Denver maintains an abundance of stereotypes. Behold: the outdoorsy types, wearing Patagonia and hiking every weekend, spending their paychecks at REI. There’s the craft beer types, wearing flannel with the sleeves rolled up (often with tattoos on display), debating the polarizing IPA selection at their favorite local brewery. Denverites are always dog owners, Trader Joe’s shoppers, and Colorado transplants (no one living in Denver is really from Denver, right?).

However, there’s the elusive artsy group, invested in Denver’s oddities and quirky strangeness. This isn’t solely relegated to the theatre enthusiasts or art museum devotees. Denver is host to a curious subculture, where weird becomes cool.

International Church of Cannabis. Photo courtesy Atlas Obscura

Some tourist-friendly examples that come to mind are The International Church of Cannabis (another Denver stereotype, perhaps), Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station, and Casa Bonita.

Another glaring example is the Denver International Airport. This site is notorious for its conspiracy theories, ranging from Illuminati connections to underground lizard people to haunted artwork. Most iconic is Blucifer, the massive blue stallion sculpture located outside the terminals. Read more about Blucifer’s history here. Local clothing brands, like Abstract, feature this demonic horse on t-shirts, hats, bags, and more.

If you like mythical artwork, did you know there are hidden elves in the dioramas at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science? These elves, gnomes, leprechauns, or whatever you’d prefer to call them, are hidden in plain sight throughout the museum. DMNS even has a scavenger hunt you can bring to the museum – though it’s universally acknowledged there are more elves hiding around than are listed on the scavenger hunt.

Elf in DMNS Mural. Photo courtesy The Denver Post

If you’re visiting from out of town, check in to the Populus Hotel. This downtown tower is Denver’s first carbon positive hotel, which oddly looks like a cheese grater. It’s an interesting mix of modernity and strangeness, which you can only fully appreciate while spending the night.

Plan your visit around the Oddities & Curiosities Expo, which visits Denver every year, like the National Western Stock Show but for the strange and bizarre. This year, the event will be in town in October at the Colorado Convention Center. Here you can find taxidermy, antiques, jewelry, collectibles, and more.

Speaking of taxidermy, Denver wouldn’t be complete without its oldest operating restaurant: Buckhorn Exchange. You can be immersed in a bit of historic Denver, including 500 animals that have inhabited the restaurant since 1893 and a 125-piece gun collection.

Buckhorn Exchange. Photo courtesy Atlas Obscura

If you’re hungry, but the idea of being observed by hundreds of glass eyes is alarming, check out Linger – a modern eatery housed in a former mortuary. The remains of Buffalo Bill reportedly remained in the mortuary for six months in 1917. Today, Linger’s menu is inspired by cuisine from around the world, so there’s something to appeal to everyone – and fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), the menu items don’t have creepy names or any allusions to the morbid setting.

Right next door to Linger is one of Little Man Ice Cream’s locations, marked by a giant, 28-foot-tall milk pail. Besides the interesting architecture, Little Man is known for its slightly unconventional ice cream flavors, including Salted Oreo and Espresso Fudge.

Photo courtesy Little Man Ice Cream

Connect with your inner weirdo by seeing The Addams Family when it stops at the Buell Theatre on May 2-4, or stick around for THE BOOK OF MORMON from May 6-18. Theatre is a welcoming space for people of all types, and these two productions go to show just how…ahem…adventurous some audience members can be.

Last but not least, if you’re like Wednesday Addams, you’ll enjoy some of the spookier offerings tied to Denver’s storied past. While ghost tours abound, visiting Cheesman Park might be enough for you. The park was a cemetery in a past life, with many remains still buried under the grass. You can learn even more about Denver’s spooky side here.

Who knows what Denverites will come up with next? I’m voting for a demonic pony to gallop alongside Blucifer. Maybe this not-so-little horse outside the Denver Public Library will do?