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Best Activities for Kids in Denver, Colorado
By MountainMama | February 26, 2008
Recently, while we were enjoying the indoor pool/waterpark at our local AmericInn (only $5 per kid; which beats the price of the local rec center!), my son picked up a brochure for Denver’s Downtown Aquarium. He’s been carrying the flyer around with him everywhere: “When can we go, huh? When can we go to Denver to feed the stingrays. Can we go soon?”
Clearly, a trip to the Mile-High City is in our future — probably this spring. Or maybe after April 19, when Elitch Gardens opens for the season. To think we have this mega amusement park and water park sort-of in our backyard, and our deprived children have never been. Horrors!
If a family vacation takes you to Denver when the warm weather hits, here are my top attractions to visit:
Downtown Aquarium takes visitors on a journey through various habitats, both under and above the water–from the desert to the coral reef, and from the beach to a sunken temple. The Aquarium Restaurant is a cool place for families to get a bite to eat—you can get up close and personal with a variety of marine life in the 150,000-gallon tank that surrounds the eatery. Special programs allow you to dive with the sharks, be a marine biologist for the day, even sleep at the aquarium overnight. Open year round.
Elitch Gardens is smack dab in the middle of downtown Denver. It’s hard to miss the giant roller coasters, Ferris wheel and other major rides. Thrill rides at Elitch’s (as it’s called by locals) include the Mind Eraser coaster and the Tower of Doom; family-friendly attractions are the 74-year-old carousel, the Tea Cups and the Star Toons Studio with rides for kids under 54 inches tall. Getting wet at the Island Kingdom Water Park is included with your admission: free fall in a cliff dive, frolic in a giant treehouse, relax on the lazy river and more. Open on the weekends from end-April through end-May, then daily through mid-August, and again on weekends through end October. Water park is open mid-May through Labor Day.
Children’s Museum of Denver is ideal for kids from infancy through eight years old. Conveniently located in downtown Denver, just off of I-25 and 23rd Avenue, the museum offers interactive “playscapes” for various age groups. In the “Center for the Young Child,” babies, toddlers and preschoolers have a safe place to explore, climb and make believe at a pretend fishing pond. Bigger kids can explore a real fire truck, sell goods at a market, make train tracks, shoot baskets and put on a puppet show. Open year round.
Denver Zoo in City Park, five minutes from downtown Denver, is home to more than 4,000 animals representing more than 700 different species, including 144 endangered animals. From penguins and polar bears to tarantulas and turtles—you name the animal, and you can likely find it at the Denver Zoo, consistently among the state’s most popular tourist attractions. The zoo is especially festive during the winter holiday season, when the annual beloved Zoo Lights, with millions of sparkling animal displays and glittering trees delight visitors and locals alike. Open year round.
Denver Museum of Nature and Science is also in historic City Park and offers intriguing exhibitions for school-age children and their parents. Ongoing museum xhibits include “Egyptian Mummies,” “Prehistoric Journey” and “Space Odyssey.” The “Discovery Zone” offers hands-on opportunities for learning (although kids just think they’re having fun!) with crafts, digging for fossils, even singing karaoke. The IMAX theatre and the Gates Planetarium offer multiple daily shows.
Visiting southwest Colorado with children? Here are top things to do in Durango in the summer months.
Topics: Family Travel |
March 3rd, 2008 at
[...] ** Travel goodies in the US: maple sugaring in Pickens, West Virginia, the nice beaches in Alabama are ready for your visit, dolphin encounters at the Baltimore aquarium, winter discounts abound at Boston and Chicago hotels and the best activities for kids in Denver, Colorado. [...]
August 22nd, 2008 at
Next time you’re in Denver you have to check out MY ART WORKSHOP! It’s a huge arts and crafts creativity center and a #1 pick for kids of all ages. Paint pottery, mosaic, tie dye, wood painting, fashion design, sand art, spin paint and more. It’s great fun for the whole family. You’ve never seen anything like it, anywhere! Check out their video at http://www.myartworkshop.com