COLORADO
BOULDER
Closest Airport
Denver [DEN]
Downtown:
Has a wonderful pedestrian-only walkway with kids play structures, flowers and benches throughout. It is decorated for the season and always very clean. There are a ton of little shops and many restaurants. Its very family friendly. The night before the CU football game they host a parade with the football team and marching band which is free to all and a great way to have fun with the family.
Football:
The CU Football games are incredible. Win or lose, the experience is epic (and I go to quite a few venues, so I say that with confidence). Pre-game there is a free fan tailgate you can visit with food trucks, photo ops and an performance by the band. They usually have some kid activities also. Inside, the energy is electric. Be sure to be in your seat at least 25 minutes before kick off to see the band’s pre-game show and Ralphie run the team out. (Ralphie is the Buffalo, SHE is amazing to watch and lives at a secret location to prevent fans from bothering her. She has a whole crew of student wranglers who care for her and run with her on the field. Ralphie is ALWAYS a female because male buffalo would be too aggressive).
Hikes:
Flat Irons: If you’re into hiking, the Flat Irons right past Boulder are incredible and offer miles of different trails, most moderate to strenuous. They are good if you’re able to pack your kiddos, but most have loose rocks and bouldering to climb so older kids would be best suited.
Overlook: Driving up 10 minutes from the city gives you an amazing scenic vantage point with a map laying out the landscape ahead. It was a great place to go with visitors.
Chautauqua Park: This park is ALWAYS busy as it’s the trailhead for many great walks, hikes and biking paths. You likely will need to park on the road, but mind the signs, they do ticket and tow. It has a beautiful grassy field and a small museum (we never actually went into it).
Closest Airport
Denver [DEN]
DENVER
Closest Airport
Denver [DEN]
Denver Zoo:
Easily one of my favorite zoos, they are hyper focused on conservation and education and even have a new(ish) animal hospital viewing areas where you can watch the animals be cared for while veterinarians narrate what is taking place.
Our membership got it’s value, we found it very easy to use and the online reservation system was so simple.
Parking is free and we never had an issue finding space, with the exception of going at the holidays. Which, if you do, arrive before the zoo “closes” at 3:30, they don’t actually clear the zoo and lights turn on at 4:30, so you can enjoy them before the crowd of holiday light goers enter at 5 pm.
The exhibits are incredibly well-done and there is a lot of space so even when full it never felt overly crowded. The areas are designed by geographic region and while all are well-done, my favorite is the Asia area with the elephants (they have a bridge that they can walk over as you go under), monkeys and very good food at the canteen in that section (it’s one of my favorites).
Near the zoo and other museums, the gardens are immaculately well-kept and varied. The Bonsai garden in the back is unique while the inside exhibits make it easy to enjoy year-round. Some of the paths are more stroller-friendly than others with steps in a few unexpected areas, but overall, we didn’t have any issue getting around and found it a fun way to spend some time.
I’d prioritize it lower than some of the other kid destinations unless you love flowers or they are having a special event just because it’s less “run and play” than some other spaces in the area.
This museum is very kid-friendly and does a wonderful job of incorporating interactive and information exhibits across a range of topics. Mummies, animal types, human health (you can measure your heart rate and kids can explore muscles and bone structures).
There is a TON to see, so likely your little ones will tap out before you get through it all but it can easily occupy 3-5 hours of your day. Parking is free and adjacent to the building, making it easy to access and they have a deck to keep cars cool in the summer.
Closest Airport
Denver [DEN]
FORT COLLINS AREA
Closest Airport
Denver [DEN]
About 90-minutes North of Denver is the college town of Fort Collins. This is one of my favorite day trips. The shops are adorable, food is good and it has a vibe. It’s a less fancy version of Boulder in a very good way. It also has some kid-friendly activities in the area.
Morningside Farms:
This local all-natural dairy does an EXCEPTIONAL tour of the farm that last about 60 minutes. You see the founding school house, see the “dairy-go-round” that milks the cows, learn about the dairy process and how they are minimizing their environmental impact, get to meet a baby cow and then, taste the milk. This is also where Noosa yogurt is made so they offer samples of that as well. You can’t tour the yogurt facility due to contamination risk, but you walk past it and can see in through a viewing window. It’s got a lot of stairs and is not stroller friendly, so be prepared to walk a solid mile and carry littles who aren’t ready to walk, but all-in-all we loved it a did it several times while living in Denver.
Fort Collins:
In addition to a fun vibe, there are coffee shops, spice shops and my favorite kids bookstore in the town. You can stroll the streets and find everything from gourmet chocolate to gemstones to all-natural jerky, plus fun places to sit and relax in the outdoor spaces and beer gardens.
Closest Airport
Denver [DEN]
MOUNTAIN TOWNS
Closest Airport
Denver [DEN]
These areas are all naturally beautiful, full of hiking/biking trails, have ample skiing and are priced accordingly. Everything is a bit more expensive, especially during peak seasons, but we’ve never been disappointed.
Breckenridge:
An adorable old-west town just 90 minutes up I-70 from Denver. The downtown is very walkable and has cute coffee shops, good eateries, a great brewery (or two) and a good combination of local, chic shopping and kitchety tourist souvenirs. In the winter they have sleigh rides and embrace the winter wonderland. There is also a small museum that does a good job highlighting the town’s history.
Hiking: Several hikes in the area are incredible in late spring when the flowers are in bloom. We did two with kids (~4 mile loop) with about 900ft gain, but at elevation (~8k feet). It was tough wearing a baby but very manageable and a well-maintained trail.
Glenwood Springs:
On the far west side of the state, this town popular for the geothermal spring is nestled in the mountains. While the drive is gorgeous, the turns are not for the faint of heart and best admired by the passenger. We stopped on our drive across the state en route to Utah and spent the afternoon in at the Hot Spring resort, using the pool. It has a flat fee for day use and there are two pools: the main one which is massive and the smaller, hotter one that recommends limited bathing time because of its temperature. After a long day in the car, it was very relaxing. Our daughter was 1 year old at the time and she loved the warm water of the big pool (we didn’t take her in the other pool, it was too hot). It was decently crowded, but when we were there, we felt like there was enough space.
The changing rooms have showers and lockers, but it was not super baby friendly and I had to change her diaper on a bench. Kids under 2 do not have to pay, which is nice
Golden:
If you’re heading to the iconic Red Rocks, Golden is a great place to stop for dinner or drinks. It’s old town feel is well-kept, clean and always bustling. It is equal parts tourist and locals, as even people who live in Denver love going there for a day to enjoy the breweries, food and frequent festival the community hosts. It is also the launching place for so many hikes and the drive into the mountains. Go in fall to see the incredible foliage painted across the area.
Idaho Springs:
The first town you’ll reach as you go up I-70 into the mountains is Idaho Springs. It’s small and many people drive right past. It has a very cool history dating back to the gold rush. There are old-fashioned saloons, gem and rock shops, nick-knacks galore and a few little places to eat. As with everywhere, there are also some hikes that start from there. It isn’t the highest on the list of places to visit, but if you want a little break and to let the littles run around for awhile, or grab some food, before the mountain drive, this is a good place to stop.
Rocky Mountain National Park - Estes Park:
This park really is a marvel. The magnitude of the mountains make for a stunning backdrop every season. The whole trip is very kid-friendly and just a short 2-hour drive from Denver. We could get there in about 80 minutes from our house so would go often, and there’s so much you can do along the way to mix it up if you’re visiting multiple times.
Rocky Mountain National Park: The park is amazing. There are two main entrances from the Estes Park side and the North one tends to have far shorter lines in our experience. It routes you up over the town and most people go through the other way. This can save a good amount of time getting in. It also takes you to a few smaller trails, one we love in the winter because it is pretty flat and we bring the kid sled and go for a hike. Parking is pretty easy and there’s a bathroom with flush toilets as well. The other entrance has a big visitors center there with a gift shop which we usually exit through. Inside the park it is very easy to drive to most of the scenic spots in a day. The lake hike is VERY short and exceptionally kid friendly. There are hikes for every level of ambition. We did a few winter hikes and loved those as well, they are a little more strenuous when slick and snowy, but our daughter had a blast playing in the snow and the Colorado sun makes it feel much warmer even when its cold. Wear sunscreen, unless in a shady trail, it’s a lot of direct sun.
Estes Park: This little town is full of nick-knack shops, places to eat and touristy type places. Its fine to walk around and there are cute candy stores, your standard t-shirt shops and a “Christmas all year” shop near the watermill. We would stop there when company came to town, but for our own time, we’d prefer to get lunch at the Pie shop on the drive in (they have incredible homemade pies, chili, seasonings and pot-pies-definitely worth the stop!). Estes Park prices are what you’d expect at a mountain-town tourist shop and the crowds can be tiring. There’s a grocery store right around the curve from the main drag, so if staying awhile, that makes eating easier to get stuff to have at your hotel/lodging.
Closest Airport
Denver [DEN]