It’s Mother’s Day weekend in Denver with the Colorado Chocolate Festival, a Mother’s Day Garden Bazaar, Moms & Mimosas at Outlets at Castle Rock and more. See our event calendar for full listings.
Free Day at Denver Firefighters Museum
May 9, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Free admission to Denver Firefighters Museum!
Mother’s Day Garden Bazaar at The Westwood Food Cooperative
May 10 – 12
Mother’s Day is often considered the official kick off for the planting season here in Colorado, and Re:Vision is putting a new twist on that tradition. The Mother’s Day Garden Bazaar will be an opportunity to not only purchase plants and get ready for the season, but also a great way for families to spend quality time together.
Colorado Chocolate Festival at Denver Mart Drive In
May 10 – May 11
Sample and buy the finest chocolates in Colorado. Tastings * samples * speakers * cooking demos * wine-tastings * fun contests * food & drink * Mother’s Day gifts * VIPs * Chocolatier Championships * gifts * games * kids’ activities * fun for all!
Queridas Madres Shopping Event at Hijos del Sol
May 10 – 11
Hijos del Sol retail store offers a unique assortment of art-infused products including jewelry, home goods, books, clothing, and other delightfully creative gifts. Each piece is masterfully crafted and embedded with history passed down for generations. Every mark, chisel, thread, and stamp ignites an appreciation from their hands to yours. Help us keep culture thriving by supporting artisan communities throughout Latin America.
Longmont Symphony Pops Concert: The LSO IN Space at Vance Brand Civic Auditorium
May 11, 7:30 – 9:30 am
Join us for a celebration of 60+ years of spaceflight in our auditorium named after local astronaut Vance Brand. This family-friendly program features film music from Star Wars, Star Trek, E.T., Apollo 13, Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra (from 2001: A Space Odyssey), plus selections from Holst’s The Planets, Voyage (a work commemorating the 60th anniversary of NASA), and more!
22nd Annual Airlife Memorial 5K/10K Run at Hudson Gardens & Events Center
May 11, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm
This family-friendly day includes both a USATF certified qualifying 5K and 10K run/walk and a free kids fun run. After the run/walk, enjoy a one-of-a-kind display of emergency response vehicles, including an AirLife helicopter. Other activities include a volleyball tournament, expo and kids fun and games with a bouncy house, trampoline and giant slide.
Free Day at Longmont Museum
May 11, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Horseshoe Market at Broncos Stadium Parking Lot G, west side of the stadium
May 11 – 12
Horseshoe Market, Denver’s Best Flea Market, is moving to Broncos Stadium for their Spring Market on Mother’s Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday, May 11 and 12th! This market will be bigger and better than ever. Over 200 vendors–makers, artists, more vintage and antiques than ever before, food trucks, and FREE creative workshops geared towards home inspiration and home decor.
Moms & Mimosas at Outlets at Castle Rock
May 11, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Make this Mother’s Day memorable when you visit Outlets at Castle Rock on Saturday, May 11th! The center is hosting a special shopping day, including a heavily discounted “paint & sip” session by Painting with a Twist. Your $15 per person ticket includes the canvas, painting materials and instruction from Painting with a Twist, a complimentary mimosa for those over 21 (additional beverages available for purchase to benefit charity), goodie bags, snacks, a complimentary massage, special coupons, giveaways and more!
Museum Takeover: Fabulous Flowers at Fort Collins Museum of Discovery
May 11, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
With blossoms in the air and trees blooming everywhere, FCMoD is celebrating flowers! Come learn about spring blooms, and experience the wonders of the plant life cycle. With fun, interactive stations all throughout the museum, you can explore the world of flowers first-hand and learn how they are important for our planet!
Museum Takeover: The Ocean @ Fort Collins Museum of Discovery
May 11, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Ships ahoy! In celebration of National Ocean Month, sail on over to FCMoD! With fun, interactive stations throughout the museum, you can explore the ocean and discover the many creatures that call it home. Learn about why the ocean is so important (even here in landlocked Colorado!), and what you can do to help keep it healthy.
Sensory-friendly Performance at Boettcher Concert Hall in the Denver Performing Arts Complex
May 11, 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Your Colorado Symphony now presents a relaxed, sensory-friendly performance to ensure everyone has access to live, affordable entertainment. Join musicians of the Colorado Symphony for a fun interactive relaxed concert. Hear string instruments playing music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Aaron Copland, John Williams, Johann Pachelbel, and more. Move and dance to the music and get a chance to try conducting. Plus, after the concert, you’ll have the opportunity to meet the musicians and try playing some instruments yourself.
Low-sensory Morning at Downtown Aquarium
May 12, 8:30 am – 9:45 am
For our guests that prefer a calmer and more sensory-friendly environment join us for a special morning. We will open early at 8:30 am, turn up the lights and turn down the ambient sounds in the exhibits. Stay as long as you would like.
2019 Mother’s Day Brunch Experience at Ritz-Carlton, Denver, Hotel Plaza Level
May 12, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Join us in downtown Denver on our re-imagined Plaza Level for our annual Mother’s Day Brunch experience! This fabulous event will showcase an elaborate brunch buffet presentation, mimosa bar and Ritz Kids buffet. Surprises are in store for both children and adults. Families will receive a family portrait to take home, while children can craft a Mother’s Day card and choose a special keepsake for mom. Face painting and a balloon artist will also be available for kids of all ages to enjoy.
Mother’s Day Family Show at Comedy Works South at The Landmark
May 12, 3:00 – 4:30 pm
Celebrate Mother’s Day with national touring headliner Pat McGann performing an ALL AGES family show. Pat McGann is a stand-up comedian and television host. Pat created and hosted the Emmy nominated television show The Chicago Stand Up Project. Pat has also been heard on the nationally syndicated The Bob & Tom Show, as well as seen on AXS-TV’s Gotham Comedy Live. Looking to dine before the show? Visit LucyRestaurant.com
Ongoing General Events
Butterflies at Chatfield Farms
May 25 – September 2
$4, $2 Gardens or Butterfly Pavilion member, free for children 2 and under
This seasonal habitat is home to hundreds of native butterflies such as swallowtails, monarchs, mourning cloaks and painted ladies. The plants in this house are used as a nectar source for butterfly food and designed to create a whimsical atmosphere for visitors of all ages to enjoy. Learn what types of plants you can add to your garden to attract butterflies and other pollinators. Presented with Butterfly Pavilion.
Serious Play: Design in Midcentury America at the Denver Art Museum
May 5 –August 25
Serious Play: Design in Midcentury America presents the concept of playfulness in postwar American design as a catalyst for creativity and innovation. This exhibition explores how employing playfulness allowed designers to bring fresh ideas to the American home, children’s toys and play spaces, and corporate identities. The cost is included in general admission which is free for kids 18 and under every day.
Harry Potter Marathon at Phipps Imax Theater at DMNS
April 4 – June 8, 2019
Back by popular demand, a Harry Potter marathon in Phipps IMAX Theater! Between April 4 and June 8, all eight “Harry Potter” films and two “Fantastic Beast” films will be screened in chronological order as part of Hollywood Favorites. Relive the magic or see the saga unfold for the first time. Previously released cinematic features are included in their IMAX lineup on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings.
Our Senses: Creating Your Reality at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
April 12 – August 4
When it comes to our senses, hasn’t the number five had enough time in the spotlight? Now other sensory heroes get some overdue attention in Our Senses: Creating Your Reality, a new exhibition at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science for the whole family where you play with color, patterns, sounds, scents, and textures to discover there’s so much more to human senses than just the famous five. www.dmns.org
Denver Art Museum
Visit the Denver Art Museum this summer where kids receive FREE general admission every day! There is plenty to do during #SummerofPlay2019 at the DAM including family-friendly artmaking in the galleries and in the Paint Studio (opening June 1). Step into the shining world of the new First Light Family Space (opening June 1) and try hands-on activities inspired by the exhibition The Light Show. Don’t miss this summer’s main exhibition, Serious Play: Design in Midcentury America, opening May 5, where children are invited to play in the Free Play Zone at the end of the exhibition where they can try on bold masks and bring them to life in a colorful theater, climb on a wavy playscape by sculptor Isamu Noguchi and creatively combine the pieces of the Tyng Toy.
Once Upon a Playground at Fort Collins Museum of Discovery
January 29 – May 26, 2019
In Fort Collins Museum of Discovery’s special traveling exhibition, Once Upon a Playground, take an interactive journey from the past to the present… and beyond. Share in the nostalgia for playgrounds form decades past with dozens of historic images while you celebrate playgrounds of Fort Collins present and future. We invite you to touch, to see, to smell, to listen, to climb, to build – and to experience this interactive exhibition that is sure to enliven all of your senses.
Images from the Tracks at the Colorado Railroad Museum
January 28, 2019 – January 5, 2020
One of the foremost photographers to photograph the great American West, William Henry Jackson’s images had an immense influence on the public’s perception of the American West. A portion of those images were captured here in Colorado as Jackson traveled throughout the west by rail. This exhibit not only showcases the Museum’s collection of Jackson photographs but provides visitors with the opportunity to visit the rail car he traveled and lived in – the Denver & Rio Grande Western business car – the Rico.
Got Style? Railroads & Design at the Colorado Railroad Museum
Feb 16 – Jun 10, 2019
Often leading the pack as far as what was “stylish.” railroads have echoed the fashion of their day. From rail cars to benches, dining plates to lamps passengers expected and often got the best. This small exhibit explores the how materials, production technologies and aesthetic trends all affected how the railroads we traveled on looked.
Kids Kabaret Performances at Boulder’s Dinner Theatre
Feb 20, 2019 – May 24, 2019
Our ‘Kids Kabaret’ shows are designed for children ages 3-12. We take pride in offering live theater for young children; understanding that they will wiggle and move around. Several children are incorporated into the show at each performance.
Marine Biologist for a Day at the Downtown Aquarium
Jan 1- Dec 31, 2019
See if you have what it takes to become a Marine Biologist! Spend a day behind the scenes where all the scientific action happens. Experience close encounters with exotic species from the deep sea to shallow reef and everywhere in between. You’ll even get to dissect a squid! Program includes guided tour, biologist dive show, squid dissection, animal feedings and much more! T-shirts & lunch included.
Author: Amber Johnson
Amber is the founder and editor of Mile High Mamas, travel writer and former columnist for The Denver Post. She is a passionate community builder and loves the outdoors. She has two awesome teens and is happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin.
