An influx of millennial residents in the 2010s caused Wheat Ridge’s median age to drop by 2.5 years. These five new and improved spots for fuel and fun in the western suburb only heighten its youthful appeal.

1. GetRight’s Bakery and Stylus & Crate

This duo of neighboring multipurpose businesses was made for leisurely Sunday strolls. Start the day at Stylus & Crate with an oat milk latte and Belgian waffles before perusing its stacks of new and used vinyl records. Then head two doors down to GetRight’s, which peddles French pastries and sandwiches—pick up the jambon beurre (thinly sliced ham and herbed butter on a toasted baguette) for lunch—alongside a selection of easy-growing houseplants. 6985 W. 38th Ave.

5280 October 2024
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2. Rich Spirit Bagels

When Bakery Four opened on Berkeley’s Tennyson Street in 2022, carb-hungry Denverites lined up for its buttery croissants, caramelized kouign-amanns, rotating cruffin flavors, and crispy-on-the-outside, airy-on-the-inside bagels with house-made schmears. Confident their bagels could stand on their own—they sold out nearly every day—in March, husband-and-wife founders Shawn Bergin and Alex Urdanick moved that arm of their operation five miles southwest to Gold’s Marketplace, a recently renovated shopping center. Rich Spirit is as big a hit as its predecessor, so do as the locals do and skip the queue by preordering online. 10081 W. 26th Ave.

Read More: The Best Bagels in Denver, Ranked

3. 3rd Shot Pickleball

Cooler temps don’t have to keep you from practicing your dinks, digs, and drop shots. This indoor pickleball club—which opened in January, just two months after the inaugural Longmont location—keeps the volley going no matter the weather forecast. Players can reserve one of 13 courts (starting at $3 per person for members; $28 per person for nonmembers) or hone their skills via group classes or private lessons with pickler pros. Post-match, cool down with a brew at the on-site bar. 3545 Wadsworth Blvd.

Read More: How to Play Pickleball in Denver

4. Yawp Cyclery

Interior of Yawp Cyclery
Photo courtesy of Yawp Cyclery

The mission at 10-year-old Yawp Cyclery is simple: “We want to help people better enjoy their bicycles,” owner Levi Teal says. But staying true to that ethos became increasingly difficult as the bike shop started to outgrow its Edgewater location. So, in 2023, Yawp moved to a 2,500-square-foot building—a church, a bank, and a doctor’s office, in past lives—with plenty of space to display its selection of Surly, Salsa, and Wilde bikes and gear. And if your trusty steed needs a tuneup, the shop also offers repair services ranging from fixing a flat to the Whole Enchilada—a brakes-to-bolts maintenance package that starts at $500. 7390 W. 38th Ave.

5. Prospect Park

Thanks to a recently completed four-year, $4 million revitalization project, 39-acre Prospect Park now offers outdoor recreation for all ages and interests: Sweat it out past sundown on six well-lit pickleball courts, cast a line at the new fishing pier overlooking Prospect Lake, let your toddlers run wild at the upgraded pavilion and playground areas, or make a picnic pit stop while biking along the adjacent Clear Creek Trail. Tabor Street & West 44th Avenue