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Your run-of-the-mill zoo? Hardly. Among the entertaining orangutans going about their monkey business, kaleidoscopic snakes slithering through the grass and hippos having a hey day, this marvelous habitat for all creatures great and small peddles an old-fashioned carousel bobbing with endangered species coupled with narrated train ride tours and environmentally-sound exhibits like the panoramic Predator Ridge, a goliath, naturally-landscaped oasis parading birds, reptiles and mammals, all of which are African species.
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The fact that this fascinating museum is the largest of its ilk in the Rocky Mountain region is reason enough to spend several hours here, but exploring the elaborate labyrinth of ancient fossils, Egyptian mummies, and dinosaur skeletons is all the more reason to stay and hone in on your history – which is far more interesting than any textbook. Aspiring astronauts seek orbit in the museum’s Space Odyssey exhibit, a universe-spanning landscape that traverses through the planets, stars and mysteries of the Milky Way via Martian exhibits, space mission updates, swirling dust devils, twinkling stars and an interactive, hands-on “space” room where kids can garb themselves in astronaut trappings.
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There’s a reason – lots of them, actually – why this outdoor park for rambunctious rug rats is a parents’ best neutralizer to indoor acrobats. Sure, you’ll find swings, sand and slides, but beyond the usual suspects, this progressive playground also sports water fountains for splashing, tree houses for imaginary play and games of hide-and-seek, a climbing wall to exercise grabby hands and limber legs, xylophones to strike up a new melody, a spacious skateboarding area to practice daredevil stunts, a lacrosse field and ample picnicking space for persuading persnickety eaters that life is really just a hot dog.
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Roller coaster groupies, Ferris wheel fans and aficionados of rides that spin, twist and twirl will find all that and more at this urbanized theme park, a catchall of thrills, spills and chills spanning 70 acres. With more than 45 rides, plus a splash-filled, 10-acre Water Park, musical stages, stunt shows, arcades and the StarToon Studios, a kiddie area with pint-sized fun, there’s something here for just about everyone. A restored carousel, originally built in 1925, boasts 67 hand-carved horses that tamely glide up and down, while the Twister II, a 10-story roller coaster with a 90-foot drop, provides heart-stopping adventure.
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Educational, creative and spectacularly interactive, this engaging museum for the younger set is chock-block with myriad exhibits, playscapes, and hands-on activities. Kids can shop in a makeshift grocery store and even play the part of the cashier, or brush up on their science quotient in the brand new Bubble laboratory. Curious toddlers have their own space in which to race around, while wide-eyed infants can let their imaginations come to life in the Center for the Young Child, safe, soft and quiet area that is the perfect place for playful interaction between you and your child.
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Located in Westminster, a 15-minute drive from downtown Denver, this stand-alone insect zoo is the perfect indoor refuge in which to interact with live invertebrates fluttering around a lush rainforest, or to hold Rosie, a Chilean Rose Hair tarantula, in the palm of your hand—if you dare. The Wings Over the Tropics conservatory, home to more than 1,200 flitting butterflies, moths and skippers, shipped from farms as far away as Kenya and Ecuador, makes for an exhilarating wander through the toasty conservatory, awash with lush green plants. Stop by the Shrunk! exhibit, an interactive play area buzzing with insects and giant robotic scorpions and carpenter ants that move. Inspect the information charts, and you'll learn that beetles comprise one-fifth of all living things on Earth. Who knew?
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Oceanic inspiration comes in all guises at this visually intoxicating aquarium, but the main draw is the 500 species of fish and marine life swimming in more than one million gallons of water. The exhibits, which traverse through a coral lagoon, Indonesian rainforests, North American wilderness, Sumatran tiger habitats, shipwrecks and wharfs, are engaging and exotic. Here, amid, the astounding marine life, kids can feed the stingrays, swim with the sharks, pan for gold, become a marine biologist for a day, or even spend the night in the aquarium. It costs $2 to feed the stingrays, but it's worth it to watch them dive in droves for their food as your child gasps in glee while getting sloshed with water.
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The home base of the Colorado Rockies baseball team make, Coors Field sports the thinnest air in major leage baseball, and a block of purple seats on the 20th row of the upper deck marks the point where it’s exactly one mile above sea level. The World Series contenders have employed numerous tactics to neutralize the thin air, including humidifying baseballs before the game, but since the stadium’s 1995 debut, the best solution has been to simply hit as many home runs as possible. The “Rockpile” seats, located 500 feet from home plate, cost just $4 for adults and $1 for kids age 12 and under, and you’ll sit altitude-high with some of the most die-hard baseball fans in the country.
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While you’re not going to come across any living, breathing dinosaurs while you’re here in Denver – they’re still extinct, the last we checked – you will have ample opportunity to learn about these long-gone Colorado residents. At Dinosaur Ridge in Morrison (near Red Rocks Amphitheatre) you can touch the bones of Allosaurus and Stegosaurus at the site where important dinosaur discoveries were made in the late 1800s. See how Iguanadons walked by viewing real dinosaur footprints forever preserved in the sandstone.
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Located in a 150,000-square-foot, 1930s-era former Air Force hangar, Wings Over the Rockies is heaven for the aerospace enthusiast. The museum is home to more than three-dozen historic airplanes and space vehicles, including a massive B-52 Stratofortress, a 1926 Eaglerock “longwing,” and – Star Wars fans take note – an X-Wing fighter.
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Get a glimpse of early dinosaur discoveries from Colorado, including fossils from the first Stegosaurus and Apatosaurus ever found. Located 25 minutes west of Downtown Denver, the 3,000-square-foot exhibition offers a relaxed environment that is perfect for kids of all ages to explore rocks and fossils. The exhibits and guides connect visitors with the ancient story of the Front Range. Recent local excavations have yielded famous baby dinosaur footprints that were featured in Smithsonian magazine and media outlets around the world.
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There are toy stores – and then there is the Wizard’s Chest, a fantastical, two-tiered, 8,000-square-foot, kaleidoscopic castle brimming with brainy toys, mind-challenging games and puzzles, lifelike puppets, vivid costumes, hats, wigs and masks, a theatrical make-up counter and books. Chessboards lay across tables, inviting both novices and masterminds to vie for coveted winning titles, in-store tournaments celebrating collectible card games, like Yu-Gi-Oh, are held weekly, and the yearly Rocky Mountain Yo-Yo Championships brings fierce competitors to the floor. But more than anything else, this imagination-inspiring emporium is all about fun. It’s a fantasy world for kids, to be sure, but captivated parents are just as susceptible to its magic.
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An action-packed playground you can visit with the kids year-round (whether you want to escape the cold or the heat), Lollipop Park offers rides, lazer tag, two ice skating rinks, a rock climbing wall and mini golf, plus much more. A great spot for birthdays!