It might seem like everyone in Denver is heading to the mountains for Labor Day Weekend — or, at least, it will if you’re actually on Interstate 70 on Friday or Saturday. (Look for The Denver Post’s tips for how to avoid the worst of that traffic here). But that’s not actually the case. Metro Denver will be a teeming cauldron of crowded festivals, shows, picnics, parties and events.

That means there will be plenty to do (but also that there will be plenty of traffic). So, with that in mind, here are some places to avoid if you’re driving, along with fun activities to hit up.

3 intersections to avoid in a car

Food (and more): The area around Colfax Avenue and Broadway is difficult enough on a normal day, but this year, A Taste of Colorado returns to Civic Center in all of its glory, with five stages of live music, restaurants, food trucks and an arts-and-crafts fair. That means street closures, parking nightmares and traffic jams. But don’t think you can sneak into the adjacent Golden Triangle neighborhood to park, because the wonderful Chalk Art Festival is taking place there. Instead, walk, ride your bike, take a bus or the light rail.

Music: Every year since 2011, the culture-creating jam band Phish has played a series of sold-out shows at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City. This year, the normal three-day run has been boosted by a night and will take place Sept. 1-4. But in addition to the usual festival-goers, there also will be all manner of Phish phanatics in the area, trying to score last-minute tickets, selling wares or simply hanging out. Dick’s is mostly in an out-of-the-way location near the intersection of 56th Avenue and Central Park Boulevard, north of the Central Park neighborhood, but it’s probably a good idea to be aware that traffic will be a painful mess in the vicinity.

Bonus tip: Wanna celebrate Phish without getting too close to “Phish Dick’s” (as the weekend is called)? At least three breweries are tapping Phish-themed beers. Station 26 Brewing is pouring It’s Gonna Be Cold, Cold, Cold, Cold, Cold IPA; Great Divide Brewing has Take The Highway, a hazy IPA (on draft and in cans) that is a nod to the song “The Wedge”; while Over Yonder Brewing in Golden will have a tapping and charity event.

Read more at DenverPost.com.