I’ll be building this out over the course of the next few days and weeks, but let’s get started getting some good ideas down of things to do in Denver with kids this summer. Some of these are free things to do in Denver, some are things to do outdoors in Denver, and because Denver can get very hot and sunny during summer vacation, there are definitely some good things to do inside with kids during the Colorado summer.
I’m just getting a brainstorming list down here for now. I’ll fill in details and things like cost and hours as we go. Check out Fun Denver Attractions for other fun stuff, and detailed articles about various Denver and Colorado attractions.
- Outdoor Parks
- Rocky Mountain National Park
- Chatfield State Park and Reservoir
- Cherry Creek Reservoir
- Various Denver City Parks and Mountain Parks
- Other city parks
- Soda Lakes
- Attractions
- Elitch Gardens
- Water World
- Denver Zoo
- Denver Botanic Gardens
- Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield
- Red Rocks
- Boondocks Amusement Park (Broomfield)
- Funtastic Fun (indoor, Centennial)
- Municipal Water Parks and Pools
- Denver City Parks and Recreation Outdoor Pools (free for kids with a MyCard)
- Broomfield Bay Aquatic Park Pool
- Pirates Cove Family Aquatic Center Pool
- Apex Pool and Water Slides (indoor!)
- Museums
- Children’s Museum
- Colorado History Museum (aka History Colorado)
- Denver Museum of Nature and Science
- Littleton Museum
- Denver Art Museum
- Denver Money Museum
- Places
- Confluence Park (riverside outside of REI)
- REI climbing wall
- Cherry Creek (the actual creek)
- Platte River
- Libraries
- Downtown Denver (bridges from Downtown to Highland are particularly fun)
- Mall Playlands (Cherry Creek and Flatirons Mall for sure have them)
- McDonald’s Playlands
- Cabellas
- Playgrounds
- Need a whole list of some of the best Denver playgrounds here
- And, Denver area playgrounds
- Celestial Seasonings Tour (Boulder)
- Activities
- Biking
- Trails for older kids offer long, safe bike rides in fun areas
- Hiking
- Denver Mountain Parks
- Chautauqua Park (Boulder)
- Golden area parks
- Denver Area Hiking Trails
- Lake trails
- Mountain Trails
- Mountains
- Mount Evans
- Trail Ridge Road
- Pikes Peak
- Colorado Rockies Games
- Colorado Rockies Fireworks Games
- Biking
- Denver Day Trips (and more than day trips)
- Estes Park
- Colorado Springs
- Manitou Springs
- Georgetown Loop Railroad
- Glenwood Hot Springs
- Mount Princeton Hot Springs
- Colorado River Rafting
- Garden of the Gods (Colorado Springs)
- Colorado Mountain Zoo (Colorado Springs)
- Beuna Vista
- Durango
- Dinosaur Ridge
- Great Sand Dunes National Park
- Holidays
- Father’s Day
- 4th of July
- Festivals
- Cherry Creek Arts Festival (4th of July Weekend)
- Denver Taco Festival
- People’s Fair (early June)
- Colorado Dragon Boat Festival (July 18-19)
- Denver County Fair (it’s more than you think! July 31 – Aug 2)
- Taste of Colorado (Labor Day Weekend)
- Greeley Stampede (June 25 – )
- Fun Stores and Restaurants
- Rocket Fizz (super candy store with all your old favorites, and stuff you’ve never heard of – Larimer Square)
- Casa Bonita (worst Mexican food in the world, in a fun atmosphere. You have to buy food for everyone to get in, so order the cheapest thing you can find and then enjoy the cliff divers and Black Bart’s cave – Yes, it was on a South Park episode, and yes, it’s a real place.)
OK, the kids want to eat breakfast, so that will have to do for now, but I’ll be updating this page extensively with facts, links, and reviews of cool stuff to do in Denver and Colorado. So, bookmark this page and come back again.