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Spring Break in Denver: 75+ Family-friendly Activities 2023

By Mile High Mamas on January 30, 2023 No Comments

Spring Break in Denver can be difficult to plan. Will there be snow? Will it be a balmy 70 degrees? Fortunately, we have you covered with our guide to Spring Break in Denver 2023 with indoor and outdoor activities, categorized by geographic area.

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WHAT IS THERE TO DO IN COLORADO FOR SPRING BREAK 2023?

CENTRAL DENVER

Bad Axe Throwing. (downtown and Central Washington locations). They claim to be the world’s largest urban axe-throwing company. Both locations allow kids to participate provided they can throw the axe in a safe manner and their guardian or parent is present.
Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus. The 46,902 square foot building is located on a 9-acre campus and has 20 hands-on, interactive and totally one-of-a-kind exhibits geared to newborns through 8 years old but kids of all ages have fun.
Denver Art Museum (downtown) –Children will get a chance to engage with art and explore their creativity through DAM’s onsite and online programs for all ages. As a reminder, kids 18 and younger receive free general admission.
Denver Botanic Gardens – These top-ranked U.S. botanical gardens offer spectacular garden displays, outdoor art exhibits, gardening classes, spring break camps and workshops at two great locations–Chatfield and Denver.
Denver Firefighters Museum (downtown) – The Museum offers not only outstanding exhibits on the history of fire fighting in Denver focusing on the Denver Fire Department but innovative and exciting hands-on activities that allow visitors to interact with the traditional exhibits
Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys. Where beloved childhood toys are elevated to art, and workshops are inexpensive.
Denver Museum of Nature & Science— The premium natural history and science museum in the western United States offers exhibitions, IMAX, a planetarium and lectures. Don’t miss the exhibition Unseen Oceans. (Featured image)
Denver Zoo–The Denver Zoo is 80 acres of fun in City Park. Don’t miss their Up-Close Looks where you can buy out a session for up to four people and enjoy an intimate encounter with animals including a sloth, camel, porcupine and more.
Downtown Aquarium. This features over 500 species of marine life and mammals in the million-gallon Aquarium Adventure Exhibit. Don’t miss their 4-D theatre and Shark Cage Experience.
Four Mile Historic Park – Step back in time and rediscover a 12-acre historic oasis in the heart of the city with a tour of the beautiful Four Mile House Museum, Denver’s oldest standing structure with farm animals and guided tours.
History Colorado Center–This $110 million experiential museum makes Colorado history fun and has exciting new workshops, exhibits, programs, and performances that spark curiosity and ignite the imagination.
Mizel Museum. Rooted in Jewish values that have universal relevance, the Mizel Museum is a gem tucked away in a residential area in Denver’s Hilltop neighborhood. Kids will learn about art, artifacts and digital media that narrate and illuminate Jewish history and culture.
Molly Brown House Museum (downtown) – Learn about the life and times of “Unsinkable” Molly Brown in her restored Victorian home in Denver, Colorado. This is one of the most visited historic sites in the state of Colorado, and one of only a handful of sites nationally dedicated to the interpretation of a woman’s story. Admission to the Molly Brown House Museum is by guided tour only.
Street Art. Don’t miss our Guide to Denver’s Best Street Art for families, from the thought-provoking to the educational.
United States Mint Tour (downtown) – Discover how our currency is made and take home a souvenir – FREE. Reservations are required for the 45-minute tours that are run every 90 minutes.

NORTH

Adventure Golf and Raceway (Westminster). This is a great place for mini golf and go-karts in the Denver area.
APEX Movement (Denver). Do you want to be the next American Ninja Warrior? Many of the TV’s program’s best athletes train at APEX Movement in Boulder. Classes, birthday parties and open gym are available so your kids can challenge themselves the Ninja Warrior way.
Boondocks Fun Center (Northglenn and Parker)–This 8-acre indoor/outdoor amusement center offers everything from bumper boats to laser tag to a Kiddie Cove to batting cages.
Butterfly Pavilion (Westminster) – Home to over 5,000 animals including Rosie the tarantula and a tropical forest where 1,600 butterflies rule the sky. They offer a daily spring break camp.
Celestial Seasonings. (Boulder)–Visit the Celestial Seasonings headquarters in Boulder, Colorado and unlock the mysteries of tea with a free guided tea tour. Temporarily closed due to COVID.
Colorado Model Railroad Museum(Greeley)–The most scenic, one-of-a-kind model railroad of its kind will leave you inspired. Walk through a real caboose, stroll along the mountain vistas and peek into a miniature world of wonder.
Gateway Park Fun Center–Boulder’s only indoor and outdoor family fun center with batting cages, go-carts, mini-golf, an arcade, driving range, inline hockey and more.
Hammonds Candy Factory Tour (Denver) – Hammond’s complimentary candy factory tours are fun and educational for candy lovers of all ages. Hundreds of thousands of people from across the globe have seen how their famous, handcrafted candy canes, ribbon candy, and lollipops are pulled, twisted, and shaped by hand. Reservations required.
Hiking. There are so many beautiful hikes in the Boulder area and my favorites are at Chautauqua Open Space Park. Be sure to stop in the Ranger’s Cottage for interactive fun or eat at the historic Dining Hall. Don’t miss Boulder’s best field trips for remote learning and play including Murals Around Town.
Louisville Community Park is a park that has it all. There is a grassy area for the kids to run free in, spray grounds to cool off in the summer, a large sandbox, playground and even a dog park with swim beach to watch the pooches play.
Lovin Arms Animal Sanctuary (Erie). A tour of Luvin Arms sanctuary is much more than a fun day spent getting to know our amazing family of rescued animals.
Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge (Commerce City)–Located 10 minutes from downtown Denver, this 17,000-acre refuge is one of the largest urban wildlife refuges in the United States. It consists of open lakes, wetlands, prairie grasslands, and woodlands and an excellent hands-on visitor’s center.
WOW! Children’s Museum (Lafeyette)–This interactive museum educates children in the areas of arts, sciences and life. Featured exhibit: Forest of Light: A Sensory Experience for All.

SOUTH

Carson Nature Center (Littleton)–South Platte Park has over 880 acres of open space along the South Platte River with five lakes open to fishing, 2.5 miles of the South Platte River and the Mary Carter Greenway for walking and biking, nearly 4 miles of natural surface trails, and the Carson Nature Center and classroom.
Cherry Creek Reservoir. Anchored around an 880-surface-acre reservoir, the park offers a natural prairie environment of gentle, rolling hills, bike paths, water sports and more.
Hudson Gardens (Littleton) – The Hudson Gardens’ 30 acres non-profit botanical gardens are located along the bank of the South Platte River. Admission is free every day.
iFLY Denver Indoor Sky Diving (Lone Tree). Fun, safe indoor skydiving adventure Safe for ages 3 and up.
Jumpstreet Indoor Trampoline Park (Lakewood, Greenwood Village) – Wall-to-wall trampolines provide fun indoor exercise and a perfect outlet for inclement weather days.
Littleton Museum. Located on 39 acres, this free museum consists of two living history farms (one from the 1860s and one from the 1890s), a small lake, a collections center, and the main exhibition and administration building.
Robert F. Clement Park (Littleton)–Clement Park is set on a 60-acre lake with a 1.4-mile walking path around it, tennis course, baseball fields, batting cages, multi-purpose fields, horseshoe pits and three separate playgrounds.
Waterton Canyon. This wide, hard-packed dirt road is closed to cars and follows the South Platte River as it winds through a steep rock canyon. This is an area of outstanding natural beauty and one of the few places along the Front Range that allow only pedestrian/bike access into a canyon.
Westlands Park (Greenwood Village) – The Westlands playground includes three play areas sized for toddlers to teens. There are two large climbing structures that satisfy both the technical climber as well as the inexperienced child. In addition to the main play area, there are three multi-use playing fields, an in-line hockey rink, a natural water sculpture, a pond and a hike/bike trail.

EAST

Aurora History Museum – A local and regional history, arts and cultural center with exhibits for all ages featuring nearly 100 historic photos, artifacts from Aurora’s military history & a one-of-a-kind fully-restored 1913 trolley that used to run along Colfax Ave.
Centennial Center Park–This 11-acre city park has a killer playground, nature areas, amphitheater and a water area in the summer. Located on the north side of Arapahoe Rd., between S. Revere Pkwy. and S. Vaughn St., adjacent to the Centennial Civic Center.
Family Sports Center (Centennial) – Enjoy ice skating, miniature golf, laser tag, a climbing wall, bumper cars, arcade games, Eurobungy, a sports dome and so much more.
Jumpoline Park (Aurora) – This Family Fun Center features innovative trampolines and open for everyone regardless of age or gender.
Lava Island – This children’s amusement park offers a trampoline park, indoor playground, toddler area, mazes and more.
Monkey Bizness (Westminster, Parker, Colorado Springs) -You’ll find interactive inflatables, play structures, climbing walls, and games of all shapes and sizes. There is a separate section just for toddlers with their own play equipment.
Morrison Nature Center at Star K Ranch (Aurora). Star K Ranch “regulars” include mule deer, painted turtles, snapping turtles, red-tailed hawks, American kestrels, western meadowlarks, great horned owls, and blue jays. Costumes, blocks, puppets, kids’ books, and live animal exhibits make Morrison Nature Center a great place for kids.
Plains Conservation Center (Aurora)–The Plains Conservation Center is an outdoor education facility and state-designated natural area that educates children about Colorado’s eco-history, and nurture conservation efforts.
Unser Cart Racing – Kids… go carts…axe throwing. Can’t lose right?
Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum (Denver) –An extensive collection of aircraft and related aviation and military exhibits preserving the history of the servicemen and women who served at Lowry Airforce Base. There are more than three dozen aircraft on display in this 44,000-square-foot space.

WEST

Apex Center (Arvada)–Perfect for an inclement weather day, this recreation and entertainment center houses two ice rinks, an awesome indoor aquatic play area, climbing wall, gyms, indoor track, themed indoor playground and more.
Arvada Center – This nonprofit multi-use cultural facility offers virtual theater, classes, camps, workshops and Squiggles, a 343-foot-long serpent in front of the building.
Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave (Golden) – The Buffalo Bill Museum’s exhibits include memorabilia from Buffalo Bill’s life and Wild West shows, Indian artifacts, antique firearms and more. The spectacular views overlooking Denver are a bonus!
Casa Bonita (Lakewood) – It’s about the atmosphere and entertainment, kids love it, menu is limited. Euphoric memories from your childhood? Visit again. (Temporarily closed but will be reopening under new ownership).
Colorado Railroad Museum (Golden)–Lose track of time year-round at this 15-acre railyard featuring over 100 engines, cabooses and coaches, a garden railway, renowned library and roundhouse restoration facility with working turntable.
Dinosaur Ridge (Morrison) – Part of the Morrison Fossil Area National Natural Landmark, Dinosaur Ridge area is one of the world’s most famous dinosaur fossil localities. Enjoy exhibits, a shuttle tour, and real dinosaur tracks.
Evergreen. Whether Evergreen Lake is still frozen for skating or the snow has melted so you can hike Alderfer/Three Sisters Park, Evergreen offers year-round fun.
Movement Gyms (Golden, Denver, Boulder, Englewood, RiNo)–Movement Gyms (formerly Earth Treks) features more than 28,500 sq ft of climbing with walls up to 48 ft high, including tons of bouldering and roped climbing for all ages and abilities.
Hiking. The western slope is home to some of Denver’s best hiking trails. Our favorites include Red Rocks, Lair ‘o the Bear, Matthews/Winters, Evergreen, Deer Creek and much more. Don’t miss Denver’s bike hikes for families, The Best Urban Hikes in Denver, and Where and how to go trail running in Colorado with kids.
Lookout Mountain Nature Center (Golden)–Lookout Mountain Nature Center invites kids to connect with the natural world through interactive exhibits about the flora and fauna of the foothills ecosystem. Kids enjoy a hands-on playroom and observation room.
Majestic View Nature Center (Arvada)–This 80-acre park holds Oberon Lake, a wildlife resting area, along with several other protected areas for local and migratory wildlife marked by signage. The 3,000- square foot Nature Center features hands-on nature and environmental displays, wildlife exhibits, a kid’s area, classrooms and meeting space.
Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater. This historic concert venue, park and amphitheater is one of Colorado’s most iconic places. Do a workout on the famous stairs or hike the park’s 1.4-mile Trading Post loop.

More Colorado Spring Break Fun

Harriman Lake Park Trail: A stroller-friendly adventure in winter or summer

Guide to the best snowshoeing and cross-country skiing trails for families in Colorado

Denver Best New Playgrounds for 2021 and this comprehensive guide to Denver Playgrounds & Parks.

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