The grand opening of a brand new Vietnamese restaurant in old Aurora was top of the food news headlines this week. The restaurant, Dân Dã, comes from the same family as Denver’s beloved (now shuttered) New Saigon restaurant and the acclaimed Banh & Butter bakery. So next time you’re in the area for a platter of DIY egg rolls, here are a few other stops you can add to your visit.
🍽️ Bites and Sips
On top of the New Saigon family of restaurants, Aurora is known for its broad array of global cuisines thanks to the area’s large immigrant community. A great place to sample some of those ethnic flavors — and support the people behind them — is the Mango House, a community center for refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers that houses food stalls spotlighting traditional dishes from Syria, Ethiopia, Nepal, and more.
The geographical boundaries of Aurora’s Cultural Arts District. (Peyton Garcia / City Cast Denver)
🎨 Public Arts
Get to know the diverse community of Aurora through its local art, performance theater, and live music. All events and galleries at the Downtown Aurora Visual Arts (DAVA) center are free and family-friendly. Vintage Theatre is an award-winning performance company that has been delighting residents for over 20 years. And the Aurora Fox Arts Center goes back even further than that as a mid-20th century “movies palace,” now operating as a live performance space.
🌳 For the Whole Family
Aurora’s City Park (not to be confused with Aurora’s City Center Park) is 5.3 acres of vibrant greenspace, complete with a basketball court, a playground (for tots and kids!), and a skate park. Take a trip back in time when you enter the Centennial House Museum, one of the 10 remaining Queen Anne Victorian-style homes built as part of the original Town of Fletcher and now serving as a glimpse of what life here in the 1890s may have looked like. Or keep an eye out for upcoming volunteer opportunities at Project Worthmore, a nonprofit committed to supporting newly arrived immigrants and refugees as they get settled into the community.
