TOP 10 THINGS TO DO WITH KIDS

The Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum, home to one of the state’s two Goodwill moon rocks collected during the Apollo 17 mission, was started in 1874 and displays mineral, fossil, gemstone, meteorite and historic mining artifact exhibits on two floors. The museum serves as the state repository for Colorado’s mineral heritage and promotes its importance and understanding to the university community and the public. It aims to inspire scientific curiosity through education and research while encouraging appreciation of the earth and responsibility for its mineral, fossil, meteorite and historic mining treasures.

Lose track of time year-round at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, CO. At their Depot Museum and 15-acre railyard, guests will find over 100 engines, cabooses, coaches, a garden railway, and their renowned library. Their roundhouse restoration facility with working turntable is a popular place. Special events and train rides behind a vintage steam locomotive throughout the year. Special events include the annual, very popular, Day out With Thomas! Train rides each Saturday.

The Clear Creek Whitewater Kayaking Park is one of Golden’s most unique recreational attractions. Built for recreational canoeing and kayaking, the course is one quarter of a mile of adventurous, splashing fun! This innovative recreational experience is divided into sections. The top is a series of drops and pools of different experience levels and has some fast eddies. The middle portion consists of flat, broad, shallow surf waves with huge random boulders–a prime workplace for gates. The bottom section entertains paddlers with more extreme surf and wave drops. The class of this course will require paddlers proficient on fast moving, cold water, particularly during high flow season. There are no fees for drop-in usage and the course is unsupervised. The course at the Clear Creek Whitewater Kayaking Park has hosted various events including the Colorado School of Mines Spring Icebreaker, The Clear Creek Whitewater Festival, The Open Canoe Championships, The Junior Olympic Championships, and the Eddie Bauer Invitational to name a few. There are also reported sightings of the U.S. Olympic Kayak Team practicing at the course! The Golden Parks and Recreation Department also offers lessons at the indoor pool for those that would like to safely learn this unique water sport.

The Golden History Park is a three-acre outdoor learning lab with historic and reproduction buildings that replicate a 19th-century mountain homestead. Golden History Museum, in celebration of its forthcoming 80th anniversary in 2018, is embarking on a full renovation of the museum’s public spaces. The initiative called Discovery Awaits will transform the museum into a warm, welcoming, and vibrant public space for uncovering and sharing our past. The renovation includes new programming spaces, a research center, a hands-on gallery for families with young children, and dynamic new exhibits that highlight the City’s collection of historic objects. With the vision of “always something new to discover,” the renovated Golden History Museum brings the behind-the-scenes practices of object discovery and preservation to the front of the house. Beginning December 31, 2017, the Golden History Museum will close temporarily to the public during construction and installation. Golden History Museum anticipates reopening in early summer of 2018. During this period, GHM will continue to offer public programs at alternate locations around Golden. For more information about Discovery Awaits and museum programming, visit our events page.

The Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave, a facility owned and operated by the City and County of Denver, exists to preserve the memory of William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody. To this end it maintains the Cody gravesite and related structures on Lookout Mountain Park; collects, cares for and interprets artifacts associated with "Buffalo Bill" Cody's life and times between 1846 and 1917; and records Cody's ongoing influence on American culture. The museum overlooks beautiful Golden, Colorado.

The Splash at Fossil Trace, open daily from 10:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., is Golden’s largest and only water park located in Jefferson County just 15 minutes from Denver. The Splash water park includes two large body and tube water slides, a beach-like sand area, lap pool with diving board, and a bustling leisure pool complete with play structure, small water slides, spray fountains, and a 500 gallon dump-bucket. The shaded structures with lounge chairs and picnic tables surrounding the pool area are perfect for spending the day in the sun or birthday parties. SPLASH has three birthday party packages to choose from. There are rest break/adult swim daily at 10 minutes to the hour for both the lap pool and leisure pool. The Splash at Fossil Trace is owned and operated by the City of Golden Parks & Recreation Department.

Triceratops Trail is a 1.5-mile gravel hiking trail that winds between large, vertical walls of sandstone and into reclaimed clay pits. Along the trail are several stops highlighting clay mining as well as dinosaur, bird, mammal, insect, and invertebrate tracks and traces. There are also several walls full of plant impressions from the tree-lined, delta-like environment. The trail is maintained by The Friends of Dinosaur Ridge, a non for profit 501C3 organization, that maintains a Visitor Center and two interpretive trails with the help of members, friends, family, donors and many grant-giving organizations. In 2011, the Triceratops Trail was designated by the Secretary of the Interior as a National Natural Landmark, adding to the already designated Dinosaur Ridge area in Morrison. PARKING: Street Parking. Access the trail one block East of 6th Avenue and 19th Street.

Discover the Lookout Mountain Nature Center...where nature's riches abound and where curiosity and exploration are always rewarded. Connect with nature at this 110 acre park. Inside experience exhibits that depict migrating birds and reveal secrets of the ponderosa pine forest. Visit the Discovery Corner and Observation Room. Outside stroll trails winding through forest and meadow, picnic beneath towering pine trees or join a naturalist-guided program. The offerings of the Nature Center extend to their Preserve. This mountain-top oasis offers gentle hiking trails past ponderosa pines and through meadows, affording panoramic views of the Denver metro area. Their 110 acres provide habitat for black bears, mountain lions, bobcats, mule deer, elk and Abert’s squirrels. Wildflowers abound in warmer months, while peace prevails on snowy winter days. The 1.5 miles of trails are open to hikers, snowshoers and cross country skiers, but are closed to bicyclists, equestrians and those hiking with a dog.

Dinosaur Ridge in Golden, Colorado is a world-renowned geological and paleontological outdoor museum. It contains more than 300 Iguanodon-like dinosaur tracks that were discovered in 1937 when Alameda Parkway was being constructed over the Ridge. You can follow a self-guided trail of the ridge with 16 interpretive signs, or take a guided tour (with reservations only). Dinosaur Discovery Days are the first Saturday of the month, May through October, from 10-2:30 p.m. Please call 303-697-3466 for more information.

Located in historic downtown Golden, Foothills Art Center leads and inspires the community through art, education, and cultural excellence with engaging exhibitions and dynamic arts programming for learners of all ages. Foothills Art Center was founded in 1968 and is an official member of the United States National Registry of Historic Buildings. The center is housed in an 1872 Gothic-style church, an 1892 Queen Anne style manse and a Victorian-era mansion built in 1899 all surrounded by a sculpture garden at 809 15th Street in downtown Golden, Colorado. Gallery hours are Monday - Saturdays: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Sundays: 12:00 - 5:00 p.m. To learn more visit www.foothillsartcenter.org, or call us at 303-279-3922.