How My Family Enjoyed Denver Like Locals for Less Money

Memorable travel experiences don’t always come from headline attractions or tightly packed itineraries. Some of my family’s favorite travel moments have come from ordinary experiences in a destination, like casual meals at local restaurants, riding public transportation, and spending time in places designed for daily life rather than tourism.

It’s not about skipping the highlights entirely or trying to pass yourself off as a resident, but rather choosing more local-first experiences as you explore a destination. This approach can make travel less expensive, less stressful, and more flexible, especially for families.

See our recommendations for traveling like a local, from lodging to getting around and finding things to do.

What Traveling Like a Local Means

You don’t have to pretend you live at your destination or skip every attraction to travel like a local. Rather, traveling like a local means focusing more on experiencing everyday life by visiting the sorts of places and engaging in the kinds of routines that residents do.

That means staying in residential neighborhoods instead of tourist areas, taking public transportation, dining at locally beloved restaurants, and utilizing everyday infrastructure, such as grocery stores and parks. These choices can slow down the pace of your trip and allow you to enjoy the experiences at your destination that might not be included in guidebooks.

This travel approach can be a good fit for families, budget-conscious travelers, and anyone visiting repeat destinations. For families, it’s easier to keep familiar rhythms, prepare meals, and avoid the stress of driving and parking in a busy area when you stay in a residential neighborhood. It’s easier to build your days around places designed for daily use, such as a local park with a view of the mountains or a quirky store that can’t be found anywhere else, with less focus on costly and time-sensitive attractions.

The cost savings of traveling like a local can be significant. Nightly rates in neighborhood lodging may be lower than those in comparable downtown hotels, and having access to a kitchen can help reduce food expenses without requiring constant planning about where you’ll eat. Taking public transportation can help eliminate many of the costs associated with getting around. Even your spending on mementos may be lower if you’re not surrounded by souvenir shops and tourist-curated experiences all day.

Stay Where Locals Live

I enjoy staying in hotels and resorts, but sometimes want a different approach to lodging. Staying outside the traditional tourist core is a great way to experience a destination more like a local. Nightly rates in tourist centers are typically higher priced, and so are the restaurants and shops surrounding them. Staying in a residential neighborhood can significantly change the cost (and feel) of your trip.

On a recent trip to Denver, my family stayed at a vacation rental home in Westminster, about 10 minutes north of downtown. I booked it with my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card through Capital One Travel and earned 5 miles per $1 spent.

I’d started out searching for downtown Denver hotels, but quickly switched to alternatives when I saw most of the hotels I was interested in had nightly parking fees of $50 or more. With plans for a scenic drive and other activities that had us all over Denver and Boulder, skipping the rental car wasn’t an option. I looked beyond downtown and branched out into vacation rentals.

The Westminster vacation rental we stayed at was spacious and perfect for a relaxed visit, featuring a basement for the kids to take over, separate bedrooms for all of us, and 2 bathrooms to make mornings easy. It had a driveway and a full kitchen, so we saved significantly on parking fees and food. Instead of busy streets and valet parking, we had sidewalks, neighborhood parks, and local restaurants close by. It slowed down the pace of our trip and made us feel more at home.

Learn the Public Transit System

Using public transportation in an unfamiliar city can be intimidating, and it becomes even more complicated when you have kids or luggage. But it’s worth researching and giving it a shot. Using public transportation is one of the fastest ways to travel like a local while reducing costs. You can reduce or eliminate the cost of rental cars, parking fees, and ride-sharing fares.

During our trip to Denver, we utilized the RTD A Line to travel from Denver International Airport (DEN) to Union Station. The train had plenty of room for luggage and efficiently got us between the airport and downtown. It was a fun hop and gave us a chance to see historic Union Station, which I’ve always been curious about. We paid $10 per person for adults, and the kids (19 and under) rode for free.

We rented a car, but by riding the train into downtown and picking up a car there instead of renting at the airport, we saved more than $150 on our car rental. On arrival, we had a quick lunch, then Enterprise Rent-A-Car picked us up from Union Station (and dropped us off at the station when it was time to head home). There was no waiting around for the airport shuttle bus or worrying about traffic getting into the airport.

It was similarly rewarding to use public transportation when my family visited Connecticut via New York City this year. We flew into LaGuardia Airport (LGA), then took the AirTrain and subway to get into town and explore for the day before we hopped on the Metro-North railroad and picked up a rental car in Stamford (the agency was conveniently at the train station). Thus, we avoided renting a car at LGA and driving and parking in the city, saving money by not paying airport rental car rates.

Public transportation doesn’t have to replace every other way of getting around, but incorporating transit into a trip (even just for airport transfers or a day of sightseeing) can add flexibility and reduce costs while giving you a glimpse into how locals get around on a daily basis.

Eat Local

We’ve found dining at local favorites to be more casual, faster, and more affordable than destination dining hot spots. Find local favorite dining spots by asking for recommendations, such as chatting up your driver or asking your vacation rental host. Online, try searching on Google Maps by neighborhoods instead of the city name. Local restaurants tend to offer better service and prices because they cater to repeat customers rather than one-time splurges by tourists.

One of our favorite meals in Denver was at Nicolo’s Pizza, a Denver-area chain we’ve been dining at for years. Family-owned and operated, the location we visited was in a basic strip mall but offered exceptionally warm service and great Chicago-style pizza. The waitress fussed over our kids and hooked them up with Shirley Temples absolutely packed with cherries, and we took pizza leftovers back to our vacation rental.

Grocery stores can also play a part, as picking up breakfast items, snacks, and picnic supplies can help lower your food costs while adding local flavor. Even familiar chains stock regional products you might not see at home, and prepared foods can be easier on your budget than dining out for every meal. In Denver, we typically ate breakfast at our vacation rental, packed a picnic lunch of sandwiches or leftovers, and dined out for dinner. We would have spent much more on food if we’d visited a restaurant for all 3 meals instead of 1 each day.

Spend Time Where Daily Life Happens

There’s appeal in tourist attractions and carefully planned itineraries, but make time to enjoy everyday experiences at your destination. Take a walk in a local park, see less-visited attractions, and spend time in community spaces.

We’ve enjoyed visiting Rocky Mountain National Park on other Denver trips, but wanted new nature experiences on our most recent visit. We enjoyed a neighborhood walk in Westminster at a park behind our vacation rental and drove up to Brainard Lake Recreation Area to see the aspens in a slightly closer location with a slower pace.

After visiting the famed Casa Bonita restaurant, we wandered the main drag of Englewood, south of Denver. We happened upon Mutiny Information Cafe, one of Denver’s oldest used bookstores, to pick up reads for the trip home and play pinball. The Tabletop Tap was just down the street, where we felt right at home at the family-friendly pub amid hundreds of board games and over-the-top pop-culture and gaming decor. My favorite discovery was the “Jurassic Park”-themed bathroom, complete with theme music.

These kinds of subtle changes can naturally slow a trip down and allow your days to unfold more organically. Hitting less-visited spots can make it easier to enjoy traveling with kids, as they can get more breathing room than in crowded attractions.

When Traveling Like a Local Doesn’t Work

Traveling like a local isn’t the right approach for every trip, like single-night stays or trips built around a single major attraction. For example, it doesn’t make sense to check into a vacation rental if you’re only staying 1 night, and a local-style stay isn’t a great fit if you plan to spend most of your time at a theme park.

The infrastructure of your destination matters, too, as you may need to rent a car if your destination has limited or unreliable public transportation. And if you only want to hit the highlights of a city, you don’t need to explore beyond typical tourist spots.

Final Thoughts

Subtly changing the way you travel, such as staying in a residential neighborhood, using public transportation, and visiting well-rated but lesser-known dining and attractions, can lower the cost of a vacation and change your experience. Seeing a destination like a local can make travel feel more flexible and forgiving, making it easier to navigate as you opt for low-pressure activities over ticketed attractions and time-sensitive reservations.

This travel style isn’t the right fit for every trip, but it can be rewarding for families, budget-conscious travelers, and anyone returning to a familiar destination. Everyday moments like exploring a quiet park, stumbling into a bookstore, or visiting a mom-and-pop restaurant may be the ones that stay with you long after you’ve returned home.