Is your family staying home during spring break in Denver? Are you worried about keeping your kids entertained? Fear not, because Denver is an urban playground with a plethora of stimulating, healthy and fun destinations that will make your staycation exciting and memorable. From enjoying the arts to out of the box ideas and everything in between, this guide will have your kids thinking you are the coolest parent around!
101+ Things to Do During Spring Break in Denver
Enjoy the Arts
Kids will love to take a magical adventure through Meow Wolf, where they can touch, feel and let their imaginations run wild.
Visit the newly renovated Denver Art Museum for a culture experience and grab some dessert at Ponti on the way out!
The Denver Center for the Performing Arts is a nonprofit organization that brings you Broadway tours, locally produced Theatre Company productions and immersive experiences with shows appropriate for all ages. Check their calendar for timely events.
Attend one of Denver’s candlelight concerts for a beautiful evening out. Performances include songs all ages will recognize and enjoy (read: Taylor Swift!).
Be surrounded by the magic, images and sounds of beloved classes at the Disney Animation Immersive Experience.
Peruse the Art District on Santa Fe.
The Colorado Ballet will enchant theater lovers of all ages.
Art Spark Creative Studio is a great place for kids who love to create.
Ceramics in the City will have everyone embracing their inner artist.
Adams Mystery Playhouse produces age appropriate and kid friendly interactive mystery parties, perfect for those in elementary or middle school. They also provide shows for ages 5 and up. Check out the calendar on their website for more details.
Featuring more than 30,000 works of art across its three principal exhibits, the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art gets its name from storied 20th century Colorado painter Vance Kirkland. Due to the fragile nature of some of the art, admission is limited to visitors ages 13 and older.
Learn Something
The Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus is a community gathering place where all families can share moments of wonder and joy.
Satisfy your scientific curiosity with an afternoon at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
Learn how to shred at Shredder Ski School, where they offer indoor classes for ages 9 months to 10 years. Reserve your spot early!
Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum is located in Hangar 1 of the former Lowry Air Force Base in eastern Denver, Colorado. The museum is dedicated to displaying iconic aircraft, space vehicles, artifacts and military uniforms.
The Downtown Aquarium is always a favorite for nature lovers.
The Forney Museum of Transportation is a one-of-a-kind collection of over 800 artifacts relating to historical transportation.
Learn to cook at Uncorked Kitchen.
Visit Tattered Cover Book Store, one of the top independent book stores in the country. They hold tons of kid-friendly events.
The Morrison Natural History Museum offers a relaxed atmosphere to explore rocks and fossils.
From live music to cooking classes, Union Station is a wonderful mix of old and new. If nothing else, go on a culinary tour for yummy tastes and especially enticing sweets at Milkbox Ice Creamery, Waffles & Dinges and ACME Delicatessen.
Watch a show at the Gates Planetarium.
The Plains Conservation Center helps students grow their appreciation of the prairie ecosystem and the cultural history of Colorado through a variety of educational programs managed by Denver Botanic Gardens.
The Littleton Museum offers visitors a unique link between Littleton’s past and present.
Denver Firefighters Museum has story time, craft time, academy camp and so much more.
How about lessons at the Denver Curling Club?!
The Colorado Railroad Museum will delight all aspiring conductors and engineers!
Get Moving
Sky Zone and Urban Air Adventure and Trampoline Park will help to get the wiggles out. Big Air Trampoline Park is another idea with similar activities.
Activate Fun Parks has every activity a rambunctious kid loves, as does Lava Island!
Kids can jump, flip, spin and flop for two hours at Defy Denver.
Indoor Swimming is always a good idea at Moorhead Recreation Center, Carla Madison Recreation Center, Apex Center or Montclair Recreation Center.
Owned by the City of Golden, Fossil Trace Golf Club is not only a great place to get in a challenging round, but also a unique way to spot prehistoric history. Triceratops footprints, as well as other fossils, can be seen adjacent to the 12th green.
Bowling is great for all ages. Lucky Strike Lanes or Wheat Ridge Lanes are two family-friendly places to visit when you need an indoor activity to pass the time.
APEX Denver Parkour and Athletics classes will have kids testing their strength, bravery and toughness.
Monster Mini Golf is a unique venue providing 18 Holes of Monster Mini Golf, as well as an arcade and VR experience.
Archery Dodgeball? What a mashup! Archery Games Denver is providing a one-of-a-kind experience to rough and tumble kids.
iFLY Denver will take you to new heights.
At TOCA Denver, kids can spend their days off from school and summer break participating in a variety of games and activities supervised by trained leaders. Activities include basketball, dodgeball, kickball, arts & crafts, kid’s fitness classes, team building challenges, and many more.
Movement RiNo Climbing Gym teaches climbing, team building, bravery and trust all in one gym experience.
Epic Escape Games boasts two locations in Denver and a multitude of escape rooms that pre-teens and teens will adore.
Aerial Cirque Over Denver could provide a new way to enjoy exercising for pre-teens and teens.
Take a Tour
Take a free tour of the Colorado State Capitol for your aspiring change maker. They even provide scavenger hunts!
Hammonds Candies offers tours and ends the experience with some pretty tasty treats!
Learn the rich history of the United States Mint and how billions of coins each year are produced for the American public with a free, guided tour of the Denver facility.
A Denver Art Tour will get your legs and mind moving!
Self-guided tours are available at the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Take part in a history of Denver walking tour.
Enjoy a self-guided ice cream tour. Hit up places like Little Man Ice Cream, Liks Ice Cream, Sweet Cooie’s, High Point Creamery and Ice Cream Riot.
Study the city’s beautiful architecture with a tour.
Margaret Brown may be best known as a survivor of the Titanic, but she was so much more. Hear her incredible story as you tour her home with a knowledgeable guide.
Destinations for Sports Fanatics
Ballers should head to a Denver Nuggets game!
A Colorado Avalanche game is always an interesting experience.
Embrace your inner Ted Lasso at a Colorado Rapids match.
Denver Skate Park in LoDo is one of the best in the country, and is appropriate for all skill levels. Helmets are required!
If biking is more what you might be into, how about a visit to Ruby Hill, Trestle Bike Skills Course or Montbello.
Ruby Hill Rail Yard is perfect if there’s still snow on the ground to get a little urban winter sport practice!
Kids love to watch American Ninja Warrior? Then a class at Ninja Nation is the place they should head.
The University of Denver is home to some amazingly talented athletics teams, and with a plethora of sports offered, there’s one to suit every fan’s interest.
Right next to Coors Field, you can take your baseball fan to the National Ballpark Museum.
Thanks to heaters, Top Golf is a pleasant place to play without feeling the effects of the inevitable cold air.
Get Outside
The Denver Zoo is a mainstay attraction and always has something new to discover!
Make a day trip out of a visit to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. It is open 365 days of the year.
Another day trip idea is a tour of Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center.
Take a stroll through Denver Botanic Gardens. If it’s too cold outside, there’s always the indoor exhibits! Stop by Cheesman Park afterward!
Head to Washington Park for outdoor recreation.
Shopping at Larimer Square could be fun for a budding fashionista or foodie. 16th Street Mall is another good one to add to the list!
Hudson Gardens are beautiful no matter the season. Don’t forget to stop by the coffee shop!
Dinosaur Ridge is one of the top dinosaur track sites in North America!
Triceratops Trail in Golden is a 1.5-mile gravel hiking trail that winds between large, vertical walls of sandstone and into reclaimed clay pits. Along the trail are several stops highlighting clay mining and dinosaur, bird, mammal, insect, and invertebrate tracks and traces, as well as several walls full of plant impressions from the tree-lined, delta-like environment.
Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre is the most beautiful spot for running around the trails and hiking.
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at the annual parade, and don’t forget to wear green!
Make your way to Evergreen Lake for a day of hiking, ice skating and exploring.
Watch wildlife roam at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge.
Run around Lookout Mountain Preserve and Nature Center.
Perfect for Toddlers
There’s a reason sand is such a popular attraction with children. Kids Dig nails the concept of sand boxes, but on a much more elevated level.
Tumble Haus is a membership based activity gym, emphasizing on aesthetics, style and comfort for both toddler aged children and parents.
WOW! Children’s Museum focuses on STEAM related activities for young kids.
Enjoy a picnic or play time at City Park.
Be immersed in nature at the Butterfly Pavilion.
Head to story time at Denver Central Library.
Kids Wonder in Centennial has age appropriate way to discover and play. Play Street Museum in Highlands Ranch offers a similar set up.
Out of the Box Ideas
Visit a cat cafe and show the animals some love.
Take part in Denver Restaurant Week and introduce the family to new and exciting foods.
Make sushi enticing by making it fun. Sushi-Rama serves from a conveyor belt so patrons can choose what looks the most delicious!
Enjoy afternoon tea fit for a princess at The Brown Palace.
Whew, what a list! It is evident Denver is a magical place, catering to families who love to explore. Keep this guide in your back pocket not only for spring break, but any time the kids need a little fun and excitement in their lives.
