Denver’s Best Outdoor Family Attractions
Enjoy Summer With Children
Long days, bright sunlight, warm weather; it would be a shame to miss out on enjoying our enviable summer climate. Still, it helps to have a plan in mind, especially when children are involved. These attractions all let the family enjoy the outdoors while providing an entertaining and age-appropriate environment for exploration and play.
1. Denver Zoo
Suggested ages: 2-12
Open-air enclosures, animal feedings and train rides bring the Denver Zoo to life and have made it one of our city's top attractions. State-of-the-art pens allow many of the zoo's animals to roam more freely and offer better access to visitors, with polar bears exploring their ever-changing outdoor habitat and monkeys climbing the large tree in the middle of their very own island.
Characterized by a cluster of disparate spaces, where newly renovated areas sit beside older cages, the zoo is constantly undergoing renovations to make it more animal and people-friendly. Hide from temperamental weather inside the “Felines” or “Primate Panorama” exhibits, or head to “Lorikeet Adventure” to feed the birds. Refreshment stands almost seem a species of their own, cropping up around every corner with tempting cool treats. Come expecting to give in to their relatively fair prices on ice cream and drinks, everybody does.
2. Water World
Suggested ages: 3+Nothing is better during the summer than cooling off with a trip to Water World. Our low humidity makes the trip even better, as you don't spend the next three hours damp after getting in the water. Water World's 64 acres offer enough varied water rides that both the adventurous and the timid will be sated by the end of the day.
"Voyage to the Center of the Earth" and "Storm" are two of the best tube rides, though waits can be long and the rides require transporting a big rubber tube up the hill. Young children will be better served by staying in the shallows of the huge wave pool or at “The FunHouse.” While the waterpark is not cheap, you can bring in your own food, which cuts down significantly on additional costs.
3. Tiny Town and Railroad
Suggested ages: 3-9
A miniature city a la historic small-town Colorado, Tiny Town and Railroad is of particular interest to young children. Child-sized buildings (replicas of real buildings that once stood in Colorado) are 1/6th of their original size, either open for exploration or filled with tiny furnishings and dolls. Hidden way up in the mountain town of Morrison, there are always a few families at Tiny Town, but it's never overly crowded. Make sure to take a ride on the miniature steam locomotive, it offers a great, relaxing little jaunt around the park.
4. Elitch Gardens
Suggested ages: 6+In the middle of the summer, the screams of delight and surprise emanating from Elitch Gardens are audible from hundreds of yards away. Looping, spiraling, twisting roller coasters of every size and description tower overhead as veteran coaster-riders laugh and newbies shakily grin. This is our best amusement park, and it's located right in the heart of town.
Worry not if you're watching after young children, or those afraid of high-speed coasters, Elitches has ample rides and activities for even the most timid, like a beautifully painted carousel and a gently soaring Ferris wheel. During Denver's hottest days, check out the waterpark portion of Elitches for rides that are guaranteed to leave you dripping wet and laughing with glee.
5. Denver Botanic Gardens
Suggested ages: 3+Frequented by photographers, couples and nature enthusiasts, the Denver Botanic Gardens serves as a wonderful, underrated place to take young kids. In the center of the gardens, a huge sloping hill leads down to a concert pit, and when not in use it's popular with children who love to run up and roll down the slope. Show up with a picnic and make it a lunch trip.
Make sure you visit the indoor Tropical Conservatory, where plant life flourishes to the point of nearly being out of control. The Children's Secret Path leads through landscaped areas that can be actively explored, incorporating flowering plants, musical instruments and a special soil touch area. Get your kids interested in nature by enrolling them in one of the gardens' special classes for young children and parents or older children on their own.
