 |
| |
Colorado Day Activities!
The Denver metro area offers a ton of Colorado day activities for the family – here are some ideas broken into categories.
Neighborhood Parks
These parks are found simply by wandering through various neighborhoods – in fact, I’m not sure I’ve been to any neighborhood which didn’t have some kind of park. They’re great for short activities which offer the kids a chance to get outside and run around. For family recreation, bring along a soccer ball or a football – or even just help your kiddos with the monkey bars or push them on a swing. With the great variety out there, you can even go to a different park every day for Colorado day activities.
Special Parks
Denver holds a number of these larger, special parks, as well. My kids enjoy Belleview Park, in Littleton, because of the large playgrounds combined with the grassy area, small petting zoo, and even a train ride. Sunset Park, in Littleton, offers three different play areas, with one of them in the trees. The only downside to this expansive park is if you have kids with vastly different ages – it’s hard to watch smaller kids in one of the connected playgrounds and still see the older kids. City Park, in Denver, has a number of options, including a park to the east, west, and south of the zoo. Lyons Park, in Golden, has the playground, the grassy areas, the volleyball pit, and the kayakers across the road. Clements Park, in Littleton, has a couple of playgrounds, a nice walk around the lake, and a skate park for older kids. Click on the pictures to see park pages for Golden and Littleton.
Unique Day Trips
There are many places to visit for Colorado day activities – places where you can observe, participate, and simply enjoy spending time together as a family. Tiny Town is good for younger kids, with small houses to view, a playground, and a train ride. Heritage Square has rides (pick and choose, if you’re on a budget), a train circling the park, and shops with quaint items to view. Pearl Street Mall, in Boulder, is a great walking place. In the spring, once the tulips bloom, it’s ablaze with color. Lake Dillon has a playground and a cement path circling a good portion of the lake. Estes Park is a great town to walk around and visit the various shops. They have a couple of old-fashioned candy and ice cream stores which my kids especially enjoy. Santa’s Workshop is a fun visit, where it’s Christmas all year round. If you don’t mind driving down south for a ways, check out the Royal Gorge. I went there as a kid, and we walked across the suspension bridge – but when my kids were little, we took a train ride along the bottom, which was very entertaining.
Zoos and Museums
For Colorado day activities, the Denver Zoo is a great place to begin. When the kiddos were younger, we got an annual family pass, which meant we visited the zoo numerous times during the year – it’s especially nice during the off-season, and you can enjoy a very relaxed experience. The Museum of Nature and Science is another place where an annual pass makes sense if you think you’ll go more than once (as it’s pricey without it). I’ve only taken my kiddos twice (they’ve gone other times with school or other relatives) – but they had fun, mostly because of the room where the younger kids can explore and color and touch. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, in Colorado Springs, is a great place for slightly older kids. There are many hills, so those pushing a stroller or walkers with short legs might not find it as enjoyable. The Children’s Museum is another good option. We’ve only been once, but both kids enjoyed it (along with their cousin, who was visiting that week). The Art Museum has neat kid activities in many of its galleries, and the Colorado Train Museum is quite entertaining, especially for younger kids and those who have a fascination with railroads. These are only a few of the offerings Colorado has – others include the Aquarium in Denver, the Colorado History Museum in Denver, the Wildlife Experience in Parker, the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster and the World of Wonder Museum in Lafayette.
Water Parks
There is the obvious water park -- Water World, in Thornton – but I prefer the smaller (and free) choices for my Colorado day activities. You can find fountains (water spurting from the ground or decorated sprinklers) in Pearl Street Mall (on the east end), the Museum of Nature and Science (west side), near the Promenade in Westminster, and in Prospect Park in Littleton. Also, Bear Creek Lake State Park has a great lake with a sandy beach (it costs $5-6/day/car), and Belleview Park and Sunset Park both have creeks in which kids can play and splash. In Golden, check out Splash!, the water park for the western side of the city. It’s not cheap, either, but you can bring in food, and as of last year, parents who didn’t want to get wet didn’t have to pay full price. A few years ago, when there was a promotional special, we also tried Elitch’s water park – and the kids loved it. However, it’s very crowded, and it made me nervous to try and keep an eye on them with all those people around.
Don’t forget
Colorado Hikes
, either -- many of those can be done in one afternoon. If you find that I’ve left off one of your favorite Colorado Day Activities, please let me know -- and if you're interested in receiving regular updates, subscribe to our e-zine!
Return to Family Day Activities
Return from Colorado Day Activities to Family Fun Colorado
|
|
