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Attractions and activities to please every family member — from tots to teens — are available around every corner in Colorado. CAPTAIN ZIPLINE & THE LOST CANYON ZIPLINE TOUR ADVENTURE PARKS Whimsical worlds of gravity-defying ziplines, speedy alpine slides and other kid-pleasing activities await at Colorado adventure parks. Zoom down the state’s longest alpine coaster at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in Glenwood Springs; tackle an adventure course and the climbing tower at Vail’s Epic Discovery; or soar across 10 ziplines at The Broadmoor Seven Falls’ Soaring Adventure in Colorado Springs. COLORADO.com/AdventureParks DENVER CHILDREN’S MUSEUM MUSEUMS Colorado’s bounty of family-friendly museums offers hours of mind-stimulating fun. Watch scientists prepare fossils and marvel at colossal dinosaur skeletons at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science; learn how to grind corn for chickens and milk a cow at Fort Collins’ Bee Family Centennial Farm Museum; or clamber aboard an antique fire truck at Trinidad’s Old Fire House No. 1 Children’s Museum. COLORADO.com/Museums KEYSTONE, VAIL RESORTS/DANIEL MILCHEV WINTER DIVERSIONS From tubing and ice-skating to horse-drawn sleigh rides and kid-centered ski and snowboard programs, giggle-inducing winter activities can be found on and off the slopes in Colorado. Slide down a snowy hill on a bouncy tube, then ride the lift to the top to do it again and again in Fraser, Keystone, Vail, Copper Mountain and Beaver Creek; or skate amid gorgeous winter landscapes at ice rinks all over the state. COLORADO.com/WinterRecreation ELITCH GARDENS THEME & WATER PARK AMUSEMENT PARKS Our theme parks satisfy all ages with towering waterslides and high-speed coasters for thrill-seekers and tamer rides for those who fancy moving at a slower pace. Plunge more than 200 feet at 60 miles per hour at Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park in Denver; or conquer the Christmas-themed coaster at the North Pole Home of Santa’s Workshop in Colorado Springs. COLORADO.com/AmusementParks GOLD PAN, ISTOCKPHOTO HISTORIC ATTRACTIONS Well-preserved landmarks and captivating museums offer a peek into the past, when American Indians, pioneers and fortune-seekers made our state what it is today. Chip at a real gold vein and gain an understanding of the arduous work undertaken by miners at Hidee Gold Mine in Central City; or explore the reconstructed 1840s fur-trading post frequented by famed frontiersman Kit Carson at Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site near La Junta. COLORADO.com/History BENT’S OLD FORT, MILES/MATT INDEN ZOOS & ANIMAL SANCTUARIES Bears, gators and butterflies are just a few of the cool critters that inhabit Colorado’s zoos, aquariums and animal sanctuaries. Spy on black bears, mountain lions and other Centennial State natives at the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Park in Pagosa Springs; feed one of the largest giraffe herds in the world at scenic Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs or toss fish to the alligators at Colorado Gators Reptile Park in Mosca. COLORADO.com/Zoos BUTTERFLY, ISTOCKPHOTO
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