Fun Family Adventures in Denver, Colorado
Colorado is home to the Rocky Mountains, famous skiing resorts, and amazing national parks. Denver, the capital city of the state, offers a variety of activities for families. Here are some of our favorite fun family adventures in Denver.
Boondocks Food & Fun
Boondocks has two locations in the Denver area. With an unlimited pass, our family was able to drive go carts on three different tracks – the Slick Track, the Rookie Track and the Fast Track. The kids loved the bumper boats, although the adults didn’t really like the spray feature on the boats. The adventure continued with two 18-hole mini golf courses.
All the fun is not outside. Inside the facility, we were able to bowl a couple of games, play laser tag, and test our skills at the arcade. The Parker location also is opening an XD Dark Ride this spring. The Unlimited Pass is a great deal, offering you unlimited play on all the attractions and $5 game play in the arcade.
Find out more about Boondocks here.
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
The premier science museum has three floors of displays and activities. You and your family can explore the universe in Space Odyessey and even catch a show at the in-house planetarium.
Our family loves the mining and gemstone exhibit, which include displays of Colorado’s indigenous gemstones Rhodochrosite and Aquamarine, and the largest gold nugget found in the state.
Kids love walking through the natural history exhibits on the second and third floors which allow them to see animals from around the world. You also can discover all about your body in Expedition Health. The third floor include a Prehistoric exhibit where you can see the evolution of life and see life-size casts of dinosaurs. Or you can see the mummified remains of two Egyptian women who lived 2,400 and 2,900 years ago.
The museum has a number of touring exhibitions and an IMAX theater, too. Find out more about the museum here.
Read about our trips to Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
Butterfly Pavilion
Are your kids fascinated by insects, arachnids and lepidoptera (moths and butterflies)? If so, the Butterfly Pavilion is a perfect stop to learn about and witness these creatures firsthand. The focal point is the indoor tropical conservatory where you can watch hundreds of butterflies and moths in flight, at rest, or in pupae stage.
The butterfly pavilion also has a number of insects and invertebrates on display. Our family enjoyed watching a bee hive in action and our son was brave enough to hold Rosie, the resident tarantula.
In addition to the indoor pavilion, the Butterfly Pavilion also has outdoor gardens and nature trail and many special events throughout the year. Find out more about the Butterfly Pavilion here.
History Colorado Center
The History Colorado Center is the perfect location for families to learn about the storied tales of the state. The four floor museum tells the tale of Colorado history from the Ancient Puebloan peoples of Mesa Verde, to the mining boom of the 1800s, to the Dust Bowl and Japanese Internment camps of the 1900s.
The center is home to a seemingly unlimited number of interactive displays where our kids were able to drive a Model T, create Native American pottery, try to master an Olympic-style ski jump, or “work” in a turn of the century General’s Store.
Find out more about History Colorado Center here.
Roxborough State Park
This park is perfect for the family that wants to get away from the noise and see the natural beauty of Colorado. Tucked away at the base of the Rocky Mountains, this is a hiking park with plenty of easy to moderate trails perfect for families.
The park is in the midst of some stunning red rock formations that run the length of Colorado’s Front Range. The rocks are stunning in all seasons, but are especially picturesque after a snow fall.
Drones and pets are prohibited at the park, although you may catch a glimpse at deer or other wildlife. Find out more here.
Denver Botanic Gardens
The family that appreciates lush greenery and colorful flowers will love the Denver Botanic Gardens. There are three locations for the gardens, but the downtown York Street location is our favorite. Here you can see indigenous tall grasses and flowers, masterfully sculpted Japanese gardens, picturesque English manor gardens, and indoor tropical plants.
The Gardens provide a quiet oasis in the middle of a thriving U.S. city. Find out more here.
Read about our trips to Denver Botanic Gardens.
Rocky Mountain Arsenal
The national wildlife refuge is a great place to see prairie grasses and wildlife you might not normally see in the middle of metropolitan Denver.
Our kids enjoyed seeing the bison and black-footed ferrets at the Arsenal. We unfortunately did not see the Bald Eagles who make the Arsenal home. The visitor’s center is a must-stop to see displays about the former military arsenal turned wildlife refuge. At the visitor’s center, you can also check out a backpack with a bug collector jar, binoculars and information about the flora and fauna in the region.
The best part of the Arsenal is that it is free admission. Find out more here.
Clyfford Still Museum
Denver has a number of art museums and galleries, but this downtown museum dedicated to the American abstract expressionist artist. Still disliked big art museums with multiple artists on exhibit, preferring that a museum exhibit the works of one artist exclusively.
Although it did not play a role in Still’s life, Denver won the right to build a museum to house Still’s art. The museum houses about 95% of his total works, including 830 paintings, and about 2,300 works on paper and sculpture.
Our aspiring artist daughter couldn’t get enough of this museum, and took pictures of every work on display.
Find out more about the museum here.
iFly Denver
Does your family want the thrill of skydiving without the 10,000 foot jump? Why not try indoor skydiving? Lucky for you, Denver has an iFly Indoor Skydiving facility.
At the facility, you get paired with a certified instructor who teaches you the ropes before you enter the wind-tunnel to take flight. As you become more experienced, you are given more freedom to do solo flights.
My son and I tried this out for my birthday, and really enjoyed it. I don’t know that I am brave enough to jump out of a plane, but I would certainly go back to iFly to simulate the experience.
Find out more about iFly here.
Go To a Professional Sports Event
Denver is home to many professional sports teams. Whether you like football, hockey, baseball, soccer, basketball or lacrosse, Denver has a professional team for you.
The three primary sports stadiums, Mile-High Stadium, Pepsi Center, and Coors Field are within walking distance of each other. Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, home of soccer’s Colorado Rapids, is a short drive from downtown. Any time of the year, you can find a sport that is in season.
You Might Also Enjoy:
See our visit to the Downtown Aquarium in Denver here.
Visit the grave of Western Legend William “Buffalo Bill” Cody. See our visit here.
What is your favorite family friendly activity in Denver? What would you add to the list. Leave your comment for us and let us know.
Disclaimer: We were delighted to be the guests of Boondocks Food & Fun. As always, all opinions are our own. You can read our disclosure here.
I have always wanted to try bumper boats! I used to get made fun of when I was a kid for driving too safe in bumper cars. Butterflies are magical and I’m always up for hanging out with them too.
The bumper boats are pretty fun. We could spend hours watching the butterflies.
Wow! I’ve been to Denver dozens of times and had no idea the number of opportunities I’ve overlooked. I love the image of your daughter in the gallery- clearly art is her spark!
Yes, she loves her art.
A nice tip for a great family trip. Thank you very much!
I also tried skydiving (indoor) – that was fun!
Susanne
While I don’t have children I have to say that I would love to do all of these things, especially the botanical garden, butterfly pavilion and natural history museum. Of course I am always up for an NHL game and a round of mini golf. I guess we are all just big kids really when it comes to exploring a city. I think your daughter has a lovely eye for art!
Thank you. I think you’re right. One of the best parts about being a parent is that you get to experience all the fun “kid” activities again.
In my childhood i absolutely loved going karting. I wish i had done it more! I would love to go to an NHL game sometime too.
I love a good hockey game. The go karts are fun for adults, too.
OMG the picture of you sky diving cracks me up. It looks like you found a lot of fun things to do in Denver!
My wife said it didn’t look like I was having fun sky diving. But, I really was having a great time
Looks like a nice mix of activities! The go karts look especially fun, as do exploring the red rocks.
The go karts were a blast.
Denver, Colorado is a place high on my bucketlist for skiing and hiking. While I do not have children, I can’t believe all the adventures that you can do while in Denver, I would do these just as an adult. I have done the indoor sky dive before in the UK which I loved. I would definitely add the Rocky Mountain Aresenal to my ever-growing list.
The skiing in Colorado isn’t too shabby either.
We’ve yet to spend any time in Denver, but it looks like you covered a TON of bases! And quite varied ones, at that. It also looks like you guys know how to have a really fun, eventful time! 🙂
Great article with lots of really interesting things to do! Heck – I don’t have kids but I’d still love to do a lot of these things…especially the botanic gardens!
I really want to go to the Botanic Gardens during different times of year to see the changes that come with the change of seasons.
Looks like y’all had a lot of fun! I am hoping to make it to Colorado one day! All of our yearly road trips always seem to go around Colorado lol.
My seven-year-old daughter would love to do IFLY. We are thinking about it for her next birthday.
It was fun. You get to do two 1-minute flights.
There are so many great spots on this list! We haven’t been to the Clyfford Still museum yet & need to add it to our list!
I’ve been to Denver once, just for a day. I’d love to go back again. We did the Downtown Aquarium while we were there, but I would love to check out some of these other activities you’ve listed. It looks like a lot of fun!
Looks like there is so much to do there! I would love to try indoor skydiving one day! Looks like so much fun!! I can see why you’re family would have had a great time! So many options of activities to keep you busy!
I’ve only been to Denver in the winter. Looks like there’s alot to see and do in the summer too. Your post is a great resource for planning a family trip.
Great ideas! I particularly like the mummified woman in the museum and all of the outdoor adventures. I have only gone through Denver on my way to the big mountains, but it looks like there is a lot to do there.
Denver — and Colorado in general — have so many outdoor adventures to try.
I haven’t spent much time in Denver and from your post, I can see that there are plenty of activities that I’d like to do. I so love butterfly observatories! Last time I was at one I saw butterflies coming out of their cocoons. It was so cool. And, I’m always up for hiking and visiting history museums. And, I’d love to try ifly !
Next time your in town be sure to check out all the amazing food trucks here in Denver! We have some of the best cooks in the business.