skate before the season ends. The rink is free not just on Super Bowl Sunday, but any day it's open — as long as you have your own skates. (And if you need to rent a pair, they’re only $2.) If you’re not home watching football, you can at least glide about and work on that figure-eight move that you never did get down as a kid.

3. Discover the Clyfford Still Museum
Another free activity on Sunday (again, genius marketing) is a visit to the Clyfford Still Museum, one of Denver’s true artistic assets and a place you might not have yet experienced. This is your chance to correct that oversight and indulge in artwork that can inspire and thrill just as much as a game-winning drive by the Broncos in the fourth quarter.

2. Ski solo
Super Bowl Sunday might well be the best weekend day to ski: The slopes are close to empty and there's so little traffic on I-70 that you may want to chuck your skis over the guardrail, stop at the Beau Jo’s in Idaho Springs and re-evaluate your life choices. So pop open that roof rack, get out your parka and your snow pants, check those ski boots for a tight fit, and head on up to enjoy some slope slooshing without all the crowds. Oh, and by the way, if you're as disinterested in skiing as you are in football?  Here's a list of things to do up there that don't involve lift tickets.

1. Take In a show
For a day when the majority of Denverites will be focused on their boob tubes, Sunday boasts a surprising number of stage plays that will be happy for your attendance. The DCPA’s Ricketson Theater hosts the enlightening and engrossing Fade, Curious Theatre Company offers the tantalizing and witty Sex With Strangers, and the Miners Alley Playhouse in Golden has the acclaimed 4000 Miles. Any of these productions will get you out of the house and get you thinking…which is what the whole not-watching-football thing is all about, right?

Have any other suggestions? Share them in a comment.