5280 Magazine

Founded in 1993, 5280 is the largest local magazine in Colorado. The magazine's stories often make national headlines, and since 2005 5280 has been nominated for four National Magazine Awards. Get 5280 Magazine digital subscription today.

5280 Magazine

Wisdom, Collected

Compass

Electric Avenue • The stretch of South Broadway roughly between Mississippi and Evans avenues has a pair of monikers: the Green Mile, for its pot shops, and Antique Row, for its vintage stores. Neither, however, captures its vibe. “The breweries, the high-end housing, the shops,” says Michelle Kidd, marketing manager of Meier Skis, which moved to the neighborhood in 2019, “are bringing in a ton of energy.”

Here’s To You, Chuck Nazty • Pay your respects to Charlie Blackmon—before it’s too late.

Spore Treatment • Could functional mushrooms become the next CBD?

Laying Down The Law • Every July 1, when the state government resets its coffers with the new fiscal year, a slew of laws goes into effect. We asked Paul Teske, dean of the University of Colorado Denver’s school of public affairs, to break down three regulations that are reshuffling the rulebooks.

Eat & Drink

Bottled Up • Mara King, director of fermentation for the Wolf’s Tailor, Brutø, and Hey Kiddo, shares her secrets for creating the perfect pickle.

Pastry Progression • Denver culinary pros are taking lamination—the process of folding butter into dough to produce flaky layers—to new heights.

Boom Times • Molotov Kitschen & Cocktails, James Beard Award–nominated Bo Porytko’s City Park restaurant, explodes onto the dining scene.

The Magic Bullet? • After years of development, Broomfield’s Biofire is on the cusp of manufacturing a gun that might make the world safer—that is, if anyone buys the thing.

Power To The People • How a small group of environmentalists took western Colorado’s Holy Cross Energy from fossil fuels to the cutting edge of clean energy.

ANNOUNCING THE DENVER CENTER’S 2023/24 THEATRE COMPANY SEASON

REASONS TO LOVE DENVER • From the tastiest scoop of ice cream to the most inviting patio for summer sips to the hippest new lodging in town, we tracked down the best of the best that the Mile High City has to offer. The result is a curated list of 37 editors’ choices that complement our 79 readers’ choice winners.

“WE WANT PEOPLE TO HAVE A GREAT NIGHT OUT. THAT’S ALL — AND THAT’S A LOT.” • In an interview with 5280, Trey Parker and Matt Stone dish on whether buying Casa Bonita was a good business decision, how they used South Park to telegraph what was going on with the restaurant’s renovation, and which one of them will be dressing up in the infamous gorilla suit.

BEST OF THE COLORADO TRAIL • May we present the greatest distance-hiking route in the country.

THE QUIET CRISIS CRISIS • Thousands of Coloradans are living with severe intellectual or developmental disabilities. In many of these cases, medical advances have increased life spans, but that newfound longevity has created a host of challenges for parents and other caregivers.

IN THE LAND OT THE LOST • Very old rock and a dry climate give the American West one of the richest fossil records in the world. We dug into the history of dinosaur discoveries in the Centennial State, where to see the coolest bones, and what Coloradans who study the remains of Earth’s prehistoric inhabitants are learning today.

Dining Guide

THE OVERSIMPLIFIED GUIDE TO: Adopting An Adventure Dog • The mountains called, and you answered. You splurged on a climbing rack, an inflatable paddleboard, and a tent that weighs less than a green chile breakfast burrito. Now you need a best friend with whom you can share it all.