If you’re finding all the museums a bit too serious, loosen up at this amusement park near downtown Denver – your kids will love you for it. There's a water park, roller coasters, live entertainment and more. The arts collective Meow Wolf even opened a ride here. Go online to save on admission. If you're planning to go more than once, buy the season pass to save a bundle.
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Elitch Gardens
Denver
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
11.88 MILES
When the setting sun brings out a rich, orange glow from the rock formations and the band on stage launches into just the right tune, Red Rocks…
0.62 MILES
Gorgeously restored, historic Union Station is Denver's main transportation hub, used by RTD light-rail lines, commuter buses and Amtrak. But it's way…
1.45 MILES
The Denver Art Museum (DAM) is home to one of the largest Native American art collections in the USA, and puts on special multimedia exhibits that vary…
0.32 MILES
Where Cherry Creek and South Platte River meet is the nexus and plexus of Denver's sunshine-loving culture. Thousands of outdoorsy Denverites flock here…
1.44 MILES
Dedicated exclusively to the work and legacy of 20th-century American abstract expressionist Clyfford Still, this fascinating museum's collection includes…
22.4 MILES
This historic landmark park is the gateway to Boulder’s most magnificent slab of open space adjoining the iconic Flatirons; its wide, lush lawn attracts…
Children’s Museum Denver Marisco Campus
0.34 MILES
This is one of the hottest tickets in town…well, at least for kids. Highlights include an enclosed three-story climbing structure (helmets provided), a…
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Colorado School of Mines' Geology Museum
11.39 MILES
With a collection of 50,000 minerals, fossils and gemstones, the School of Mines' Geology Museum is worth a stop, even if rocks aren't really your thing…
Nearby Denver attractions
0.22 MILES
Denver’s old Ocean Journey Aquarium was sold in 2003 to a business that specializes in aquarium-themed restaurants. So it is that Downtown Aquarium is…
0.32 MILES
Where Cherry Creek and South Platte River meet is the nexus and plexus of Denver's sunshine-loving culture. Thousands of outdoorsy Denverites flock here…
3. Children’s Museum Denver Marisco Campus
0.34 MILES
This is one of the hottest tickets in town…well, at least for kids. Highlights include an enclosed three-story climbing structure (helmets provided), a…
0.4 MILES
This four-story museum was built with interaction and engagement in mind, and Denver’s home for contemporary art can be provocative, confusing or…
0.47 MILES
Allow us to be geeky for a second: this is the world’s first cable-stayed bridge using a post-tensioned structural construction. If the technical jargon…
0.52 MILES
Affording views of downtown Denver and the Rockies, this spacious, hilly patch of green has bike paths, benches and plenty of people-watching. A lyrical…
0.55 MILES
David B Smith’s taste for progressive American and international artists has made this space one of the most engaging small galleries in Denver.
0.56 MILES
This much-maligned public pile of 'art' by John McEnroe appears to be a big red lingam-inspired mound of beans or sandbags. It lights up at night.