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Auraria, Denver — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Auraria is a former territorial capital and one of Denver's founding settlements, anchored by the Auraria Campus and the Platte Valley attractions.
About Auraria
Where to stay in Auraria
Where you base yourself shapes the visit — here's the character of each area.
Auraria itself keeps few hotel rooms, so most visitors base themselves along its edges and walk in. Rooms cluster near the Auraria Campus and around the Platte Valley, where Elitch Gardens Theme Park and the Downtown Aquarium, Denver draw families across the year, and quieter stays sit closer to central Denver within easy reach of its museums. Choose by what you came for.
About Auraria
What are the main landmarks in Auraria?
The district's draws are unmistakable. Elitch Gardens Theme Park fills its skyline with coasters, and the wooden Twister II and the steel Sidewinder still pull the longest lines, while the Downtown Aquarium, Denver and the Children's Museum of Denver anchor the family end of the Platte Valley beside them. The Auraria Campus, with its Auraria Library, threads a working university through the neighbourhood's older streets.
What is the history of Auraria?
Auraria came first. It began as a mining-camp townsite and briefly served as a former territorial capital before its rival across the water absorbed it into Denver. The old settlement never vanished entirely; its churches and a cluster of nineteenth-century houses survived clearance, and the Auraria Campus later rose over the emptied blocks while keeping St. Elizabeth's Church and a handful of restored buildings in place.
That layering is why the district reads as both new and very old.
Where is Auraria?
Auraria sits on the low ground of Denver's Platte Valley, a compact wedge of former townsite that the Auraria Campus and the Elitch Gardens Theme Park now share. It is flat and walkable.
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Updated July 2026