Are you visiting Denver, Colorado with your toddler for the first time? Not sure what best kid-friendly attractions you should visit with your toddler? If you want to make your time truly valuable, look out for our suggestions below that are not only fun for toddlers, but also great for building STEM interest and skills.
Children’s Museum of Denver- STEM FUn FOR TODDLERS
Also known as the Children’s Museum, Denver Marsico Campus, this museum is a must-visit for toddlers. It is full of STEM-related hands-on interactive play areas and daily activities. We have been to many museums and this one has a ton of STEM stuff for young toddlers to get ‘down and dirty’ in.
First Floor STEM-related & non-STEM Fun Activities
On the first floor, the ‘regular exhibits’ for free play include:
Water- Learn about our urban water system, summon up a rainstorm and create a geyser.
Joy Park: An Outdoor Adventure- Get all your toddler’s excess energy out in this gated park with rivers, dunes, forts and canyons.
Village of Healthy Smiles- Use this to teach your toddler about the importance of dental health and brushing (we need this!). Created for newborns to age 3.
Center For The Young Child- Created for newborns to age 3, come here to avoid the bigger kids and let your toddler crawl and climb on structures.
Fire Station No. 1- Climb into the seat of a retired Denver Fire Department truck.
Altitude- A 3.5 story climber with Colorado icons for older kids.
SECOND Floor STEM-related & non-STEM Fun Activities
On the second floor, the ‘regular’ exhibits and play area include:
Kinetics!- A huge marble run using balls. Great place to teach about the Laws of Motion. Once the overhead pit of balls fills up, it tips over. Make sure you stay around for it- your toddler will love it!
Energy- Race to power up overhead helicopters, fold and launch paper planes, pretend to be a buttlerfly or superhero and learn about fuel.
Assembly Plant- Use real tools including clamps and saws to create something new using recycled materials.
Bubbles- Create massive gigantic bubbles in creative ways.
Art Studio- Let your toddler create arts & crafts, paint on an easel, the wall or life-sized structures, and do some clay-modelling. Word of warning- be prepared to get dirty and do NOT wear white!
The Teaching Kitchen- One of the most popular exhibits here. It is so popular that spaces run out immediately after the museum opens in the morning. Be sure to head here FIRST when you arrive to sign up for the day’s cooking classes. Kids get to use plastic knives and eat their creations.
Don’t forget that the museum also has daily, supervised activities that your toddler will enjoy in addition to the ‘regular’ exhibits. Times are on their website:
- Clay & Glazing Studio class
- Joy Park Adventures
- Storytime
We loved it so much that we came back twice during our one week visit to Denver and if we lived in the area, we would have signed up for an annual membership!
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
This Zoo is situated in Colorado Springs, which within driving distance of Denver, Colorado. This Zoo came highly-recommended to us and it has been named the 6th best zoo in the US for its hands-on experiences. Let your toddler gain a new fascination for zoology, animal science and conservation as they interact with the animals.
Your toddler will get to feed real animals including:
- Giraffes (they boast the largest herd of giraffes)
- Goats
- Rabbits
- Chickens.
There is also The Loft where your toddler will get another chance to touch animals and learn about Zoo careers.
Other animals that your toddler will enjoy observing include:
- Meerkats
- Elephants
- Monkeys
- Tigers
- Grizzly bears (there is a tank filled with fish where you can watch the grizzly playing in the water)
- All sorts of reptiles including weird-looking lizards and a python.
You can climb up a tower that offers amazing views of the towns around you for miles or there is also a chair lift that you can take (this does require a fee in addition to the zoo entrance fee).
Garden of The Gods
One of the must-sees if you are visiting Denver, Colorado are the rock formations. The Garden of the Gods rock formations are made of sandstone and is a registered National Natural Landmark. It is within driving distance of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo which is why we recommend that you check this out together with the Zoo above.
Although not hands-on like the other suggestions on our list, your toddler will still be amazed at the natural wonder. The rocks are so unique that your toddler can use their imagination to create a whole new world. Use this trip as an opportunity to talk about how rocks are formed through time and the importance of preservation.
There are also deer that you can look out for as well as many types of birds.
Other STEM Places to Visit for Toddlers
These other places below are worth mentioning in case you want to visit more spots or want other alternatives to check out. We personally weren’t able to check them out ourselves because they were closed, less toddler-friendly or due to a lack of time but they sounded interesting enough to make our list:
Wow! Children’s Museum in Lafayette
These other activities are in Colorado Springs itself (which is where the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is situated):
