Fun with Kids in Downtown Denver

When the grand-girls were of a much younger age, we often took advantage of a school holiday or break to have an adventure together in downtown Denver.  It didn’t cost an arm-and-a-leg to spend all day doing a lot of really fun things.  This was usually our plan:

At a nearby park-and-ride, we boarded a city bus that ended up downtown at Union Station.  Kids and grandparents ride either for free or at a reduced rate.  For some reason, riding on the bus was a lot of fun for the girls as evidence by their wide-eyes and constant chatter as we sped down the highway.

Union Station was originally built in 1881 and rebuilt in 1914 after a fire.  The iconic building–whose sign urges us to “Travel by Train”– recently underwent a $500 million renovation that made it a downtown show place.  Even though we weren’t catching a train, it was to fun to become part of the living, breathing energy that buzzes through this great space.

Just outside the train station, we  boarded the free 16^th Street Mall Shuttle.  We could hop off anytime or ride the bus clear to the end of the mall.

One time, we opted to walk the length of the mall and entertain ourselves by doing a scavenger hunt.  Click below for a copy of our list.

DOWNTOWN DENVER SCAVENGER HUNT

Often the girls asked to depart the shuttle at the Federal Reserve Bank’s Money Museum.  They enjoyed the hands-on activities and always came away with a small bag of shredded money, a free souvenir.

Back on the shuttle, we usually rode to the end-of-the line then walked a few blocks to the Denver Art Museum.  Kids under 18 are always free so we would spend several hours doing kid-friendly activities and getting a healthy dose of artistic culture.
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On our walk back to the shuttle bus stop, we often took a detour into the Colorado State Capitol.  The grandeur of this  building was quite inspiring, even for children, as they learned some of the history of our home state.

By now, we are all getting a bit tired and hungry, so we rode the mall shuttle to a restaurant of the girls’ choosing.  Lunch usually involved a hamburger.

Now back to Union Station for that eagerly awaited romp in the outside erupting fountain and an ice cream cone.

On one urban adventure, we walked in the opposite direction towards the South Platte River where we watched kayakers brave the rushing waters at Confluence Park, where Cherry Creek and the South Platte meet. Watching all of the river activities was a good excuse to rest a bit and cool our feet in the river’s water.

Our last stop on this trek was a ride on the Denver Trolley.  Narrated tours on an open-air street car told of Denver’s history and offered a view of the city from the rails.

Alas, I do believe our downtown Denver adventure days have come to an end as the grand-girls are growing up and moving on to other activities.  But what wonderful times we had together on these yearly escapades!