ARVADA - The smell of lavender permeates the lazy summer evening. Small groups wander slowly on Grandview Avenue, passing artists and musicians along the way.

A man with a graying ponytail plays acoustic guitar and sings folk songs outside the Eli Ashley Healing Arts Center. A block up, Dennis Line finishes a painting in front of Bliss Cafe.

Directly behind him sprawls the rest of the city, dropping below the edge of the street, providing the perfect reminder why it's called "Grandview."

Welcome to Olde Town Arvada.

It's a far cry from the low-rent, blighted area that longtime residents might remember from a decade or two ago. The reborn historic district just west of the Wadsworth bypass is one of many dotting the Front Range, reminiscent of Denver's hip Highland neighborhood, stretches of South Broadway and even Lower Downtown.

"We have a unique benefit," says Arvada Mayor Ken Fellmen. "There aren't too many suburbs that have a 100-plus-year-old business district to build on."

Walking from storefront to storefront, the neighborhood is by day a chunk of small-town Americana and by night an evolving live-music and night-life center that provides as much variety in a few short blocks as you might find across downtown Denver.

It's a work in progress, sure, but the headway they've made is tremendous. And if FasTracks continues as planned, there'll soon be a train of some sort bringing more people toward the burgeoning entertainment center.

Olde Town, it turns out, has more than a few distractions to keep the crowds coming.

D Note

7519 Grandview Ave., 303-463-6683

• What you'll see: The anchor of the live-music scene in Olde Town, the D Note is the biggest and most comfortable venue in the neighborhood. It boasts a long room with exposed brick walls, a big stage and an elevated sound booth that immediately reminded me of the old Soiled Dove (before it moved to Lowry), except without all the woo-hoo girls and backward- ball-cap-wearing knuckleheads. The crowd is a laid-back, working-class hippie group, not as affluent as the Boulder hippies and not as rustic as the mountain-town hippies. Just your everyday working-stiff hippies.

• What you'll hear: The music's a blend of salsa (Conjunto Colores is on the regular rotation of bands), blues, jazz, zydeco and any other jam-related styles you can think of. Sunday nights are usually jazz or blues jams, and Monday nights are open-stage nights.

• What you'll like: The pizza. If you're a band, free pizza is a staple of most gigs and usually code for "we're not paying you enough to make it worthwhile, so have a slice on us." At the D Note, the free pizza is well worth the loss in greenbacks.

• When to go: Happy hour is 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, featuring two-for-one on domestic beers, well and house wines.

12-Volt Tavern

7514 Grandview Ave.; 303-432-7463

• What you'll see: If the D Note is the prettiest venue in Olde Town, the 12-Volt Tavern is the ugliest. I mean that in an "ugly-like-Joey-Ramone" kind of way. The bar is the perfect antithesis to the hippie-friendly joint across the street: a very small room with a pool table, tiny stage and way-too-big speakers for blasting rock from the myriad garage bands that play here. The walls are adorned on one side with old advertisements, on the other with various oddities like racing photos or the Bananas magazine cover of Erik Estrada. Which is pretty much the coolest thing in the universe.

• What you'll hear: Loud, eardrum-busting rock, alt country and more rock. And a little roll.

• What you'll like: Hands down, the coolest retro video arcade game ever - it has everything from Moon Patrol to Missile Command on it. Burger Time, anyone? Also, check out the collection of different flavors of Mad Dog 2 0/20 over the bar.

• When to go: Happy hour is 3 to 6 p.m. daily, featuring two-for-one draught beers and 50 cents off well drinks.

Bliss

7501 Grandview Ave.; 303-423-7770

• What you'll see: Bliss is probably the best kept secret of Olde Town Arvada, and the most appropriately named venue. The cozy little mod cafe and wine bar boasts marvelous décor that sings with personal touches, from the mosaic tile near the entrance, hand-laid by owner Amy Kitteringham, to the ancient apple peeler that belonged to her grandmother, to the old black-and-white photo of the Arvada Municipal band from 1926, to artist Dennis Line's brilliant Van Gogh-inspired portraits on the walls.

• What you'll hear: Jazz combos like the Greg Harris Vibe quintet, whose mellow, throwback sound perfectly complements Bliss' mod digs.

• What you'll like: What won't you like? Everything here is good, from the delectable pastries like the heavenly banana chocolate cake to the perfectly made soda fountain drinks to the unusual liquors like St. Germain, an elderflower liqueur.

• When to go: Happy hour is 4 to 6 p.m. daily; all coffee drinks, wines, beer and other spirits are half off.

More than just bars

While you're wandering around Olde Town, be sure not to miss:

• Rheinlander Bakery

5721 Olde Wadsworth Blvd. 303-467-1810

Strudel to die for. And turnovers, Bienenstich, cream horns, Linzer tarts, pie and cakes and cookies and more - along with an unparalleled collection of gluten-free mixes and pastries.

• Arvada Bead Connection

5771 Olde Wadsworth Blvd.; 303-422-6410

Huge selection at this one-stop shop for the do-it-yourself jewelry maker.

• The Tea Rose

5618 Olde Wadsworth Blvd.; 303-432-1047

A quaint little tea store that specializes in exotic blends, loose teas, hand-painted sets and myriad other tea-oriented gifts.

• Dicicco's Italian Restaurant

5660 Olde Wadsworth Blvd.; 303-940-9877

Tasty, affordable Italian food served in a charming bistro setting, either in the sprawling dining room or on the bustling patio.

• Festival Playhouse

5665 Olde Wadsworth Blvd.; 303-422-4090

This intimate theater space built into a charming converted Victorian is home to longtime Denver company the Players Guild.

• Grandview Tavern

7427 Grandview Ave.; 303-442-0781

A popular Olde Town neighborhood bar and grill housed inside the oldest two-story building in Arvada.Olde Towne Tavern and Grill

7355 Ralston Road; 303-467-1472

• What you'll see: This is the Arvada most of us remember; the western annex of Thornton. The Tavern and Grill right next to Chester Fried Chicken is a sticky strip-mall grill with a surprisingly unique personality, due in no small part to the lovely pink-haired waitress Angie, who could probably mop the floor with you and still have you coming back for more. It's a big space with an elevated bar, a bustling patio full of smokers and plenty of large tables surrounding the big-screen TV in the center of the room where karaoke lyrics were displayed on a particularly painful Friday night. Apparently, the karaoke in Olde Town is as bad as it is anywhere else (although, I think this place is just a block or two too far north to technically be considered "Olde Town").

• What you'll hear: On a Friday night, bad karaoke. Other nights, mostly rock of the metal persuasion.

• What you'll like: The burgers. One could consider their choice to name one the Double-Double simply a presumptuous claim to the In-N-Out mantle. But one bite and there's no arguing its fitness to the throne.

• When to go: Happy hour is 4 to 7 p.m. daily; 75 cents to $1 off wine, well, draught and bottled beers. There's also a monthly calendar of specials on the wall that greets you as you walk in the door.

Arvada Tavern

5705 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., 303-424-9905

• What you'll see: The Arvada Tavern is a neighborhood dive reflecting the best parts of the term. Boasting the first liquor license issued in Arvada back in 1933, it's safe to say little has changed since, except maybe a new batch of spicy pickled eggs in the jar on the bar. Revelers can drop the peanut shells right onto the floor while seated around the very long bar; this is where the grizzled regulars came with their parents 50 years ago, and the same place you'll want to show your kids, too.

• What you'll hear: Depends on who's got access to the Internet jukebox, but based on the clientele, most likely old country or blues and the occasional Eagles hit.

• What you'll like: Dig the great mural of the train rumbling through Olde Town on the wall; the ancient phone booth is a nice conversation piece, and the antique shuffleboard is in immaculate condition.

• When to go: They've got free pool on Wednesdays and a rotating roster of $2 specials every day of the week. So really, go whenever and thank us for the recommendation.

Olde Town Pickin' Parlor

7515 Grandview Ave., 303-421-2304

Located smack dab in the middle of Olde Town, the Pickin' Parlor has borne witness to the evolution of its surrounding neighborhood.

For more than 15 years, the specialty acoustic instrument shop has been plying its wares - guitars, banjos, mandolins and such - to people from all over the world from its quaint location, whether it's here on Grandview or around the corner on Olde Wadsworth, where "Uncle" Kit Simon first opened his shop.

"My partner, 'Banjo' Bob Anderson, had this idea that all the good acoustic guitar shops were located near Army Navy Surplus stores," he says. "So we opened up next door to one."

After five years next to Arvada Surplus (5701 Olde Wadsworth, 303-424-5434), the space at 7515 Grandview was vacated by another music store, and Simon and his partner pounced on the opportunity.

"They already had practice rooms and everything built in here; it was a perfect space."

The larger digs also let Simon turn the Pickin' Parlor into more than just a guitar store.

America's Soul Live! is a monthly concert series the Parlor hosts on the third Tuesday of every month. Singer/songwriter John Chandler hosts, and the roster of musical guests has included Molly O'Brien, Celeste Krenz, Richie Furay and Chris Daniels, to name a few. Douglas County public access channel DC8 has aired many of the concerts.

Back to Top