With kids · Denver · United States
Denver with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Hogs555, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Denver is good for families: the Museum of Nature & Science, the Denver Zoo, Meow Wolf, the Union Station fountains and easy mountain days in Golden and Rocky Mountain National Park. Top picks: Denver Museum of Nature & Science, City Park and Denver Zoo and History Colorado Center. Families usually base themselves in Golden Triangle.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 7
- Best area for families
- Golden Triangle
- Rainy-day options
- 3
- Busiest months
- July
Best things to do with kids
Museum · City Park
1.Denver Museum of Nature & Science
A large natural-history and science museum in City Park with dinosaur fossils, wildlife dioramas, gems and minerals, an Egyptian mummies gallery, a planetarium and an IMAX theatre. The back steps give one of the best views of the downtown skyline against the mountains.
Walk out to the back terrace for the classic skyline-and-mountains view.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Views
- History
Park · City Park
2.City Park and Denver Zoo
Denver's largest central park has lakes, paddle boats, a historic pavilion that hosts free summer jazz concerts, and the Denver Zoo, whose exhibits include Predator Ridge and Toyota Elephant Passage.
Combine the zoo and the Museum of Nature & Science in one day; they are at opposite ends of the park.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Nature
Museum · Golden Triangle
3.History Colorado Center
The state history museum covers Colorado's people from Indigenous nations to mining towns and ski resorts, with interactive exhibits and a simulated ski jump.
Good for families; children enjoy the hands-on exhibits.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
Experience · Sun Valley
4.Meow Wolf Convergence Station
A four-storey immersive art installation by the Santa Fe-founded collective Meow Wolf, where visitors wander through surreal, interconnected worlds of colour, sound and hidden passages beside the Interstate 25 and Colfax interchange.
Visit on a weekday and allow at least two to three hours to explore.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Timed tickets often sell out at weekends; book online in advance.
- Art
- Kids
- Rainy day
- After dark
Waterfront · LoDo and Union Station
5.Confluence Park
Where Cherry Creek meets the South Platte River, the city was founded during the 1858 gold rush. Today the park has a kayak chute, sandy banks where families wade in summer and junctions of the main bike trails.
Follow the Cherry Creek Trail from here for an easy bike or walking route through the city.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Kids
- History
Landmark · LoDo and Union Station
6.Coors Field
Home of the Colorado Rockies baseball team since 1995, with a row of purple seats marking the mile-high elevation in the upper deck and a rooftop deck with mountain views. Ballpark tours run on many days.
Cheap rooftop tickets are a sociable way to see a game with mountain sunset views.
- Time needed
- 3 hours for a game
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- After dark
- Views
Landmark · Morrison
7.Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre
An open-air amphitheatre set between two towering sandstone monoliths in the foothills west of Denver, famous for its acoustics and concerts by everyone from the Beatles to U2. When there is no show, visitors can climb the steps, walk the Trading Post Trail and visit the Colorado Music Hall of Fame.
Climb to the top row for sunset views of Denver and the plains; on concert days the amphitheatre closes to visitors in the afternoon.
- Time needed
- 2 hours, or an evening for a concert
- Cost
- Free
- Book ahead
- Concert tickets sell out quickly for popular shows; buy from the official site.
- Iconic
- Free
- Views
- After dark
- Outdoors
Rainy-day ideas
- Denver Museum of Nature & Science — Walk out to the back terrace for the classic skyline-and-mountains view.
- History Colorado Center — Good for families; children enjoy the hands-on exhibits.
- Meow Wolf Convergence Station — Visit on a weekday and allow at least two to three hours to explore.
Where families should stay
$$$ · Best for culture, families and first-timers
Golden Triangle
The Golden Triangle is Denver's cultural district, with the Denver Art Museum, the Clyfford Still Museum, History Colorado Center, the Central Library and Civic Center Park, all a short walk from the State Capitol. Several hotels sit right beside the museums.
- Good
- Walk to the main museums; Quieter than LoDo; Short walk to downtown
- Watch out
- Quiet in the evenings; Some street disorder around Civic Center Park
- Nearby
- Denver Art Museum, Clyfford Still Museum, History Colorado Center, Colorado State Capitol
Family travel tips
- Children feel altitude and dryness too; keep them drinking water and use sunscreen.
- The Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus and the Downtown Aquarium are good with young children.
- Union Station's plaza fountains are a free summer splash spot.
- Elitch Gardens, a downtown amusement and water park, opens in summer.
- Plan mountain hikes for the morning to avoid afternoon thunderstorms.
Day trips for families
- Golden (About 30 minutes by car or 45 minutes by light rail) — A historic town where Coors brews its beer, with a walkable main street under a 'Welcome to Golden' arch, Clear Creek's riverside path and tubing in summer, and Lookout Mountain's Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave above.
- Rocky Mountain National Park (About 1.5–2 hours by car to Estes Park) — High peaks, alpine lakes and elk herds, with Trail Ridge Road climbing above 3,700 metres in summer.
- Colorado Springs and Garden of the Gods (About 1.25 hours by car) — Garden of the Gods is a free park of red sandstone fins and towers against Pikes Peak, and the Pikes Peak Cog Railway climbs to the 4,302-metre summit.
- Georgetown (About 1 hour by car) — A preserved 1870s silver-mining town with Victorian buildings, and the Georgetown Loop Railroad, a narrow-gauge steam train that climbs through the valley to Silver Plume in summer and autumn.
- Breckenridge (About 1.75–2.5 hours by car, depending on traffic) — A historic mining town turned ski resort, with a Victorian main street and skiing on five peaks in winter, and hiking, mountain biking and the alpine slide in summer.
When to go with children
The best months overall are June–September. July is the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Denver good for kids?
Denver is good for families: the Museum of Nature & Science, the Denver Zoo, Meow Wolf, the Union Station fountains and easy mountain days in Golden and Rocky Mountain National Park.
+What can kids do in Denver?
Denver Museum of Nature & Science, City Park and Denver Zoo, History Colorado Center, Meow Wolf Convergence Station and Confluence Park.
+Where should families stay in Denver?
Golden Triangle: Museums, galleries and the civic centre south of downtown.