By Cassidy Ritter for Denverite
Welcome back to our monthly series highlighting hidden gems across the Denver metro.
The Off the Beaten Path series is meant to help you find new businesses to visit, places to get outside and events to attend.
Have suggestions for the next round-up? Drop us a line.
Three new places to try
The Apex Center in Arvada opened a new archery range on Dec. 12.
The 60-yard-long range, located outside behind the recreation center at 13150 W. 72nd Ave., Arvada, is open to guests ages 8 and older regardless of archery experience.
In addition to drop-in sessions, the Apex Center hosts archery classes, private and semi-private lessons and other adaptive programs with certified instructors. For those wanting to take classes this winter, indoor programming will be available in the recreation center’s auxiliary gym from January to March, according to its website.
“Archery is a sport that promotes focus, discipline and fun — and now, thanks to this dedicated space, it’s more accessible than ever,” Vicki Pyne, president of the Apex board of directors, said in a statement.
Drop-in session schedules vary by week. Admission costs Arvada residents $7 and non-residents $10. Rentals are available for $10, or archers can bring their own equipment.
A suburban favorite now has a new, larger Denver location.
Chinese restaurant Hong Kong Station has been a favorite in Denver’s southern suburbs since 2020, when the restaurant opened its first location at 6878 S. Yosemite St. in Centennial. Last year, it opened a second outpost in southeast Denver at 6460 E. Yale Ave., and in November, it opened its third location at 2205 E. Colfax Ave.
Hong Kong Station landed at No. 32 on Yelp’s list of the Top 100 Chinese Restaurants of 2024 for its signature dishes like fried Szechuan chicken, scallion pancakes and barbecue pork lo mein.
The restaurant’s newest location is significantly larger than its other two spaces, which is good news for diners who have become accustomed to waiting for a table at its other outposts.
“We take pride in presenting the most authentic and delectable Chinese cuisine in Centennial. Our menu showcases a diverse array of dishes from regions across China, including the bold flavors of Szechuan and the delicate tastes of Cantonese cuisine,” the restaurant’s website states.
Award-winning bar veterans and husband-and-wife duo Alex Jump and Stuart Jensen opened cocktail bar The Peach Crease Club near Mission Ballroom in late November.
The 1970s-themed bar, at 4180 Wynkoop St., emphasizes good drinks, music and hospitality.
The Peach Crease Club is a reimagined version of Jump and Jensen’s home bar that they created during the pandemic. With the help of Davis Partnership Architects, the newly opened bar pairs earth tones, oranges and saddle-brown leather with vintage records and a retro speaker that doubles as a host stand.
The Peach Crease Club features seasonal, culinary-focused cocktails, such as a rotating peach option and one with sake and mango called Papaya Salad. Guests can also order light bites, wine, sake, espresso, tea and low-ABV and non-alcoholic cocktails.
“Each drink captures a moment in time, from flavors we savored in Copenhagen on our wedding anniversary to a brandy distilled the day we were engaged,” Jump said in a statement. “This is our way of sharing these experiences with our guests, as we would with friends at a dinner party.”
Drinks on the menu will rotate, and music at the bar will vary, too — from vinyl listening sessions to live DJs.
The Peach Crease Club is open Fridays and Saturdays from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. and on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 4 p.m. to midnight. The bar will soon open a walk-up window to serve draft drinks to guests outside before some Mission Ballroom concerts.
Get outside
A great way to spend the winter months (even if it doesn’t always feel like it) outdoors is by going ice skating with family and friends. So, lace up those skates and hit the ice!
The outdoor skating rink at the McGregor Square plaza, at 1901 Wazee St., is open to guests of all ages. Cheekily called McGregor Skate, it is the only place to show off your ice skating skills or learn some new ones in downtown Denver this season.
Prices range from $6 to $15, depending on age and whether rentals are needed. Advance reservations can be made online, although walk-ups are also allowed.
McGregor Skate is open daily until Jan. 4, except for Dec. 24 and Dec. 25, when it will close for the holiday. The rink will remain open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until Jan. 25.
Additional ice skating locations from Arvada to Parker can be found here.
Add to the calendar
Denver is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its Christkindlmarket this year. The market on the Auraria Campus, at 1000 Larimer St., features more than 40 vendors, holiday lights and more, and this year, visitors can try their hand at glass making.
Glass artists from Mack Glass are offering daily workshops at the company’s booth at the market until Dec. 23.
In the 20- to 30-minute class, guests choose from a variety of colors and designs to make a Christmas ornament or glass pendant necklace.
And it’s OK if you haven’t worked with glass before. The instructors help you along the way and ensure everyone’s project is successful, according to the company’s website.
The classes cost $50 per person and are open to ages 7 and older. Each class is capped at five people, ensuring an intimate, hands-on experience.
Reservations can be made online until the market ends Dec. 23.
Hidden gem
A big, red vending machine has appeared in Cherry Creek North this holiday season.
Called the Giving Machine, this supersized vending machine makes it easier to donate to five local and two global nonprofits. Organizations involved this year range from those supporting refugees, children, soldiers and families to nonprofits supplying hospitals and clinics in other countries with medical equipment.
Located at the Cherry Creek North Holiday Market at Second Avenue and Fillmore Street, this year’s machine benefits the Action Center, the African Community Center of Denver, Care, the Colorado National Guard Foundation, Project C.U.R.E, Splash and WeeCycle.
Visitors can use the vending machine to purchase items such as a $5 bus pass for the African Community Center of Denver, baby care basics for $8 on behalf of WeeCycle, or $175 worth of groceries for a family at the Action Center. Items for purchase range from $5 to $250.
The machine first appeared in Denver in 2019 as a response to one question: What if helping someone in need was as easy as buying a snack from a vending machine?
Since its founding in 2017, the Giving Machine has popped up in cities across the globe and helped thousands of people donate more than $50 million to nonprofits.
The Denver Giving Machine will operate 24/7 through Jan. 4.
