Cattle.com

Going to Denver as a Spectator

First, let me be clear that I have absolutely no clue what it takes to show cattle in Denver.  However, the past two years of visiting the National Western to do our videos has taught me just enough to pretend I know what I’m talking about when it comes to visiting Denver for the display bulls.

 

What days do I need to be there?

 

The clubby bulls are on display Friday, January 16th and Saturday, January 17th.  The bulls are typically put on display about 11 AM and taken back to their pens around the time of the big bull sales or dark.

 

How do I get there?

 

Colorado in January can be very rough driving.  Unless you are nearby and ready to drive, I recommend booking a flight with Frontier.  They’re based out of Denver and you can find direct flights from a large range of cities.  Frontier also has onboard television for those of you who are like me and get bored very easily.

 

It costs about $40 to get from the airport to most hotels via taxi or you can wait for the shuttle for most hotels.

 

While you do need to check with each hotel to make sure, every hotel anywhere near the National Western is going to have a shuttle to/from the grounds.  I wouldn’t even think about wasting money on a rental vehicle and battling with parking.  DO plan on getting in line for your hotel’s shuttle early, it can be a mad house.

 

Where do I stay?

 

I stay at and highly recommend the Aurora Embassy Suites.  It’s more expensive than most of the other hotels but comes with two very nice perks including free breakfast.  I’m not talking about continental breakfast either, they make omelets to order.  That’s a good $10/person value in itself.

 

The second perk is the real kicker…..free drinks.  Beer, whiskey, wine, whatever is free during the two-hour happy hour each night.  Depending on the group you travel with that could range in value from nothing to $50/person per day.

 

What do I do?

 

Walk around, ask the owners about the bulls, talk to people, attend all the sales, etc..  You’ve been to a stock show before, this is nothing more than a big one with a bunch of high dollar cattle.  You rarely get the chance to meet and talk to the owners of these types of bulls so take advantage of it.  Get plenty of rest, wear comfortable shoes, and stay on the grounds as long as your body will let you.


Whatever you do, just don’t walk in front of two guys wearing blue Cattle.com Carhartt jackets video taping bulls.

 

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