Passages mural by local artist Michelle Lamb adorns the old train depot. photographed by Michelle Lamb
BOUNDARIES: Main St., S. Rio Grande St., W. Alamo Ave.
DISTANCE: 0.75 mile
DIFFICULTY: Easy
PARKING: Free parking is available along Main St.
PUBLIC TRANSIT: RTD light-rail orange and green lines stop in Downtown Littleton.
The scene: a clear blue sky overhead, warmth from the bright October afternoon sun, and a clear view of the Rocky Mountains with a fresh dusting of snow on the peaks. A group of women and their daughters are laughing together as they cross the street and wait for a table for lunch, while around the corner two friends step into a local bookstore, and the patio at the restaurant next door is completely full for lunch. A couple of blocks away grandparents take their grandchildren out for pizza, a young couple holds hands while walking along, and two women come out of a yoga class chatting. This sums up a day in downtown Littleton, a suburb of Denver that has this quaint historic street tucked off from a busy highway and the acres of suburban homes all around.
Walk Description
Begin the walk at the RTD light-rail stop on W. Alamo Avenue. It is less than a 20-minute drive from downtown Denver to downtown Littleton, with mostly highway driving, but it’s ideal to take the light-rail and not worry about traffic or parking. Plus, departing from the train gives you a chance to check out the historic Littleton train depot (aka Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Depot), now a coffee shop. This stone building was erected in 1875 to replace a wood-frame depot.
In Stephen J. Leonard and Thomas J. Noel’s book Denver: Mining Camp to Metropolis, they describe how Littleton came to be. Richard Little came to Denver in 1860, bought land in this agricultural area, and also homesteaded. By 1867, he had started the Rough and Ready Flour Mill and by 1872 platted the town that was modeled on the New Hampshire village he grew up in. Little had been working on the City Ditch (see Walk 20) and then decided he liked the countryside enough to put down roots.
Cross Alamo Avenue walking north.
Join S. Rio Grande Street and walk north to Main Street. (Suggested detour here if you don’t mind a busier street and intersection. Follow Alamo Avenue east [uphill] as it turns into W. Littleton Boulevard. Turn left on S. Court Place and walk past the historic Arapahoe County Courthouse to the Depot Art Gallery, which includes a caboose as an art gallery.)
You will walk past or through tiny Bega Park, named after Bega, Australia, which has a sister city relationship with Littleton.
Turn left on Main Street to walk west. You will already see the purplish-blue of the Rocky Mountains to the west as you begin this walk of historic buildings that now house shops, restaurants, and other businesses.
As you cross Sycamore Street look right to see that neighborhood staple: the Irish pub. 
Ned Kelly’s is the answer here in Littleton—for beer mostly, but there is a limited food menu.
Shops to the left of me, shops to the right of me. I love mixing an outdoor stroll with retail therapy. With a hot pink exterior it’s a given that the women’s clothing and accessories in 
Details Boutique, on your right, are colorful. That pink nearly screams Betsey Johnson, but really there are tamer labels like 3 Dot, Big Star, Free People, LeLe, and hip Old Gringo cowgirl boots.
If it’s lunchtime, consider the affordable 
Pho Real, on your right, for casual Vietnamese cuisine.
At Prince Street, look right for 
Spur Coffee and 
Inside Scoop Creamery (love that clever name!) for a pick-me-up of the caffeine and/or sugar sort.
On the left at this intersection is 
Willow: An Artisan’s Market (to the left), which reminds me of the Artisan Center in Cherry Creek North (see Walk 19) with a mix of whimsical gift items for babies, gardens, Christmas trees, and the like. Next door is the 
Olde Towne Tavern, an updated version of the American diner with microbrews and burgers.
Across the street is Curds Cheese, the place for your charcuterie trays, sandwiches, and a respectable selection of cheeses.
Plan to loop back to 
The Alley for a late lunch or even dinner if you’re in the mood for Mexican at this combination food truck and bar.
It’s not like tea is some trendy new drink, but I do like to see the many ways people repackage the tea experience. At 
In-Tea, they have experts (tea-ologists?) who help you find your perfect blend, which can be enjoyed with a sandwich or a pastry.
At the corner with Nevada Street, the 
Town Hall Arts Center is a beautifully restored 1920 former municipal building designed by architect J. J. B. Benedict, who also designed and donated the light fixtures you see on the front of the building. According to the City of Littleton historical records, the design is a combination of Italian Renaissance and Gothic Revival, with Colorado symbols such as the state flower, columbine, and eagles in the window details. Since the 1980s it has been home to local theatre productions and concerts.
While it seems normal to go into a cheese shop like Curds, it is not every day that I wander into a meat shop. 
La Vaca Meat Company has a cute little storefront here, offering steaks and other cuts from ranches in Colorado and Texas.
As you cross Nevada Street, look right and make note of 
Kate’s Wine Bar for a stop later in the day or evening.
Austin/Hauck is that rare boutique devoted solely to men’s clothing, both business and casual, as well as shoes and accessories.
Downtown Littleton’s historic Town Hall building
Backstory: Who’s That Architect?
Jules Jacques Benoit (J. J. B.) Benedict was one of Denver’s foremost architects in the early 1900s. But he was also well known in Littleton, where he lived with his wife not far from Main Street. The house Benedict designed for himself was actually a country estate that they called Wyldemere Farms; it has been used as a Carmelite Monastery since 1947. The chapel—the Benedicts’ former living room—is open for Sunday Mass, but otherwise the property is not open to the public.
Benedict’s best-known work in Denver includes the Washington Park Boating Pavilion (see Walk 20), Woodbury Branch Library (see Walk 9), the Denver Botanic Gardens administrative offices designed as a private home (see Walk 18), and the residence at 360 High Street designed for Thomas Sewell, a mining engineer and son of a former Colorado governor (see Walk 19).
Learn more about Benedict and the history of this suburb at the Littleton Museum (6028 S. Gallup St., 303-795-3950, littletongov.org/museum), which is about 1.5 miles from Main Street and near Benedict’s former home.
Finally, chocolate is recognized as therapy! 
The Chocolate Therapist is where they embrace the idea that chocolate is good for you, so you should indulge and enjoy. I’ll be back.
You could easily miss 
Café Terracotta, a half block down on S. Curtice Street in a restored Victorian house, but don’t. This place easily fills up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, even with the patio open on nice days.
Main Street comes to an end at Littleton’s historic library, which was originally designed by architect J. J. B. Benedict as the town library in the Beaux Arts architectural style. This library was also used as a fire station, dance hall, jail, and movie theater, and has been a restaurant for several years. Looking south you will see the historic flour mill building that is now a restaurant too.
Turn around to walk east on Main Street and back to the light-rail station.
Downtown Littleton
Points of Interest
Ned Kelly’s Irish Pub 5686 S. Sycamore St., Littleton, 720-283-8717, nedkellysirishpub.com
Details Boutique 2359 W. Main St., Littleton, 303-703-3884, detailsboutique.com
Pho Real 2399 W. Main St., 720-638-6884
Spur Coffee 5624 S. Prince St., 303-997-2209, spurcoffee.com
Inside Scoop Creamery 5654 S. Prince St., 303-798-4768, insidescoopdenver.com
Willow 2400 W. Main St., Littleton, 303-730-8521, willowartisansmarket.com
Olde Towne Tavern 2410 W. Main St., 303-794-4329, ottlittleton.com
The Alley 2420 W. Main St. #110, 720-316-8002, littletonalley.com
In-Tea 2440 W. Main St., 720-981-2512, in-tea.net
Town Hall Arts Center 2450 Main St., Littleton, 303-794-2787, townhallartscenter.org
La Vaca Meat Company 2489 W. Main St., 720-502-4400, lavacameat.com
Kate’s Wine Bar 5671 S. Nevada St., 303-999-2895, kateswinebar.wixsite.com/kate-site
Austin/Hauck 2569 W. Main St., Littleton, 303-730-7778, austinhauck.com
The Chocolate Therapist 2560 W. Main St., 303-795-7913, thechocolatetherapist.com
Café Terracotta 5649 S. Curtice St., Littleton, 303-794-6054, cafe-terracotta.com