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Attractions and activities to please every member — from tots to teens — are available around every corner in Colorado. ADVENTURE PARKS Whimsical worlds of gravity-defying ziplines, speedy alpine slides and other kid-loving 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 at Vail and Breckenridge’s Epic Discovery; or soar across 10 ziplines at The Broadmoor Seven Falls’ Soaring Adventure in Colorado Springs. COLORADO.com/AdventureParks MUSEUMS Colorado’s bounty of family-friendly museums offers hours of mind-stimulating fun. Marvel at colossal skeletons at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science or the Ice Age Discovery Center in Snowmass; learn about food, foraging and farms at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery; or clamber aboard an antique fire truck at Trinidad’s Old Fire House No. 1 Children’s Museum. COLORADO.com/Museums 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, Winter Park, Durango and Beaver Creek; or skate amid gorgeous winter landscapes at ice rinks all over the state. See page 26 for more ideas. COLORADO.com/WinterRecreation 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, conquer the canyon at the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park in Cañon City or shake out your inner monkey at Bananas Fun Park in Grand Junction. COLORADO.com/AmusementParks FAMILY ACTIVITIES BACKPACKS Twenty-nine Colorado State Parks have Family Activity Backpacks available for check out at the park visitor centers. With bug boxes, magnifiers, guide books, binoculars and more, the packs help explorers of any age discover how fun the journey through the great outdoors can be. COLORADO.com/CSPBackpacks 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 Molly Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek; ride the rails of the Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railroad; 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 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 Wild Animal Sanctuary 45 minutes west of Denver; 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
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