Fan Stay
The Curtis — a DoubleTree by Hilton
336-room boutique with themed floors in Denver's Theater District — walking distance to five top music venues. Offers a 'Bus to Show' shuttle to Red Rocks.
arena
Ball Arena
Denver, CO · Capacity: 19,500
About Ball Arena
Downtown Denver arena home to the Nuggets (NBA) and Avalanche (NHL). Formerly Pepsi Center, this 20,000-seat venue sits at the confluence of Cherry Creek and the Platte River with Rocky Mountain backdrop.
- Opened: 1999
- Capacity: 19,500
- Address: 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver, CO 80204
- Architect: Populous
- Structural engineer: Thornton Tomasetti
- Home teams: Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Mammoth, National Basketball Association
- Owner: Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, Stan Kroenke
- Official site: www.ballarena.com
Fan Guide · Nuggets & Avalanche
Recent champions in the Mile High City
Ball Arena is home to the Nuggets and Avalanche — both recent champions — in downtown Denver, a loud, altitude-aided building that anchors one of the best back-to-back title runs across two sports in any modern city.
It's walkable to the bars and breweries of LoDo and the Ball Arena light-rail stop.
Below are the Denver stays, restaurants and bars fans use around Ball Arena.
Fan tip: Take the light rail to the door, and the breweries of LoDo are your pre-game crawl.
Where Fans Stay, Eat & Drink near Ball Arena
All Denver hotspots →Hotels, bars, restaurants and things to do near Ball Arena in Denver — every pick web-researched and source-cited, closest to the arena first.
Where to Stay
Fan Stay
Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center
1,100-room downtown landmark a block from 16th Street — complimentary 16th Street Mall Ride, Peaks Lounge rooftop bar known as a pre-Red Rocks cocktail spot.
Fan Stay
The Ramble Hotel
Denver's first hotel in the RiNo Art District (50 rooms) — houses Death & Co lobby bar, Vauxhall live-music venue, Super Mega Bien restaurant. Common Red Rocks weekend home base.
Fan Stay
The Crawford Hotel
Built inside Denver's beautifully restored Union Station, The Crawford puts fans steps from LoDo's best sports bars and an easy transit ride to both major stadiums. The Terminal Bar downstairs is a scene on any game night.
Fan Stay
The Maven Hotel
Anchoring the Dairy Block alley in LoDo, The Maven combines boutique hotel style with Denver's food hall culture—step outside your room into a curated alley of restaurants and bars. Coors Field is a five-minute walk, and the hotel's rooftop Red Barber lounge offers mountain views with your post-game nightcap.
Fan Stay
The Oxford Hotel
Denver's oldest hotel, opened in 1891 in the heart of LoDo, featuring beautifully restored rooms and the legendary Cruise Room martini bar modeled after a 1930s ocean liner. Walking distance to both Ball Arena and Empower Field, The Oxford is a Denver landmark beloved by visiting athletes and artists.
Bars & Pubs
Blake Street Tavern
Denver's ultimate pregame destination with 30+ TVs, a massive outdoor patio, and walking distance to both Coors Field and Empower Field. On Broncos Sundays the place is a sea of orange, making it the best spot to soak in Denver's rabid fan culture.
Falling Rock Tap House
Legendary craft beer bar one block from Coors Field with over 75 taps rotating Colorado and national craft brews. A beloved pregame ritual for Rockies fans and visiting baseball enthusiasts since 1997.
The Corner Office Restaurant & Martini Bar
The Corner Office in downtown Denver's Curtis Hotel has long been a post-game favorite for Avalanche, Nuggets, and visiting NBA and NHL fans, offering a lively cocktail bar atmosphere that fills up after Pepsi Center events a few blocks away. The inventive cocktail menu and late-night kitchen make it the ideal spot to debrief on a big Avalanche playoff win or Nuggets comeback over a well-crafted drink. The diverse crowd of sports fans, concert-goers, and downtown Denver regulars makes every night a genuine social event.
The Dive Inn
The Dive Inn in Denver's Highland neighborhood is the kind of no-frills sports bar that regulars guard jealously from too much publicity — cheap beer, sports on every screen, and a crowd that genuinely cares about the Avs, Nuggets, and Broncos without any of the downtown pretension. Post-game celebrations here feel like a neighborhood block party rather than a venue transaction. It is the authentic Denver sports bar experience that first-time visitors should seek out.
Ratio Beerworks
A RiNo neighborhood brewery with a massive outdoor patio, food trucks, and a punk-rock ethos that perfectly captures Denver's independent spirit. Broncos and Nuggets fans flock to the string-lit patio on game days for Antidote pale ales and a pre-game atmosphere that rivals the stadiums themselves.
The Goat Sports Bar & Grill
The Goat in LoDo is Denver's most reliable sports bar fortress — multiple rooms of screens, Colorado craft beers on 30 taps, and a rooftop patio that becomes one of the city's most festive spaces on Broncos, Nuggets, and Avalanche game nights. The location three blocks from Ball Arena and a light-rail ride from Empower Field makes it the strategic fan hub for multi-team evenings when the NBA and NHL overlap with a Rockies home game. Denver fans and visiting supporters unite over Odell IPA and honest Colorado bar food.
Restaurants
Fan Eats
El Five
Fifth-floor Mediterranean restaurant in Denver's LoHi neighborhood offering shareable plates and panoramic city and mountain views. A trendy postgame dining option with a vibrant atmosphere popular among Denver's sports and entertainment crowd.
Fan Eats
Guard and Grace
High-end steakhouse in downtown Denver known for prime cuts and an impressive wine list. Located minutes from Ball Arena and Coors Field, it is a favorite pregame destination for visiting athletes and local sports figures.
Fan Eats
Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar
Jax Fish House sits in the heart of LoDo just blocks from Coors Field, making it the premier pre-game seafood spot for Rockies fans who want something more refined than a ballpark bratwurst before the first pitch. The raw oyster bar, wood-grilled fish, and craft cocktails draw Colorado Rockies fans, visiting teams' front office staff, and Denver's sports media crowd. The outdoor patio on warm summer nights, packed with fans in purple and black, is one of Denver's great baseball-season dining scenes.
Fan Eats
Larimer Square Restaurant Row
Larimer Square is Denver's most celebrated block, packed with acclaimed restaurants ideal for pregame meals before Broncos or Rockies events. The historic Victorian architecture and festive energy amplify any sports-weekend visit. Fans can fuel up on everything from Colorado lamb to wood-fired pizza steps from the stadium districts.
Fan Eats
Little Owl Coffee
Little Owl Coffee is Denver's most beloved independent coffee shop, operating out of a converted garage in RiNo and serving exceptional espresso drinks and pastries that fuel sports travelers before heading downtown for afternoon and evening games. The minimalist aesthetic and quality-obsessed menu reflect Denver's evolution into a world-class food and beverage city. Regulars include Avalanche and Nuggets season-ticket holders who have built their game-day routine around a Little Owl flat white.
Fan Eats
The Cherry Cricket
Beloved Denver burger institution in Cherry Creek since 1945, serving build-your-own burgers with over 30 topping choices. A gameday tradition for Broncos and Nuggets fans, the Cherry Cricket has hosted everyone from John Elway to visiting NBA stars craving Denver's best burger.
Things to Do
Attraction
Ball Arena
Ball Arena in downtown Denver is home to both the Colorado Avalanche and the Denver Nuggets, making it one of a handful of arenas in North America housing both an NHL and NBA champion from the same era. The back-to-back Stanley Cup and NBA Championship banners hanging from the rafters create one of the most trophy-laden ceilings in sports. Denver fans have developed a reputation for playoff intensity that transforms the arena into a force of nature during postseason runs.
Attraction
Ball Arena Fan Tour
Ball Arena is home to both the NBA's Denver Nuggets — 2023 NBA Champions — and the NHL's Colorado Avalanche, and the behind-the-scenes arena tour takes fans through locker rooms, court level, and luxury suites used by the championship teams. The arena's downtown location makes it the anchor of Denver's sports entertainment district, and the in-arena championship banners and trophy displays are a thrilling reminder of Denver's recent golden era of sport. Booking a tour before attending a game transforms a standard matchday into a full fan immersion.
Attraction
Coors Field Rooftop Experience
Watch the Rockies from the rooftop with Rocky Mountain views at 5,280 feet — the only MLB park a mile above sea level, where balls fly farther in the thin air.
Attraction
Coors Field Tour
Tour the mile-high home of the Colorado Rockies, where the purple row of seats in the upper deck marks exactly 5,280 feet above sea level. Guided tours explore the clubhouse, dugout, press box, and the iconic Rooftop with panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains. The surrounding LoDo neighborhood is a prime fan district.
Attraction
Empower Field at Mile High Tour
Go behind the scenes at Empower Field at Mile High, home of the Denver Broncos and the legendary Mile High salute. Stadium tours let fans visit the Broncos locker room, walk through the tunnel to the field, sit in the broadcast booth, and see the Ring of Fame honoring Broncos legends like John Elway and Terrell Davis.
Attraction
Empower Field at Mile High
Home of the Denver Broncos, Empower Field at Mile High sits in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains and offers an electric atmosphere on game day. Stadium tours take fans through the press box, locker rooms, and onto the field. The mile-high altitude and passionate fan base make every game a bucket-list experience.
Plan Your Trip to Ball Arena
Ball Arena in Denver is tracked across 0 events and seats 19,500 fans. Here's how fans build a trip around it:
- Anchor Event: Use the event cards below to select your next anchor date.
- Celebrities Tracked Here: Trey Parker & Matt Stone, John Elway and others appear in linked venue sightings.
- Post-Event Path: Continue into Denver and Denver hotspots for food, bars, and stay options.
Celebrity Sightings at Ball Arena
Sources & References
Structured facts on this page (capacity, opening year, architect, ownership) are compiled from public reference databases and verified against venue coordinates.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ball Arena
Trey Parker & Matt Stone, John Elway have been spotted at Ball Arena.
Ball Arena has a capacity of 19,500 people.
Ball Arena opened in 1999. It was designed by Populous.
Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Mammoth, National Basketball Association play home games at Ball Arena in Denver.
Check our events page for upcoming events at Ball Arena.