He ignored my pleas and told us that we were late and that as far as he was concerned we had forfeited our chance to the tour. He refused to consider if he was being perhaps a bit strict in his adherence to the 8 a.m. Since we could still see the other tourists who had entered moments before us filing into the building, I aksed again, but again was rebuked. He refused to consider my request that we be admitted despite that fact that the tour had not even gotten underway on the other side of the fence. I instead simply plead guilty of being late and asked for leniency. I could see that this line of reasoning was going to get nowhere with the guard, so I chose no to present him with this simple bit of logic. It seemed to me that we were, by definition, on time, since we were registered for the 08:00 tour, and, as he indicated, he was closing the gate promptly at 08:00. I asked if we could come in for the 08:00 tour, but he said that we were late and that he was instructed to close the gate at 08:00 and he refused to open it. I could have held his hand as the gate clicked shut - our faces were perhaps 12 to 18 inches apart as he secured the lock. We walked up to the large iron gate to enter the tour, but, as we approached, the guard on the other side of the fence looked through the bars at us and swung the gate shut. We registered for a tour one week in advance and showed up promptly at 08:00 on Thursday, Mafor the tour. I grew up in Littleton and we were visiting family on our visit, but we were staying at a nice hotel in downtown Denver, walking distance to the mint. I was on a working vacation last week with my wife and kids (10 and 5) from Salt Lake City. The US Mint in Denver has tour offerings run by apathetic people who discourage tourists from visiting. They gave everyone an uncirculated penny, and a penny blank in a plastic wrap. We asked for suggestions for a place to eat and were given great advice about Pints Pub which is about 2 blocks south east. Afterwards, we went back to the gift shop and purchased a few small coin sets as souveniers. We all enjoyed learning about the history of coins being made in our country and having the opportunity to see them being made. The men who led the tour were friendly and informative. The station where they check you for weapons was well organized and the personell were friendly and courteous. Prior to getting in line we walked to the Capitol and went inside, and then looked around in the gift shop. We were able to get tickets for the first tour of the day, and were very happy to get tickets. There were no chairs or benches for the elderly. I was suprised and dismayed that the Mint had not made more comfortable accommodations for people waiting. It was very hot and they make you wait outside in the blazing sun prior to the tour. Our family of four, with two young adult sons, enjoyed the tour. If you miss the tour, you can still go into the gift shop Perhaps that there is no public parking adjacent to the building, that you have to walk a block or two. I walked there so not sure what the issue was exactly. Some people complained that parking was an issue. However they will be increasing this to 35 starting July 5th, 2023. They only allowed 20 people for each tour time. He came out beforehand so people wouldn't have to wait in line unnecessarily. We didn't receive our actual printed tickets until probably 715-720a at the ticket window. He tallied that count and then put the sign up saying tickets were sold out after the last person. The ticket guy had come out prior to 7a asking everyone that was already in line, how many tickets each person wanted and for what time slot. Some people that got in line right at 7a were extremely upset to find a sign saying that the tickets that day were sold out. So, although their web site says that the ticket booth doesn't open until 7a, which is correct, there were many people in line already. The two people in back of me got the last 6 tickets. I got in line at 6:40a and there were about 40 people already in line. Overall I would have liked a bit more time during the tour as it seemed a bit rushed. The tour guide was knowledgeable and a great guide. An interesting tour about how coins are minted at the largest coin mint in the world.
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