Good morning! I feel like I am on a high of happiness from such a great weekend 🙂  Looking back it was very active and we were able to cram a TON in, but it was so perfect.  Brian, Bernie and I got lots of time together and we saw many friends too.

Here are some of the highlights from our Fourth of July and 2nd Anniversary weekend adventures…

• Cherry Creek Arts Festival

Last year, we visited our friends Liz and Aidan during the Fourth of July weekend.  During our visit, we checked out the Cherry Creek Arts Festival and fell in love!! This year, we knew we needed to squeeze it into our agenda and I am so happy we did.

Basically, an outdoor shopping district called Cherry Creek North closes all the streets and a ton of white tents are set up for artists from around the country to display their artwork.  People are able to walk from booth to booth checking out the amazing art and purchase some if you like!  There are so many unique artists that I truly believe that there is something for everyone’s taste at this event.   Admission is free and there are drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and food to purchase.  If you are ever in Denver for Fourth of July weekend, this definitely needs to be on your list!! (And it’s dog friendly!)

• Mountain Biking

Saturday morning, Brian and I got up bright and early for our first mountain biking experience with Denver Adventures.

We had such a fun and amazing experience, I plan on writing out a more detailed post later in the week.  Seriously, it was so fun and I would definitely do it again 🙂

• Hiking Maxwell Falls

This hike was really pretty.  The trail followed a creek and there was a mixture of terrain.  Some parts were shady among pine and aspen trees, other parts seemed more like a desert atmosphere.

We loved getting Bernie in the water to play around and cool off for a bit.

While the scenery was beautiful and the hike was a good distance, unfortunately it wasn’t very well marked so I don’t think we ever made it to the “falls.”  I’m also, not sure how long it was because we did more of an out and back because we weren’t sure where we would end up.   That being said, there were many other hikers along the trail and it was really gorgeous.

• Ice Cream at Bonnie Brae’s

Bonnie Brae’s is a local ice cream shop where they make their own ice cream and cones.  Now, there are several local ice cream shops in Denver but the reason I LOVE Bonnie Brae’s is because they have a dairy-free vegan ice cream that doesn’t seem to cause any digestion issues for me 🙂 (sorry if that’s TMI!).  It is adorable and very “old school” and the ice cream is absolutely delicious.  It was the perfect cool treat after our HOT hike on Sunday.

• Dinner at Le Central

It has been my dream to visit France at some point in my life, so any time I see anything with a French theme it catches my eye.  Le Central is a local French restaurant in our neighborhood and it has been on my “list of places to try” for quite some time.

The feel was so adorable and quaint.  Not super fancy, it just felt authentic (even though I haven’t been to France I imagine this is how it would feel based on our honeymoon in Italy!)

The food was delicious, the staff was extremely friendly and SO accommodating with my dietary requests.  I enjoyed a slice of gluten-free bread (made in house!) and tuna nicoisse salad with no onions and oil and vinegar instead of the balsamic dressing it is typically served with.  It was amazing!

Brian enjoyed the muscles and frites….don’t they look fantastic!!!?  He also had an appetizer of escargot and LOVED it…but we forgot to snap a pic.

It was such a treat and a great way to end our anniversary and Fourth of July weekend.

Your Turn!

• How did you celebrate the Fourth of July!?
• What place is at the top of your dream travel list?