Entry No. 13 — the Denver file — filed under: audio-tour
Denver Story Trek — Five Points Phone Audio Tour
Free and almost invisible: you dial up audio recordings tied to spots in Five Points that look like nothing as you walk past them. Stops surface the ghost of the old Voters Club where Black voters were organized in the 1930s, the Deep Rock artesian well still pulling water from hundreds of feet under 27th & Welton, and Fern Hall (1886), which cycled through being a ballroom, a bootleg bar, a bakery, and a boxing gym. No app store, no ticket, no guide — just your phone and a neighborhood that's been quietly hiding its layers in plain sight. Run by Historic Denver, so it's legit, not a tourist-trap gimmick.
The move: Pick three stops, walk them at dusk sharing one set of earbuds, and let each recording be the prompt for the next block of conversation — basically a free, self-paced history scavenger hunt for two.
📍 Before you go The trek centers on Five Points' historic Welton Street corridor — start around 27th & Welton, the old heart of the neighborhood, which is walkable from the RTD light rail line that runs up Welton (street parking is usually findable on the side streets too). There's nothing to download: bring a charged phone, look for the "Trek Connect" signs posted at each stop, and dial the listed number to hear the audio. Plan a short route in advance, since the sites are scattered and genuinely easy to stroll right past. Go in daylight or early evening so you can actually read the buildings and walk comfortably. This is a living, historically Black residential neighborhood, so be respectful. Pair it with a meal or a drink along the Welton jazz-legacy strip afterward.
- 📍 Five Points
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Self-guided; begins around 27th & Welton St, Five Points (stops scattered across the neighborhood — see denverstorytrek.org/places)
Hours: Always available — self-guided by phone; best in daylight/early evening for walking safety and reading the sites.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · visitdenver.com
last checked: 2026-06-07