Colorado Official State Vacation Guide - 2025
Find Your Kid’s Favorite Things
2024-12-05 14:01:39
Fuel your child’s curiosity through Colorado’s family-friendly attractions. Whether your little one would visit Jurassic Park if given the chance or can talk your ear off about their favorite wild animal, there are tons of attractions where they can learn and play.
Dinosaurs
Have an aspiring paleontologist on your hands? You’ve come to the right place because a plethora of prehistoric giants once roamed the Centennial State, leaving behind tracks and fossils to marvel at.
Grand Junction is an ideal starting point for a road trip along the Dinosaur Diamond scenic and historic byway. Heading northwest toward Fruita, stop to hike the “dinosaur trails” where important discoveries have been made, including Riggs Hill — the site of the first Brachiosaurus ever discovered — Dinosaur Hill and the Fruita Paleo Loop. Farther down the byway is the aptly named town of Dinosaur, which serves as a gateway to Dinosaur National Monument.
Fruita is home to the Dinosaur Journey Museum, where kids will be amazed at the vast collection of more than 15,000 fossil specimens. Here, they can make their own dino tracks and dig at a “quarry site” for actual dinosaur bones. Your family can also register for summertime Dinosaur Digs and Expeditions to go out in the field at a real dig site and search for Jurassic treasures.
Head eastward to the Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience near Cañon City, which offers high-tech thrills in the form of life-size animatronic dinosaur exhibits, two ropes courses (including one for tykes), a state-of-the-art theater with rotating dino films and more. Kids will also geek out over the huge number of full-scale dinosaur casts and real fossils on display.
Snow Days
Does your child’s face light up whenever snowflakes start to fall? Whisk them away to our winter wonderland with activities the whole family will love.
Book a family retreat at YMCA of the Rockies - Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby and stay in rustic cabins or hotel-style lodge rooms. With a variety of things to do on-site and in the area, you’ll have no trouble filling out your itinerary for frosty fun. Head to the Winter Pavilion for ice skating and snow tubing, or arrange a sleigh ride or dog-sledding tour.
For kids with a daredevil streak, Welder Ranch and Outfitting Services in Meeker has the adventure for you: a family snowmobile tour through the backcountry of White River National Forest. Choose from half- or full-day rides that are tailored to your group’s abilities and experience level, with children riding as passengers. Cruising through the fluffy powder of Colorado’s spectacular alpine environment is a brag-worthy memory that youngsters will never forget.
Make your little one’s “Frozen” dreams come true at Cripple Creek’s Ice Castles, a magical world built from thousands of hand-carved icicles. Explore frozen towers, caverns, archways and crawl tunnels, with sculptures and color-changing LED lights peppered throughout. Ice slides and chutes, including ones designed for younger kids, will have everyone singing “Let It Go” before you know it.
Trains
All aboard! If there’s one thing that tends to fascinate kids, it’s trains. Luckily, we have no shortage of locomotive lore and railroad-related attractions to choose from.
At the Colorado Model Railroad Museum in Greeley, kids and adults alike are dazzled by the miniature world created here — 80 scale miles of train track, to be exact. Observe the model railroad from interactive stations and see how many little details you can “ooh” and “ahh” over. Check out the collection of rare model locomotives, walk through a restored 1919 caboose and encourage the kids to let off some steam in the play area.
Traversing between Georgetown and Silver Plume, the Georgetown Loop Railroad is one of the state’s original tourist attractions. Hop in the openair cars of this narrow-gauge train and wind through pine and aspen trees, and over a rocky canyon. To fully immerse in the history of the area, add on a tour of Lebanon Mine and try your hand at gold panning.
For a journey any train enthusiast will never forget, look no further than the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in Antonito. At 64 miles in length, the route zig-zags through spectacular forests, wildflower-filled plains and a rugged gorge, chugging to a peak elevation of 10,015 feet at Cumbres Pass. Full- and half-day excursions include a stop at Osier Station for lunch, while express trips are a good option if you’re short on time.
Fairy Tales
Seeking a sprinkle of magic for your wee explorer? Encourage their imagination and carefree spirit at these unique spots that feel right out of a storybook.
Built by one man over several decades, Bishop Castle in Rye is an impressive sight to behold. Perpetually open, it’s free to visit the sprawling stone-and-iron structure — but use caution if you want to scale the steep spiral staircases, especially with small children. Even from the ground there’s plenty to admire, from the towers and bridges to the Grand Ballroom accented with stained-glass windows, and the fire-breathing metal dragon perched off the front.
Though it’s been a fixture of Nederland since 2010, the Carousel of Happiness dates back a century to its creation in 1910. A town resident brought the original frame to Colorado, restored it and hand-carved a whimsical menagerie of 50-plus animals for the ride. Point out the hidden fairies perched in the nooks and crannies of the Carousel House, and listen to the Wurlitzer organ tune as your little ones gleefully whirl around.
Have a playful frolic at the Denver Botanic Gardens, an ethereal oasis away from the urban surroundings of the city. The Mordecai Children’s Garden is a 3-acre area where kids can explore and learn about flora and fauna through interactive features, such as an alpine meadow, swinging bridges and splash streams. The facility also offers year-round children and family programs, including building a personal fairy garden to take home.
Animals & Insects
If furry friends are all your kid can think about, let them take a walk on the wild side and see their favorite critters up close.
In addition to an unconventional mountainside location at 6,714 feet in elevation, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs is known for its unforgettable animal experiences and demonstrations with an array of species, from penguins and rhinos to sloths and lions. Learn about caring for elephants or book a meet-and-feed with giraffes.
Specializing in spineless creatures, the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster showcases everything from beetles and bees to sea stars and a tarantula named Rosie, utilizing immersive exhibits and interactive “touch” experiences. But the highlight is the Wings of the Tropics area, where you can walk among 1,600 free-flying butterflies in a lush tropical paradise. Peek into the Chrysalis Chamber and you might just catch a butterfly emerging for the first time.
In Keenesburg, the Wild Animal Sanctuary offers a bird’s-eye view from its 1.5-mile-long elevated walkway of more than 1,000 tigers, lions, bears, wolves and other species. This sprawling refuge takes in animals from captive situations and allows them to roam freely in large natural habitats, while visitors marvel at them from above. Watch as they run, play, relax and maybe even roar or howl as the sun lowers in the sky.
©Colorado. View All Articles.