Traveling with kids in Denver can be a blast as there are options in each season to entertain and delight the whole family. You can touch real dinosaur tracks, ride old-fashioned trains, make your own art in a museum, spend the day surfing and splashing in a water park, or hit the trails and become junior mountaineers.
Pick a season and there will be something you can do with your family in or around Denver that will create memories for a lifetime. Many of the city’s summer activities can be done in winter by bundling up against the elements. Any time of year families will find fun by visiting places like the Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus, the Denver Art Museum, the Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Dinosaur Ridge, the Colorado Railroad Museum, Denver Zoo, or Meow Wolf. In winter, there might be enough snow for sledding in the city at Commons Park or Ruby Hill. Or, take the Ski Train from Union Station to Winter Park for a day of skiing, tubing, or snowboarding. In summer, outdoor water parks and splash fountains open up the possibilities for diversions for the family. This is also the best season for hiking in the mountains, fishing, paddle boarding, and bicycling, which can all be done in nearby state parks.
Yes, Denver is welcoming to families with kids of all ages. Traveling anywhere with kids is a balancing act between downtime and trying new things together, and Denver’s cultural destinations are ready for all ages.
Many museums have in-house eateries so you can spend a whole day exploring different exhibits and experiences, and they have created activity zones for kids to just be kids so they can learn about art, get messy, and play.
Stroller rentals are available at Denver Zoo, and a limited number of free strollers are provided at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and the Denver Botanic Gardens.
The Scientific and Cultural Facilities District makes it possible to visit many local organizations at no cost on select days each year. Check their website and social media for a list of these free days to go to places like the Denver Botanic Gardens and Denver Zoo.
Not only does each family have a different idea of vacation, each family may need to have a variety of things to do with some days being more active and others more entertaining.
In Denver, you can pick and choose what suits the members of your family best depending on the weather and their interests. See the options below to appeal to all kinds of families when visiting Denver.
Make art, chase bubbles, dress up, and just be a kid at the Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus. There are indoor and outdoor play areas here, and in the summer, there is a free old-fashioned trolley that stops at the museum for a quick ride.
The majority of the Denver Art Museum would be considered an adult zone, but the welcome mat is out for kids in designated areas that invite play which could be making a puppet show or painting a picture. Their Free for Kids program means it is free for anyone under the age of 18 to visit.
We have fond memories of time spent at the Denver Botanic Gardens when my daughter was a toddler. Seeing a place like this through a child's eyes is the best!
The Denver Botanic Gardens is a great place to let children run around—even if they are inside the tropical conservatory. In summer, their 3-acre Mordecai Children’s Garden is open and provides a safe place for climbing, running, and learning more about the plants. This is an ideal space for kids who are aged 1 to 8 years.
Visiting the place where dinosaurs once roamed is an experience like no other! Instead of just looking at dinosaur bones in a museum, you can get a glimpse of their history by seeing the actual footprints they left behind in the earth. Dinosaur Ridge offers you the chance to do just that. With a simple hike up a paved road, you can come face-to-face with the giants who once roamed the area, which was submerged in water for much of Colorado’s history. Along the way, signs will offer up fascinating details about these majestic creatures.
At the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, families can experience life in a miner’s cabin or a Native American teepee by simply stepping inside these life-size replicas. Everything in this museum is designed to learn by doing, from Expedition Health where you can run and pedal and measure your speed and heart rate to handling real dinosaur fossils in the Prehistoric Journey. Even sitting in the IMAX theater or Gates Planetarium is an immersive experience that takes you to another world.
Feed a giraffe, watch elephants put on a show, and pet a stingray at the Denver Zoo. In the summer, the zoo also has a carousel filled with wooden animals to ride and a miniature railroad to ride around and see animals in their habitats. You can spend a whole day wandering from capybaras to penguins at this zoo, with so many animals too learn about.
Located near Golden, Colorado, the Colorado Railroad Museum is home to an extensive collection of historic locomotives and artifacts from the days when railways were the primary mode of transportation. Plan your visit around a train ride, a tour of the outdoor railyard, or a storybook time. An interactive model railroad display makes learning about the railroad industry fun and exciting.
Meow Wolf Denver Convergence Station, which describes itself as “mind-bending” and “psychedelic” is better for older kiddos who can appreciate the complex story of alien worlds and have a little more stamina to walk through the many “worlds” with blinking lights and sounds. Being inside Meow Wolf is like stepping inside your imagination with lots of “Wow!” moments.
Double your day of adventure with the family by taking the Ski Train from Union Station to Winter Park. Once you arrive, you can rent your gear for alpine skiing or take a few runs on the snow tubing hill. The ski village has restaurants, an open gondola ride, and shops to visit also. At the end of the day, it’s all aboard the train back to Denver by dinner time.
See the world from a kid’s point of view when you go for a hike: it’s not about counting miles, but all the neat things you see along the way like wildflowers, animals that call the forest home, the variety of trees, and the time together.
Summer is the perfect time for a hike in the foothills or up in the mountains. Rocky Mountain National Park is about a 1.5-hour drive from Denver and the rangers in the visitor centers can provide tips on the best current hiking trail conditions for families.
State parks have just as much to offer for a day of family fun as the national park, and often without the crowds: you can take the kids fishing or walk to a waterfall at Staunton State Park, go on a short hike to historic cabins or stay in a yurt in Golden Gate Canyon State Park, walk to an overview of Horsetooth Reservoir in Lory State Park, and play in small waterfalls at Castlewood Canyon State Park.
Glide out onto a lake for some paddleboard time just minutes from downtown Denver at Cherry Creek State Park or Chatfield State Park, or the Soda Lakes in nearby Lakewood. Kids love to be on the water like this where they can steer the board towards the shorelines. Outfitters provide a safety lesson, a life vest, and some instruction before you set off for a 1 or 2-hour paddle on the lake.
A day at Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park is sure to delight the whole family with classic theme park rides like roller coasters, giant swings, and in the seasonal water park a wave pool, water slides, and a lazy river. Bonus fun is found at Meow Wolf Kaleidoscope, a unique version of the immersive art exhibit concept that exists only at Eliitch’s.
Families who are visiting Denver with kids will benefit from renting a car, which is convenient and cost-effective. When a family rents a car, they will have more flexibility around the city and to see surrounding areas.
Public transportation is also available, can be fun – especially for kids who don’t typically take a light rail train, for example. The Regional Transportation District (RTD) operates bus, light rail, and commuter rail services throughout the city. With free fare for children under age six and reasonable fares for all other ages, this can be a good choice for your family.
For short trips around town or just beyond the city, taxis and ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft are also available.
Rent a bike (or see if your hotel has complementary bikes available) or walk to explore Denver’s compact downtown area where many sights are found. Denver is a very walkable city! On two wheels you can access an inter-connecting trail system that loops through and around the city.
Segway tours are an option in downtown Denver with guides leading the way with entertaining stories about the sights.
