The most useful thing to know about Denver with kids has nothing to do with attractions. It is that under-18s get into the Denver Art Museum free every open day, under-18s get into the History Colorado Center free every open day, and anyone 19 and under rides every RTD bus and train free, all the time. A family of four can spend a full day in this city — two major museums, all the transport, the free Capitol tour, an afternoon in a park — and pay for two adult tickets and nothing else. That changes the arithmetic of a Denver trip more than any pass or discount, and almost no visitor discovers it in time.
What follows is a practical guide rather than a list of everything in the metro area: which attractions are genuinely worth a child’s day and your money, which look right on paper and disappoint, how the altitude affects small people, and how to build days that do not end in a meltdown at four in the afternoon. Prices and booking rules were checked in September 2026 and are worth confirming before you pay.
Denver With Kids at a Glance
| Attraction | Adult | Child | Best age | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Museum of Nature & Science | $27.95 | $20.95 (3–18), under 3 free | 4–14 | The single best family day in the city |
| Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance | $27 | $19 (3–15), under 2 free | 2–10 | Excellent, but book the timed ticket 10 days out |
| Children’s Museum of Denver | $19.75 | $17.75 (age 1), under 1 free | 0–8 | Built for the under-8s and brilliant for them; pointless above that |
| Downtown Aquarium | $29.99 | $23.99 (3–11) | 3–10 | It is a restaurant with an aquarium attached. Manage expectations |
| Denver Art Museum | $22–$30 | Free, 18 and under | 6+ | Better for children than people expect, and free for them |
| History Colorado Center | $20 | Free, 18 and under | 7+ | Hands-on and genuinely engaging. Underrated |
| Wings Over the Rockies | Free | Free | 5+ | A hangar full of aircraft, funded by the SCFD, costing nothing |
| Elitch Gardens | $44.99 online | Under 2 free | 6+ | A full-day commitment. Only if your children want a theme park |
| Meow Wolf Convergence Station | from $37 | from $30 | 8+ | Loved by older children, overwhelming for small ones |
The short version: the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the zoo are the two attractions worth building days around, and everything else should be chosen against your children’s actual ages rather than a top-ten list. If they are under eight, the Children’s Museum is the best money you will spend. If they are over twelve, skip it entirely.
The Free Things Nobody Tells You About
Start here, because it changes what you book.
- Under-18s are free at the Denver Art Museum, every open day, and that ticket now also admits you to the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art, which merged with the DAM in October 2024. Note that Kirkland is age 13 and up only.
- Under-18s are free at the History Colorado Center, every open day, and this is the most hands-on of Denver’s history museums.
- Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum is free for everyone, funded by the regional cultural tax, in the old Lowry hangar at 7711 E Academy Blvd. Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 12–5pm.
- Anyone 19 and under rides RTD free — every bus, every train, all the time, including the A Line from the airport.
- The Colorado State Capitol tour is free, Monday to Friday on the hour from 10am to 3pm, walk-ins welcome. The mile-high marker on the west steps is a good photograph and the dome climb is 99 steps above the third floor, stairs only.
- Red Rocks Park is free, admission and parking, on non-event days. Running up and down the amphitheatre steps is a genuinely good use of a child’s morning.
- Confluence Park has a sandbar and stepped terraces down to the water where children wade all summer, fifteen minutes’ walk from Union Station.
- SCFD free days at the major museums and the Botanic Gardens are real savings — and the busiest days of the year at those institutions. Weigh that honestly with small children.
The Attractions, Honestly Assessed
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
If you do one thing with children in Denver, do this. It sits on the eastern edge of City Park at 2001 Colorado Boulevard, opens 9am to 5pm daily with most Fridays running to 9pm, and costs $27.95 adult, $23.95 for over-65s and $20.95 for ages 3 to 18, with under-3s free. The dinosaur halls, the Colorado wildlife dioramas, the space gallery and the gems and minerals are all strong, and the building is large enough that a determined child can spend six hours in it.
The thing to plan is the add-ons. The Phipps IMAX-style Sturm Theater costs $8 on top, the Gates Planetarium $7, and a laser show $14, and each one needs its own timed slot. Decide before you arrive which, if any, you want, and book at the same time as admission — turning up and hoping produces a lot of disappointed children and a lot of dead time between showings. For most families, the planetarium is the one worth the extra.
Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance
Excellent, and the single most common booking mistake visitors make. Admission is $27 for ages 16 to 64, $24 for over-65s, $19 for ages 3 to 15, and free under 2, at 2300 Steele Street in City Park, open 9am to 4pm with free parking. The critical detail: an online timed reservation is required, tickets go on sale ten days ahead, and they are non-refundable. Families who plan to “do the zoo on Thursday if the weather holds” find the slots gone.
Ten days is a short window. Set a reminder for the day they release, book the earliest slot you are willing to get up for, and accept the weather risk. A 9am entry in summer means you see the animals while they are active and you are out before the afternoon thunderstorm.
Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus
The most age-specific attraction in the city, and the clearest verdict on this page. It is built for newborn to eight, and within that range it is superb — water play, a climbing structure, an art studio, a fire station, an outdoor adventure area with real dirt and real water. Admission is $19.75 for ages 2 to 59, $17.75 for one-year-olds and over-60s, under-1s free, open 9am to 4pm daily with free parking.
Above about eight, do not go. Older children are bored inside twenty minutes and you have paid full adult price to watch them be bored. This is not a criticism of the museum, which is honest about its own audience; it is a criticism of the guides that list it as a Denver family attraction without saying who it is for.
Downtown Aquarium
Be clear about what this is. The Downtown Aquarium at 700 Water Street is an aquarium attached to a large restaurant, run as a commercial attraction rather than a conservation institution, and it costs $29.99 for ages 12 to 64, $28.99 for seniors and $23.99 for ages 3 to 11. It is open Monday to Thursday and Sunday 10am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday to 9pm.
Young children enjoy it. The tanks are decent, the tiger exhibit surprises people, and it fills an afternoon when the weather is bad. But it is the most expensive per hour of anything on this page, the gift shop is positioned aggressively, and if you have already booked the zoo and the nature museum, this is the one to drop.
Meow Wolf Convergence Station
An immersive art installation at 1338 First Street, tickets from $37 adult and $30 for children, with an “anytime” tier from $51. It runs on timed entry, takes two to three hours, and parking is $15 with the lot closed entirely during Broncos home games.
The age split is sharp. Children from about eight upward tend to love it — it is strange, bright, tactile and full of things to find. Under-sixes can find it genuinely overwhelming: dark passages, loud sound, disorienting spaces. The venue takes this seriously and is an IBCCES-certified autism center with sensory kits and quiet zones available, which is worth knowing if that applies to your family. Practical limits: no bags over 8 by 8 inches, and no strollers.
Elitch Gardens
Denver’s downtown theme park opened its 2026 season on 18 April, its 136th year, with the operator billing it as its longest season yet. Day tickets were $44.99 online against a $74.99 list price when we checked, kids 2 and under free, and operating dates run off a published calendar rather than fixed hours — check before you drive over.
The honest context: the land sits inside the proposed River Mile redevelopment, which has produced years of speculation about the park moving or closing. As of 2026 no closure date and no relocation site have been announced, and no site development plans had been filed. The park is open and running a full season. Treat anything you read about a “final season” with suspicion, and treat the park itself as a full-day commitment rather than an afternoon — if your children do not specifically want a theme park, Denver has better days available for less money.
Parks, and Why They Matter Here
Denver’s park system does more work on a family trip than its attractions do, because it is free, it is everywhere, and it lets children run in a way a museum does not.
City Park holds both the zoo and the nature museum, plus a lake, a boathouse and one of the best views of the Front Range in the city. You can combine a paid morning with a free afternoon without moving the car. Washington Park, south of downtown, has two lakes, a 1913 boathouse, wide lawns and a flower garden, and is where Denver families actually go on a Saturday. Confluence Park is the water one — the stepped terraces where the South Platte meets Cherry Creek, with a sandbar and shallow water that absorbs small children for hours in summer. And Red Rocks, on a non-event day, is free to enter and free to park, with a 1.4-mile Trading Post Trail loop and a set of amphitheatre steps that children treat as a challenge.
One caution on all of them. At 5,280 feet the sun is intense — about 25 percent less atmosphere than at sea level — and shade is patchy. Hats, sunscreen and water are not optional for a park afternoon here, in any month.
Denver With a Baby or a Toddler
The city handles very small children better than most. Denver’s major museums are modern buildings with lifts, wide corridors and changing facilities, and the Children’s Museum is built from the ground up for newborns onward — its under-ones go free and its one-year-olds pay $17.75. Strollers roll well on the downtown grid, which is flat and has good sidewalks, and the RTD network takes them without fuss.
Two exceptions to know about. Meow Wolf does not permit strollers at all, and its dark, loud spaces are a poor match for a toddler anyway. And the Colorado State Capitol dome is reached by 99 steps above the third floor with no lift — the ground-floor tour is fine, the dome is not a stroller proposition.
Practical rhythm matters more than attractions at this age. Attractions open at nine and the city’s best light is early, so a nine o’clock start followed by a nap back at the hotel and an afternoon in a park is a better shape for a Denver day than trying to push through to five. The dry air dehydrates infants quickly, so offer water more often than you would at home, and keep the sun off them — at 5,280 feet the UV is stronger than the temperature suggests, which catches families out in spring far more than in summer.
Winter and Snow With Children
Denver in winter is a better family destination than its reputation suggests, largely because it is sunny and dry rather than continuously snowy. The city averages 49 inches of snow a year, but it arrives in a handful of large storms with bright cold days between them, and the snowiest month is March rather than January.
What works: any park with a gradient becomes a sledding hill within hours of a storm, and the city is relaxed about it. Museums are at their least crowded on weekday mornings between November and February. The zoo runs its lights event through the holiday season and the City and County Building’s display is the centerpiece of downtown’s December. And hotel rates in the city are at their lowest outside March, which is the opposite of what happens in the mountains.
If you are adding skiing, be realistic about the logistics. Ski schools have minimum ages that vary by resort and book out on holiday weeks, and the drive on I-70 westbound is regularly at a standstill on winter weekend mornings — leaving before six, or skiing midweek, is the difference between a ski day and a car day with children in the back.
Altitude, With Children
The advice Denver gives adults applies more sharply to children, who are less likely to notice they are dehydrated and more likely to melt down when they are. Drink roughly twice as much water as you would at home, because the air is dry as well as thin. Expect everyone to be tired earlier than usual for the first two days, and plan a shorter first day accordingly. Sunscreen and lip balm are year-round items, not summer ones. And scale back exertion on arrival — a child who normally runs for three hours will manage less here, and pushing through it produces a worse evening.
Mountain destinations are considerably higher than the city, which matters if you are adding a day trip. Anything medical, including questions about a specific child, belongs with your own doctor rather than a travel guide.
Getting Around With Children
The free RTD travel for anyone 19 and under is the headline, and it makes rail the obvious choice for a family. The A Line from Denver International to Union Station takes about 37 minutes, and on a $10 Airport Day Pass two adults travel for $20 while the children travel for nothing — considerably less than a rideshare, and with room for suitcases. Our guide to getting around Denver covers the network in detail, including which light rail lines are currently suspended.
Two practical notes. Strollers are fine on trains and buses, though you will be folding on a busy car at commuter times. And the 16th Street FreeRide, which runs the length of downtown free and every five minutes or so, is a genuine gift when you are a mile from the hotel with a tired six-year-old.
For the city core you do not need a car. For a mountain day or a trip out to Red Rocks you do — and hotel parking downtown often runs $20 to $45 a night, so renting for the specific days you need it is usually cheaper than renting for the week.
Eating Out With Children
Denver is an easy city for this. Brewery taprooms — which are a large share of the social life here — are frequently family-friendly in the afternoon, with dogs, children and food trucks all in the same space, and most have no kitchen of their own so bringing food in is normal. Our guide to Denver breweries covers how that works.
Casa Bonita in Lakewood deserves a specific mention because families ask about it constantly. It is reservation-only through its own site with no walk-ins, released in blocks; premium seating near the waterfall runs about $44.99 a person, adult entrées roughly $29.99 to $39.99 and children’s from about $19.99, with a card held for a $10 per person no-show fee and an automatic 15 percent service charge. It is a spectacle — cliff divers, a waterfall, a sprawling pink building — and children remember it for years. It is also expensive for what the food is, and you are paying for the show. Go in knowing that and you will have a good evening.
For everything else, our guide to where to eat in Denver covers the city properly.
Where to Base a Family Trip
The choice of neighborhood does more for a family trip than the choice of hotel. Three patterns work here.
Near Union Station puts you on top of the rail network, within walking distance of Confluence Park, the Children’s Museum and Coors Field, and one train from the airport. It is the most expensive option and the most convenient, and with children the convenience is usually worth paying for.
The Golden Triangle and Capitol Hill put you next to the art museum, History Colorado and the Capitol, all of which are free or nearly free for under-18s, with quieter streets and lower rates. It is a fifteen-minute walk or a short FreeRide from downtown proper.
Near City Park puts you beside both the nature museum and the zoo, which are the two attractions most likely to anchor your days. It is further from the nightlife, which with small children is a feature rather than a bug.
Whatever you choose, budget for the taxes and the parking. Denver’s lodger’s tax is 10.75 percent, rising to 11.75 percent at hotels with more than 50 rooms, plus 4 percent state sales tax — so the rate you were quoted grows by roughly 15 to 16 percent at checkout, before a downtown property adds $20 to $45 a night for parking. Our guide to where to stay in Denver covers the trade-offs in detail.
Building a Day That Works
Three itineraries that hold together, depending on ages.
| Ages | Morning | Afternoon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 8 | Children’s Museum, 9am opening | Confluence Park or Washington Park | Both near the river; bring a change of clothes |
| 6–12 | Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 9am | City Park, then the lake | Book the planetarium slot with admission |
| 12+ | Capitol tour, free, on the hour | Denver Art Museum (free for them) then RiNo murals | All walkable; no bookings needed except the zoo |
The pattern that works in Denver is paid morning, free afternoon. Attractions open at nine, children are at their best early, and the afternoon thunderstorm in summer arrives between two and six. Front-load the day, keep the afternoon flexible and outdoors, and stop earlier than you think you should. Our Denver itinerary guide sets out longer plans on the same principle.
What to Skip With Children
The Denver Mint. The free tour is genuinely interesting, but it is Monday to Thursday only, age 7 and up, airport-grade security with no bags and no storage, and booked solely through the U.S. Mint’s own online system up to 30 days ahead with tickets released at 1am Denver time. For a family with a younger sibling in tow it is a logistical problem rather than an outing.
A CityPASS bought on instinct. At $54 adult and $44 child for three of eight attractions over seven days, it pays back on the expensive combinations only. For children it is worse than it looks: the Denver Art Museum and History Colorado are already free for under-18s, so a child’s pass spent on either wastes a slot, and Wings Over the Rockies — another of the eight options — is free for everyone. Do the arithmetic against the three you will actually use.
Rocky Mountain National Park as a day trip on a short visit. It needs a timed-entry permit in season, it is a long drive each way, and doing it badly with tired children in a car is worse than not doing it. Our guide to day trips from Denver is honest about which ones deserve their own trip.
Cramming two paid attractions into one day. The altitude, the walking and the early starts mean a family here runs out of energy sooner than at sea level. One attraction and a park beats two attractions and an argument.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Denver a good city for kids?
Yes, and unusually so for the price. Two of the city’s best museums are free for under-18s, all public transport is free for anyone 19 and under, the nature museum and the zoo are both genuinely excellent, and the park system is large, free and central. A family day here costs less than in most comparable American cities.
What is the best museum in Denver for children?
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science, for ages roughly four to fourteen — dinosaurs, wildlife dioramas, space and minerals, in a building big enough for a full day. For under-eights, the Children’s Museum of Denver is better still. For teenagers, the History Colorado Center is more engaging than its name suggests and is free for them.
Do children pay for public transport in Denver?
No. Anyone 19 and under rides free on every RTD service, including the A Line to and from Denver International Airport. Adult fares are $2.75 for three hours, $5.50 for a day pass and $10 for the Airport Day Pass, checked September 2026.
Do you need to book the Denver Zoo in advance?
Yes. An online timed reservation is required, tickets are released ten days ahead and they are non-refundable. This is the most common planning mistake visiting families make here. Adult admission is $27, ages 3 to 15 are $19, and parking is free.
Is Meow Wolf suitable for young children?
From about eight upward, yes, enthusiastically. Below about six it can be overwhelming — dark, loud and disorienting. The venue is an IBCCES-certified autism center with sensory kits and quiet zones, and it does not permit strollers or bags over 8 by 8 inches.
Is Elitch Gardens still open?
Yes. It opened its 2026 season on 18 April, its 136th year, and the operator described it as its longest season yet. The River Mile redevelopment covering the site has generated years of closure speculation, but no closure date or relocation site has been announced. Day tickets were $44.99 online when we checked.
How does the altitude affect children in Denver?
Mostly through dehydration and tiredness rather than anything dramatic. At 5,280 feet the air is thin and dry, so children need roughly twice their usual water, tire earlier for the first couple of days, and burn faster in the sun. Plan a short first day. Anything medical is a question for your own doctor.
What is there to do in Denver with kids when it rains?
Denver rain is usually a summer afternoon thunderstorm lasting an hour or two rather than a washed-out day. The indoor options are the nature museum, the Children’s Museum, the Downtown Aquarium, Meow Wolf and the free Wings Over the Rockies hangar. Our guide to the best time to visit Denver explains the afternoon storm pattern and how to plan around it.
Is Casa Bonita worth it with children?
For the spectacle, yes — the cliff divers and the waterfall are memorable and children talk about it afterward. For the food and the price, less so: premium seating runs about $44.99 a person plus entrées, with an automatic 15 percent service charge, and it is reservation-only with no walk-ins. Go for the show, not the meal.
Family costs here are lower than they look once the free travel for under-20s and the free museum admission for under-18s are counted, but there are still ways to overspend — a CityPASS bought on instinct being the most common. Our guide to Denver on a budget works through the numbers, including the hotel tax that adds roughly 15 to 16 percent to any quoted rate.
Families can fill a surprising number of days here without paying a single admission. Our guide to free things to do in Denver lists the free museum entry for under-18s, the always-free aircraft museum, the dinosaur tracks at Dinosaur Ridge and the bison refuge northeast of the city.
The zoo is the one family attraction here that needs real planning: tickets are sold online only, for a timed entry, and go on sale just ten days ahead. Our Denver Zoo visitor guide covers the booking rule, the best time to arrive, which habitats to prioritize with young children, stroller and wheelchair rentals, and how to pair the zoo with the nature and science museum across City Park.
Related Denver Guides
- Things to Do in Denver — the full attractions guide with prices and honest verdicts.
- Denver Museums — which are worth your day and your money, including the free-for-under-18s rules.
- Denver Itinerary — one to five days, paced for the altitude.
- Getting Around Denver — RTD fares, free travel for under-20s and the airport train.
- Best Time to Visit Denver — the months that suit a family trip and the ones that do not.
- Day Trips from Denver — which work with children in the car and which do not.
- Where to Stay in Denver — the neighborhoods that work for families, and what parking costs.
- Best Hikes Near Denver — short foothills loops that work for shorter legs.
Photo Credits
Giraffe sculptures at the entrance to the Denver Zoo: photo by Quincy Hansen / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus: photo by ZoeO / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Admission prices, timed-ticket rules, RTD fares and opening hours were checked against the operators’ own sites in September 2026 and change without notice.
Denver Tourism Guide is an independent publication. We are not affiliated with VISIT DENVER, the City and County of Denver or any attraction listed here.