The Denver Mint is a major tourist attraction along the Lincoln Highway in downtown Denver. The Mint Tour can be one of the hottest tickets in town with hopefuls lining up before 5am in the high tourist season for the free tickets.
From the Mint website: (
visit link)
"isiting the Denver Mint
Learn the rich history of the United States Mint and how we produce billions of coins each year for the American public with a free, guided tour of the Denver facility.
Tours are strictly for adults and children 7 years and older.
While in Denver, be sure to visit the Mint’s Gift Shop. The Gift Shop is open to the public and offers a great selection of coins and one-of-a-kind souvenirs.
Tour Tickets
Free tour tickets are available at the Tour Information window located at the Gift Shop entrance gate on Cherokee Street, between West Colfax Avenue and West 14th Avenue. The Tour Information window opens at 7 a.m., Monday- Thursday (excluding observed federal holidays), and will remain open until all tickets have been distributed. Tickets are for same-day tours only; no advance tickets are available. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and are limited to 5 per person.
During peak travel times (Memorial Day through Labor Day, Spring Break, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Winter Break) tickets are limited and in high demand. Visitors often arrive as early as 5 a.m. to secure tickets. We recommend arriving as early as possible for your best opportunity to visit.
We offer six tours a day, 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. You may choose from any available tour. Tours may be canceled without prior notice.
Adults will need a photo ID and all visitors, including children, must show ticket to gain entry. Lost tickets cannot be replaced and are non-transferable. All visitors must be at the tour entrance located on Cherokee Street 30 minutes before their scheduled tour time. Late arrivals will not be admitted. There is an extensive list of prohibited items, including all purses and bags. The Mint does not provide lockers or storage for any items. The Mint does not provide parking, but there are meters and pay lots within a few blocks of the Mint.
There may be days that tours are not available. Please check below for full day closures.
Tour Visitors Policy
All visitors are subject to a security screening, including metal detection and X-ray examination of hand-carried items. The United States Mint reserves the right to deny access to anyone at any time. The Mint does NOT provide storage for any items.
Permitted items:
A palm-sized wallet that fits in your pocket
Cameras/cell phones-photography is prohibited while on the tour and cell phones must be turned off before entering the building
Medical items necessary for the safety and well-being of the visitor
Prohibited items include, but are not limited to:
Handbags, purses, fanny packs, tote bags, backpacks and packages
Strollers
Food, drinks, tobacco products, lighters and matches
Weapons, including pocket knives and personal protective devices such as pepper spray
Tour Hours
Days: Monday-Thursday (excluding observed federal holidays). There may be days that tours are not available.
Tour Hours: 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Tour times and availability vary each day.
Duration: Approximately 45 minutes
Note: Please be aware that coin production schedules vary. Coins may not be in production during your tour. Tours may be canceled without prior notice.
Special Requirements
The Mint facility is wheelchair accessible and complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)."
The Denver Mint building is located right on the historic loop route of the Lincoln Highway through Denver CO that runs through downtown as Colfax Ave, but was known officially as USGS physical map of Denver from 1959 shows the Mint with the Lincoln Highway running past (as US 36/40/87/287): (
visit link)
The Lincoln Highway makes a deep loop off the US 30 to take in the major city of Denver CO. The routes of the early US highways frequently made such loops because they depended on communities that were willing to subsidize their constriction in the days before Federal finding. If a city was willing to throw money at a highway, the highway would come down and pass through it.
The primary route of the Lincoln Highway to Denver (and a secondary loop to Greely CO) can be explored here: (
visit link)
At Big Springs Nebraska the Lincoln Highway created a loop route to Denver. The direct Lincoln Hwy route followed the US 30 west to Cheyenne, while the loop route dipped southeast down the US 138/I-76 to Merino CO, where the route zig-zagged along the old US 6/I-76 to Brush CO, before turning due west along US 34/I-76 Business Route to Fort Morgan CO. At Fort Morgan, the LH loop route divided again into a primary loop route that zig-zagged (in the manner of early American highways) southwest to Denver on state highways, and secondary loop route to Denver via Greely CO. This secondary loop route tracked along the US 34 to Greely, where it tuned south on the US 85 to Denver. The primary route to Denver from Fort Morgan followed SH 6 to Wiggins, then proceeded south to Bennet CO on US 6 to US 36. The US 36 ,erhes woth the US 40 and US 287 west of Denver.
In Denver the US 87 runs as College Blvd. At the College Blvd. intersection with Colfax Ave., US 87 joins US 36/40/287 to run west through downtown.
On the western edge of Denver, the Lincoln Highway turned right on Federal Blvd/US 287, then followed the US 287 to Fort Collins CO, where it turned east to join the old US 87 to Cheyenne. US 36 and US 40 peeled off the Lincoln Highway west of downtown Denver and continued west to Rocky Mountain National Park (US 36) and Winter Park CO (US 40).