How To Spend The Weekend In Denver With Kids

things to do in denver with kids

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When you find a really cheap ticket, you don’t think twice about who you know there, or what you are going to do when you get there. You buy it immediately and then figure out the logistics later. This may not work for everyone, but it definitely works for our family.

Our family loves to travel, and we also love to do so without breaking the bank. Sometimes we may not have any plans of going to a certain place, but a cheap ticket is enough motivation for us to go and explore.

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Spending The Weekend In Denver With Kids

Flying To Denver

Frontier Airlines had a sale last week (may still be going on now) for $20 one way, to and from several cities. I immediately went to their website and was excited to find one from Los Angeles, CA to Denver, CO. I immediately sent my husband a message with the screenshot below and said, “Denver next week?” He responded with “Why not?” As you can see, the round trip ticket price person actually came up to $38.20.

Pro Tip: Skyscanner is my favorite website to shop for tickets. Make sure you download the free Skyscanner App too.

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When you think about how you spend eating out (especially those who eat out for lunch everyday), this is almost nothing. This was a no-brainer for us and tickets were immediately bought. Frontier is considered a budget airline. This mean that they charge a fee to choose seats, check in a bag, take a carry on bag, as well as meals/snacks on the plane. This is where packing light comes in very handy, eating before you board or buying snacks and taking on the plane with you come in handy. We also did not choose any seats, so our seats were assigned at the gate. If you get to the gate early and tell them you as travelling as a family, they will do everything to keep you seated close to each other.

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I flew into Denver from Salt Lake City, and my husband, sister and Aiden flew in from Los Angeles.

Renting A Car In Denver, Colorado

My flight arrived before everyone else’s, so I made my way to National Car Rental, picked up a rental, and then drove to arrivals and picked them up. The timing worked out perfect. I checked the weather before going to Denver so I knew it was going to be hot; 80 degrees to be exact. I thought this was surprising for October in Denver, so I took this opportunity to pick a rental car that I knew we would all enjoy (2016 Ford Mustang Convertible).

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The evening we arrived in Denver, we had dinner at African Grill and Bar. We actually ordered our food to go so we could relax and eat the hotel. The owners are just amazing, and had all our food ready for us in no time. We all enjoyed our meal.

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Where To Stay In Denver With Kids

We stayed at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Denver. We have lots of points with Hilton, and the Doubletree is our favorite brand, so that’s where we usually stay. They offer warm chocolate chip cookies at check-in and they are delicious.

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Day 1 In Denver

We slept in and missed breakfast at the hotel, so we took the advantage to find a place that served brunch. Yelp is always my go to, and I found Four Friends Kitchen.

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Beignets and Coffee

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Yummy 

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What To Do In Denver With Kids

After brunch, we drove to Red Rocks Park & Amphitheater. It was a nice scenic drive up there. We parked and explored.

going up hill

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First rock at the entrance after parking

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entrance to Red Rocks Parks & Amphitheater

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who doesn’t love a jumping pic

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view from the top & kisses for Mom

Red Rocks Park & Amphitheater is a great place to workout. We ran into a lot of workout groups as well as people who were working out solo.  There were working up a sweat. My number one recommendation, dress appropriately! Workout gear is the best, especially if you want to go all the way down the stairs and back up. This will allow you get a better view as well as explore better. I didn’t know about this prior to our visit there and did not have on the right shoes so we only went down half way.

view from halfway down the stairs

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view of the amphitheater seating from the bottom

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When it got dark, we left Red Rocks. We looked and looked but just couldn’t find a place that had something each of us would enjoy We finally decided on Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs.

none of us was brave enough to try the rattlesnake dog, lol

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alaskan reindeer, wild boar, all beef and southwest buffalo

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After dinner, we took a short walk around the restaurant. Aiden loves taking walks. We noticed lots of street art. It was dark so I wasn’t able to get a good photo.

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Other Places To Stay In Denver With Kids

After dinner, we drove back to our hotel. We had some issues with the management there so we decided to check out and check in to the Curtis, a Doubletree by Hilton Hotel. The management at this hotel was much better. It was also much nicer and in downtown Denver. The only thing is, they don’t offer free Hilton Honors breakfast and parking is $36. Very understandable based on it’s location; close to the train station, Colorado convention center, night life etc.

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mom, it’s a globe

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lobby

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Day 2 In Denver

We woke earlier the next morning because we had lots to do. For breakfast we ate at the highly rated Snooze an A.M. Eatery located downtown Denver, just a few minutes from our hotel. There was a 30 minute wait, and the hostess informed us that she will text us when our table was ready. We took this opportunity to walk around the block. Aiden saw street art, ran to it and asked me to take a photo of him.

people waiting to be seated, photo taken from across the street

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best way to wait

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look mom, it’s street art

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hazelnut latte (30 minutes later)

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Aiden was in a hurry to finish his breakfast. He knows that any trip we take isn’t complete without a trip to the children’s museum. We visited the Denver Children’s Museum. It was smaller than the other museum’s we’ve been to, however it did have an outdoor play area as well. They had a trick or Treat/Costume dress Up event on the day we visited and Aiden was ready in his astronaut costume.

3, 2, 1 blast OFF

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There were several booths set up inside and outside the museum for the kids to trick or treat. He got a toothbrush and toothpaste at this boot which was nice. I don’t allow him to have candy, so it was nice to know that he wasn’t getting any of it. Now that he’s getting older, I am sure he would have asked to try it. He got yogurt, string cheese, toys, stickers etc from the booths. It was great! 


trick or treat

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fire fighting astronaut

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After a fun afternoon at the children’s museum, we made the 1 hour 50 minute drive to Rocky Mountain National Park. We got there about 5pm, which wasn’t great as it was already getting dark. The drive there was scenic and amazing. We stopped at Estes Lake on our way there. We also saw a few animals along the way which we all thought was awesome. When we got to Rocky Mountain, we drove straight to Bear Lake and did a short family friendly hike.

My suggestions if we have to do it again –

  • Get to Rocky Mountain National Park early in the day.
  • Rent a cabin or stay the night in Estes Park (closest city to Rocky Mountain)
  • Find more trails to hike
  • Enjoy the outdoors, maybe even camp

scenic drive

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elk on the loose

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funniest photo of the day

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aiden got cold and asked for my scarf (remember to dress warm due to the elevation)

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rocky mountain national park

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finally, Bear Lake

the simple joys of completing a short hike and making it to the lake

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Bear Lake

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he strongly believes his hiking shoes helped him make it to the top of that rock (it did though)

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After Bear Lake, we drove to Estes Park to find dinner. It was cold, and so the best option was Thai. We ate at Cafe De Pho Thai. My sister and I ordered Pho, my husband had Curry Soup & white rice, and Aiden ate plain white rice. The food was great and so was the service.

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After diner, we drove back to our hotel and still had energy (not sure how, lol) so we took a walk downtown to the famous Denver Big Blue Bear at the Colorado Convention Center. It was only a few minutes away. Great way to catch some fresh air and get a feel of downtown in the evening.

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We all went straight to bed that night, we were exhausted. We woke up in the morning and made it on time for our 6.30am flight which was awesome. We got breakfast from Mod Market before boarding. Aiden ate and then slept the entire flight. It was a smooth flight.

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Making it to our flight on time means we also made it home on time for Aiden’s soccer game and for him to play with his trains !! Those two things are equally as important to him as travelling is.

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Click HERE or See Below to watch the highlights of our Denver trip.

Booking Your Trip – Tips & Tricks

How To Book Cheap Flights

Looking to book the cheapest flights you can possibly find on the internet, then make sure to use Skyscanner when searching for flights. Don’t forget to download the Skyscanner App also which is very handy. Both the Skyscanner website and Skyscanner App are my favorite booking tools. This is how I was able to get $12.40 airfare from Los Angeles to London, as well as $9.40 airfare from London to Italy.

How To Book Affordable Accommodation

When booking accommodation, TripAdvisor is the way to go. I love TripAdvisor because you can read reviews and see photos from other travelers to get a feel of where you will be staying. TripAdvisor will also route to you the cheapest vendor to book from such as Booking. Don’t forget to check Airbnb for house rentals.

How To Book Activities

My favorite website to search for activities, tours and especially skip the line tickets is Viator. This makes trip planning so much easier because you don’t have to search several sites, Viator has several options to choose from.

Why Travel Insurance Is a Must

People book trip and forget the most important part, purchasing travel insurance. Because we travel often, I purchase our travel insurance place through Allianz for a year at a time. This means that we are covered for all trips within that year. Travel insurance will protect you and your family against theft, injury illness, flight cancellations and so much more.

Looking to save even more money when you travel?

Visit my Travel Resources page to see all the reliable and trustworthy brands that I use to book my travel with. I only recommend brands that I’ve used and can vouch for, so you’re in good hands! ? Also check out these posts below:

Top Travel With Kids Tips

Traveling with kids and have a few questions you need answers too, these posts below will help your trip run smooth.

Kay, The Mom Trotter

Hey Fam, I’m so glad you’re here!
I am an entrepreneur and travel enthusiast who is passionate about sharing an alternate way of living surrounding travel, homeschooling, parenting and financial independence, with a mission to inspire other families.

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