Arvada Plaza Area Wheat Ridge, CO

Like many towns in Colorado, Arvada Plaza got its start during the Gold Rush. Prospective miners discovered gold in 1850 near an area called Ralston’s Creek. This party went on to California, but later came back to Arvada to set up camp and begin the gold rush in the Rockies. Arvada itself became a city in 1904 and retains its small-town feel from eons ago.

While hanging around Arvada Plaza, take a trip to the Arvada Historical Museum, located in the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities. View the 144-year-old Haines log house and then head to the Arvada Flour Mill Museum to check out the restored mill, dating from the late 1800s.

Go to a show at the Arvada Center for your arts and culture, and keep an eye on the city’s Festival Commission to check on the Kites Festival, Trails Day and more.

As a primarily residential neighborhood, Arvada Plaza does not provide a huge number of restaurants or nightlife options. However, the few restaurants in Arvada Plaza serve up tasty food, and residents can find bars and music venues close by in downtown Arvada to the east.

Arvada Plaza features an array of restaurants on Ralston Road and Kipling Street, especially Asian fare. The Pho Dong Huong restaurant is perfect for takeout and provides inexpensive pho and Vietnamese cuisine. Make sure to taste the flavorful pho broth, and order some zesty egg rolls for an affordable night in.

If you prefer Thai, head to Real Thai on the Wheat Ridge side. Try a spicy plate of curry or a seafood salad and finish with fried banana. Going for the traditional pad Thai never hurts, either, especially when Thai cooks make it as fresh as they do at Real Thai.

Drive to Yak & Yeti Restaurant & Brewpub for a real treat. Yak and Yeti serves up genuine Indian food as well as its own craft beer. Take advantage of the lunch and dinner buffets (and the saang paneer), and order up a cold one. Coloradans love their brews, and Yak & Yeti makes good stuff.

Locals flock to Olde Wadsworth Boulevard in Arvada's downtown for entertainment at night, namely The Arvada Tavern and Fire & Ice Bistro. The Arvada Tavern, a lounge, features live music upstairs on the weekends along with an extensive cocktail list. Try the bison burger for a truly hearty meal. Fire & Ice Bistro serves up pyro stuffed chicken on a skillet by day and drinks such as bacon milkshakes with whiskey at night.

Surrounded by major roadways such as Ralston Street and Highway 70, Arvada Plaza residents generally rely on cars to get around. Though locals can walk through the neighborhoods easily, taking a car proves to be a safer option to go shopping and do errands in the area.

A few RTD Denver buses service the Arvada area, primarily along Highway 70 and Ridge Road. Call a local Denver cab for a taxi ride or take Uber, which serves all of Arvada, including Arvada Plaza. Drivers find it easy to park in the suburb, though parking in the downtown area may prove to be trickier. Cars can easily jump on Highway 70 to get into Denver for its attractions.

The city of Arvada has pushed for bicycle access in town, and as a result, bicyclists can travel all around Arvada — including Arvada Plaza — via bike paths, in bike lanes and on various trails. The city and the Arvada Bicycle Advisory Committee partnered to establish a community bike ride program for bicyclists of all skill levels. Biking continues to grow in Arvada as a family-friendly and easy transportation activity.

Jack B. Tomlinson Park, formerly named Birdland Park, presents itself as a small recreation area with a lake. Children can enjoy the playground at the park, while adults can walk on the walking path traversing the area. Take a break from work and head to this free park with your dog, and watch the geese and other birds wander about.

For the more macabre, visit the Arvada Cemetery and take a look at the headstones. Walk around the area and see how many graves you can look at before the day ends. This activity may not interest children as much as a park with a playground might. Exercise enthusiasts tend to prefer the longer trails of Jack B. Tomlinson Park for biking and running, and other bike trails may interest those who would like to take a much longer bike ride.

These small areas do not host activities, but you can keep along with the Arvada Festival Commission’s festival schedules to check the next event. From Independence Day celebrations to High Tea Seniors, Arvada Plaza residents celebrate everything they can in their small town.

On average, living in Arvada and Arvada Plaza costs more than the national average and even the average for the city of Denver. An average one-bedroom apartment in Arvada costs about $800, with luxury apartment costing in the $1,000 range.

Use a local Call-n-Ride fare service in Arvada via RTD Denver. A regional bus pass to get into Denver costs $5 for a one-way trip. Monthly passes cost about $176.

A typical beer at an Arvada Plaza pub costs about $4. It does not cost much to get to a pub, either; the average gas price in Arvada and Wheat Ridge costs 6 percent less than the national average.

Arvada Plaza's shopping mall options center in Denver. Larimer Square and the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver provide Arvada Plaza residents many opportunities to purchase clothes, check out historic buildings and grab a bite to eat. Residents also need to travel to Denver for high-end shops and boutiques.

The areas around Arvada Plaza give locals a chance to check out local specialty shops and establishments. The Brass Armadillo Antique Mall in Wheat Ridge contains a variety of goods and memorabilia, including masks, toys and sports novelty items.

For more interesting shops, go to downtown Arvada and visit Book Cranny, a friendly used bookstore where you can trade books, purchase Southwestern art and jewelry, buy cards for loved ones, or indulge in tasty chocolate treats. Visit Lovely Boutique for unique clothing, scarves, jewelry, jackets and more.

Arvada Plaza residents on a budget can shop at the ever-present King Soopers store off Ralston Road. Health-conscious residents can head to Natural Grocers on Wadsworth Boulevard to find organic produce, all-natural health supplements and a wide array of healthy snacks. Sprouts Farmers Market, also on Wadsworth Boulevard, sells an abundance of locally grown fresh produce and natural meats at competitive prices, and shoppers can purchase fresh bakery items or order from Sprout's prepared foods menu.