It’s a summer like no other. With concerts, festivals, sports games and lots more off the table during the COVID-19 pandemic, kids and families might be going a bit stir-crazy. Here’s a look at …
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It’s a summer like no other. With concerts, festivals, sports games and lots more off the table during the COVID-19 pandemic, kids and families might be going a bit stir-crazy.
Here’s a look at five places to take the kids this year.
Step back in time and let the city melt away at Littleton’s living history museum. Spread over 40 acres beside Ketring Lake, the museum grounds feature two working 19th-century style farms.
The homestead buildings are not open, and neither is the museum’s main building — meaning the nearest air conditioning will likely be in your car. But the museum grounds make for a pleasant stroll, and gargantuan cottonwoods offer shady groves perfect for kicking back with a book. Kids will dig the resident livestock — a flock of baby lambs cavorts in one pasture, a pair of oxen lumber in another.
Admission is free, but donations are greatly appreciated. Guests are encouraged to wear masks.
Current hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.
Location: 6028 S. Gallup St., Littleton
Contact: 303-795-3950 or search “Littleton Museum” on littletongov.org.
Kids can blow off some steam at the Colorado Railroad Museum, featuring a 15-acre railyard stocked with dozens of relics of Western railroad heritage. Some locomotives and railcars are open for exploring. The museum basement features one of the best model railroad layouts on the Front Range.
The museum is still offering train rides around the museum grounds, though tickets are limited to maintain social distancing, and ordering online ahead of time is recommended. The Galloping Goose, a quirky passenger vehicle built in the 1930s and typically used for rides, is mothballed for now, in place of open-air cars. Train rides run Thursdays through Sundays through the end of August.
Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $5 for kids, with kids under 2 free. Because the museum is operating at reduced capacity, reserving admission online is recommended. Face masks are required for all guests 2 and older.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Mondays.
Location: 17155 W. 44th Avenue, Golden
Contact: 303-279-4591 or coloradorailroadmuseum.org
One of Colorado’s finest mini-golf parks, Adventure Golf features three epic 18-hole courses, with challenging holes, elaborate scenery, and goofy special effects, including an erupting volcano. The whole shebang is beneath a canopy of shade trees.
There are a few restrictions: groups are limited to four people, and face masks are required.
The park’s other attractions, including go-karts, a ropes course and bumper cars, are still closed. The concession stand currently sells only prepackaged food.
Adventure Golf is open from noon to 9 p.m. every day in July, with hours changing in August.
Prices vary, but start at $8.25 for adults and $6.95 for kids and seniors.
Location: 9650 Sheridan Blvd., Westminster
Contact: 303-650-7587 or adventuregolfandraceway.com.
Water World in Federal Heights is closed this summer, but Englewood’s Pirates Cove makes a decent substitute. Featuring two king-size slides, a lazy river, an epic kids’ funhouse and a classic lap pool with a diving board, the park should leave the kids pretty worn out.
Reservations are required, and admission is in two-hour blocks. Groups of up to eight are allowed. Outside food and drinks are not permitted. Reservations can be made 72 hours in advance by Englewood residents, or 48 hours in advance by non-residents. Face masks are required for entry.
Prices vary, but non-resident adults are $15 and non-resident kids are $14.
Location: 1225 W. Belleview Ave., Englewood
Contact: 303-762-2683 or piratescovecolorado.com.
It took a bit, but Boondocks’ two Colorado locations, in Northglenn and Parker, are scheduled to reopen on July 8. The family fun emporiums feature bowling, laser tag, mini-golf, go-karts and bumper boats. The Northglenn location features a ropes course, and Parker’s features an immersive, virtual reality-like “dark ride.”
Reservations are recommended. The parks are offering three-hour “unlimited fun passes” that offer access to all attractions. Face masks are strongly encouraged.
Admission varies, but weekday unlimited passes are $20 per person, and $25 on the weekends. Hours vary, but the parks are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Locations: Parker’s Boondocks is at 18706 Cottonwood Drive, and Northglenn’s is at 11425 Community Center Drive.
Contact: Parker’s location is 720-842-1100 or parker.boondocks.com. Northglenn’s is 720-977-8000 or northglenn.boondocks.com.
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