Denver Attractions

Northwest of Denver, in the neighboring suburb of Westminster, is the Butterfly Pavilion, with loads of interactive exhibits designed for kids between the ages of 2 and 12. The tropical conservatory houses more than 1,200 live butterflies. This climate-controlled area is kept at 80 percent humidity and between 70 and 90 degrees -- a welcome respite from the dry Colorado air! Kids can watch butterflies emerge from their cocoons and also spot the turtles, frogs, fish and hermit crabs that make their home here.

This tony 16-block business district is home to 320 galleries, boutiques, restaurants and spas, as well as Denver's centrally located mall, the Cherry Creek Shopping Center. Frankly, it's a teenage girl's nirvana, with the plethora of fashionable stores. At the Shopping Center, complimentary strollers are available as you enter the mall from the adjacent parking garage; little ones can let off steam at the climbing structures that look like oversized breakfast foods. If some family members (read: Dad and Brother) don't want to shop, they can rent bikes (as well as trail-a-bikes and bike trailers for toddlers) at The Cherry Creek Bike Rack at 171 Detroit Street, and pedal along the paved and flat Cherry Creek bike path.

Get back to nature at the Denver Botanic Gardens, with its special interactive areas for families. Along the Children's Secret Path, kids are encouraged to smell fragrant herbs and touch smooth flowers. The vegetation along Birds and Bees Walk attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbird, and illustrates pollination at work. Pick up a free Family Guide at the information desk to learn more about the attractions just for kids, such as the musical instruments made out of plants. Open year round. Cost: $10.50, adults; $6, ages 4 to 15; free for ages 3 and under.

Conveniently located in downtown Denver, the museum offers interactive "playscapes" for various age groups. In the "Center for the Young Child," babies, toddlers and preschoolers have a safe place to explore, climb and make believe. Slightly older siblings, ages 5 to 8, can explore a real fire truck, sell goods at a market, make train tracks, and put on a puppet show. Cost: free, under 1; $5.50, age 1 and seniors; $7.50, ages 2 to 59.

With Family Backpacks and Art Tubes filled with different art-making activities, the Denver Art Museum beckons school-age children to explore the different collections. Even preschoolers are welcome here, with free admission for any kids under age 5, and tortoise sculptures to climb, light bubbles to jump in and beanbags to crawl on. At the Just for Fun Family Center, little ones can also build puzzles and dress up. Teenagers who appreciate art will be bowled over with the museum's impressive holdings -- the largest collection of world art between Kansas City and the West Coast. It houses everything from American Indian artifacts, to paintings and sculptures from the Spanish Colonial period, to favorite pieces from such American, European and Western artists as Winslow Homer, Georgia O'Keefe, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso.

Teenagers might get the most educational value out of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, but many exhibits are absolutely appropriate for younger kids, too. Ongoing museum exhibits include "Egyptian Mummies," "Prehistoric Journey" and "Space Odyssey." The "Discovery Zone" offers hands-on opportunities for learning with crafts, digging for fossils, even singing karaoke. Preschoolers in the "Discovery Zone" can make bubbles, dress up like a dinosaur and play with animal puppets. For a separate fee, watch shows at the IMAX theater and the Gates Planetarium. Throughout the year, the museum schedules special hands-on family workshops and "camp-ins" a la Night at the Museum. Open year round.

Skateboarding enthusiasts shouldn't miss a trip to the largest free public skate facility in the country. With 50,000 square feet, it's got an array of curves, bowls, half-pipes and rails for novices and experts alike. Open daily from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Skateboarders use the facility at their own risk. Don't forget to pack your kids' helmets.

Located in City Park, five minutes from downtown, the Denver Zoo is home to more than 4,000 animals representing more than 700 different species, including 144 endangered animals. From penguins and polar bears to tarantulas and turtles -- you name the animal, and you can likely find it at the Denver Zoo. Little kids love taking a spin on the Endangered Species Carousel ($2), featuring 48 hand-carved animals, or, for the same price, they can ride the natural gas-powered train around Pachyderm Park. School-age children appreciate different shows and demonstrations, plus daily animal feedings.

At this world-class aquarium, families journey through various habitats, both under and above the water. You'll witness everything from the desert to the coral reef, from the beach to a sunken temple. The Aquarium Restaurant is a cool place for families to get a bite to eat, and get up close and personal with a variety of marine life in the 150,000-gallon tank that surrounds the eatery. Special programs allow you to swim with the fish, be a marine biologist for the day, and even sleep at the aquarium overnight.

It's hard to miss the giant roller coasters, Ferris wheel and other major rides at this amusement park smack dab in the middle of downtown Denver. Fearless school-age kids and their teenage siblings will love the thrill rides, like the Mind Eraser coaster and the Tower of Doom. Find tamer rides for younger children at Star Toons Studio, or ride the 75-year-old carousel. Island Kingdom Water Park is included with your admission and similarly offers attractions for various ages: free fall in a high-speed "cliff dive," frolic in a giant treehouse or relax in a tube on the lazy river. Elitch Gardens is open on the weekends from end-April through end-May, then daily through mid-August, and again on weekends through end October. The water park is open mid-May through Labor Day.

Fifteen minutes north of downtown Denver, Water World claims it has the largest number of attractions, 42, of any outdoor water park in the United States. Preschoolers frolic on slides at Wally World or in the FunHouse, school-age children master the tube rides at River Country, while thrill-seeking teens hurl down the Bermuda Triangle body slides and Zoomerang's half pipe. You can bring life-jackets for your non-swimmers, but they must be U.S. Coast Guard approved; you can also borrow life jackets on site. One nice perk: feel free to bring coolers (no glass or alcohol) inside the grounds; avoid pricey items from the on-site restaurants, and pack your own sandwiches, drinks and treats to eat at the picnic pavilions throughout the park. Generally open Memorial Day through mid-August daily, then weekends through Labor Day.