Denver, the Mile High City, offers a fantastic array of attractions perfect for families seeking fun and memorable experiences. From interactive museums to outdoor adventures, there’s something for every age and interest. Let’s explore some of the top spots that make Denver a premier destination for family fun.
Denver Botanic Gardens
The Denver Botanic Gardens provide a tranquil escape within the city and a wonderful opportunity to connect with nature. Families can enjoy a variety of engaging programs designed specifically for children, making learning about the natural world both fun and accessible. A standout feature is the Mordecai Children’s Garden, an innovative green rooftop space. This unique garden allows kids to explore six distinct Colorado ecosystems, each transforming beautifully with the changing seasons. Within these ecosystems, children can discover interactive elements such as swinging bridges, captivating water features, designated digging areas, and gentle streams perfect for splashing. Educational gardens also demonstrate the origins of everyday vegetables, showing kids how food grows.
Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum
The Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum is an aviation enthusiast’s dream and a thrilling experience for families. Housing over 50 aircraft and captivating space exhibits, this expansive museum is a true wonderland of flight. Visitors can get an up-close look at impressive bombers, agile fighter jets, classic antique planes, and a Huey helicopter from the Vietnam War era. The museum regularly hosts seasonal exhibits, ensuring there’s always something new to discover. On the second Saturday of each month, an extra layer of excitement is added as both children and adults are invited to climb into the cockpits of select aircraft, offering an electrifying and hands-on experience.
Attractions Just Outside Denver
For families willing to venture a short distance from downtown Denver, even more exciting attractions await, offering diverse experiences and adventures.
SNÖBAHN Action Sport Center
SNÖBAHN Action Sport Center offers a unique and exhilarating experience: year-round indoor skiing and snowboarding. Utilizing an innovative angled, treadmill-like platform, families can enjoy snow sports regardless of the season. For those new to skiing or snowboarding, lessons are readily available. Beyond snow sports, the facility boasts a 13,000-square-foot skate park and seven high-performance trampolines, providing a wide range of active fun. To cater to all ages, SNÖBAHN includes a café and a bar for adults. With two locations in the Denver area, in Centennial and Thornton, SNÖBAHN provides convenient access to indoor action sports.
Colorado Railroad Museum
The Colorado Railroad Museum, located in Golden, is home to Colorado’s most extensive collection of locomotives, railway cars, photographs, and historical railroad artifacts. The museum brings to life the captivating era when over 2,000 miles of narrow-gauge railway lines crisscrossed Colorado’s mountains. A half-mile track encircles the museum grounds, allowing for monthly “steam up” events featuring operating locomotives. On alternating weekends, visitors can also experience a ride on the Galloping Goose, a rare vehicle consisting of a bus mounted on train wheels, which historically transported passengers over Lizard Head Pass near Telluride.
iFLY Denver
For an unforgettable adrenaline rush suitable for all ages, iFLY Denver provides the sensation of skydiving indoors. This indoor skydiving facility replicates the experience of freefall without the need for a parachute or favorable weather conditions. Located south of Park Meadows Mall in the Lone Tree Entertainment District, iFLY Denver offers a safe and thrilling adventure for the whole family.
Dinosaur Ridge
Dinosaur Ridge in Morrison, near Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, is an outdoor museum and visitor center where families can literally touch the bones of Allosaurus and Stegosaurus. This significant paleontological site is where major dinosaur discoveries were made in the late 19th century. Visitors can also observe real dinosaur footprints preserved in sandstone, providing a tangible connection to prehistoric life and illustrating how Iguanodons walked. A complimentary self-guided tour allows families to explore Dinosaur Ridge at their own pace, making it an educational and engaging experience for children.
Morrison Natural History Museum
The Morrison Natural History Museum offers a fascinating glimpse into Colorado’s early dinosaur discoveries. Here, you can view fossils from the very first Stegosaurus and Apatosaurus ever unearthed. Situated just 25 minutes west of downtown Denver, this 3,000-square-foot museum provides a relaxed and kid-friendly environment perfect for exploring rocks and fossils. Exhibits and knowledgeable guides connect visitors to the ancient history of the Front Range region. Notably, local excavations at Morrison yielded famous baby dinosaur footprints, which gained international recognition in publications like Smithsonian magazine.
Butterfly Pavilion
Located in Westminster, a short 15-minute drive from Denver’s city center, the Butterfly Pavilion offers an enchanting indoor escape. Families can interact with live invertebrates within a lush, simulated rainforest environment. For the brave, there’s an opportunity to hold Rosie, a Chilean Rose Hair tarantula. The tropical conservatory is teeming with vibrant greenery, gentle streams, and over 1,600 butterflies, moths, and skippers sourced from farms as far away as Kenya and Ecuador. Additionally, the Water’s Edge exhibit immerses visitors in an underwater realm filled with captivating sea creatures.
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder provides an engaging and educational experience focused on climate change, one of the most critical topics of the 21st century. Visitors can see a hailstone as large as a softball, witness a miniature tornado being created, and learn about the science behind lightning. Free public tours are available, making NCAR an accessible and informative destination for families interested in understanding our planet’s atmosphere and climate.
Denver and its surrounding areas are brimming with Fun Family Attractions, promising enriching and exciting experiences for visitors of all ages. From gardens and museums to thrilling indoor and outdoor adventures, Denver truly caters to families seeking memorable outings and quality time together.
