Denver with Toddlers

Although we live just an hour away from Denver we decided to get a hotel and really enjoy the city. We knew we would have a lot of fun, but we didn't know we would find a bunch of lovely, eclectic neighborhoods.

Remember we have a 13 month old, so these activities were geared at enjoying the city with our little one. Don't worry though we found plenty of family friendly breweries. 

We armed ourselves with both a stroller and an Ergo Carrier and a bag with sunscreen, hard and plenty of snacks. 

The great part about traveling in Denver is that attractions are grouped together making transitioning between activities easy. 

The Denver Children's Museum is one of our favorite places. Our little guy loves it there and they have great activities for little ones. We can usually expect to spend two hours here (we have a membership so we don't try to do everything every time). Even if your not a member the fees are reasonable, they offer a military discount and they offer free evening admission monthly. 

The museum opens at 9am most days (later on weekends) and arriving as it opens will give you an hour of the museum to yourself. If you have a really little one, like us, head upstairs first to enjoy the older kid exhibits before they get crowded and then seek refuge in the toddler area as older kids arrive. The playground here is also wonderful - so if the weather is nice plan to play outside too. No need to bring your stroller into the museum, there is not much room for them so leave it in your car.

They are in the midst of a huge renovation so check online to see what is open and what is currently being reconstructed. I can't wait to see this place after the expansion! 

Once your done at the museum,grab the stroller or carrier and walk (or drive) toward the aquarium down Water Street. (We have yet to check out the Aquarium so we don't have any recommendations.) 

As you pass under the bridge and come around the corner you will find the REI Denver Flagship Store. It is built into the old powerhouse and is beautiful! (They have a parking lot for customers.) Head inside and enjoy all the outdoor supplies. On the third floor the children's section has a small play area your kids will love. 

Once your done at REI (or in our case, the store closes), continue down water street down the side of the REI. (You will need to move your car to street parking.) The street turns into a cute little area of town with places to eat and drink. 

Walk a few blocks and on the left there is a pedestrian bridge over I-25. If you walk straight up the street you will find a park on your right and Little Man Ice Cream on your left (in the building shaped like a milk can). Delicious. Grab some ice cream and head to the park.

If your looking to grab a sandwich, the Sangra La is right around the corner. This hole in the wall has a few seats inside and a nice patio with a few tables. There sandwiches are made on fresh baguette and are to die for . Seriously, a diamond in the rough.

On the other side of town, you will find the Denver Zoo, Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the botanical gardens. All of these are wonderful toddler options. 

The Denver Museum of Science just opened a kids "discovery zone" that our little one likes. Honestly though, he just loves exploring all the animal dioramas They are pretty incredible and for our animal loving toddler they hit all the highlights. 

If you head to the Denver Botanical Gardens, don't forget a swimsuit for the little ones. The children's garden has a stream designed for children to play in - and boy do the kiddos love it. Even before he could walk our little one loved sitting in that cold water and then running through the sand. 

If your looking for somewhere to eat in the area there are a ton if good options. Voodoo Doughnuts opened their first store outside of Oregon not to far away. There is no place to eat in the store but grab a few and find a place in the park to enjoy them. Another favorite is this cool building that is home to both a pizza place and the Denver Biscut Company. We have ordered from both menu's and have not been disappointed. 

Another option is just a little farther out of town and is the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. The key here is to stop into the visitors center and check out the "kids backpack" with activities for the little ones to do on hikes. You can drive around and see the wild bison herd or take one of the many level hikes. 

We are always still expiring the area and love to hear more Denver attractions we should try! 

Broadmore Brunch & Academy Tour

The Broadmore

My mom had a huge birthday while she was here with us and we wanted to celebrate in style. We are not usually brunch people, but we have heard so many amazing things about the Broadmore, we had to check it out. (Plus mom was staying there for a conference, so we wanted to take full advantage of the property.)

Broadmore Brunch

Let me just get this out there... the brunch is AMAZING! Its not just a pile of easy carbohydrates, although they have those too. There was every type of food imaginable. I had a delectable omelet, a salad and some amazing deserts. There was something for everyone - lamb, salmon, crepes. The staff was great and the place was amazingly family friendly. Everyone was happy to entertain H, find a place for him or whatever we needed.

We took some time after brunch to walk around the lake behind the Broadmore. The afternoon was beautiful, so everyone was out and about. There are paddle boats for the lake, an outdoor pool with water slide, and plenty of outdoor seating. (Later in the week, we joined Mom for a swim in the indoor pool, since H loves to swim!)

 After brunch at the Broadmore, we braved the parents' weekend crowd and took my parents for a tour at the Academy. I love showing people around this beautiful place.  The visitors center and chapel are open to everyone, even without a military ID, so if you're in the area, you should check it out. Here are a few pictures to highlight our tour. 

Academy Chapel from Terrazzo

Inside Academy Dining Hall

Pikes Peak by Cog Railway

One of my favorite things about moving is exploring our new home town. My parents came into town for the long weekend, so we took full advantage by knocking a few things off our Colorado Springs to do list. (Plus the extra set of hands means we can try things with H we may not want to do on our own.)

Pikes Peak was at the top of our to do list. We needed to head up to the top before the first snow or the outing would have to be rescheduled for next spring. You can hike, drive, or ride up to the top of Pikes Peak. We hope to do all three while we are here, but figured the Cog Railway was a good one to start with.

The Cog Railway leaves out of Manitou Springs, an adorable little town. We spent part of the day walking through town doing some window shopping. Jeff tried water out of all the drinking springs - and reported that they all tasted a little "off." We didn't try any of the restaurants in Manitou but I sure made a list of places to try in the future. We also happened to be there the weekend of the Commonwheel Artist Festival. We stopped by to check everything out. Although we didn't purchase anything (except a few children's books from the library tent) we enjoyed the music, activities and wide variety of art. It was a perfect fall day, so any excuse to be outside a little longer....

Anyway, back to Pikes Peak. You will need reservations for the Cog Railway in advance. (They were sold out for all trains this weekend except the early morning one.) There is reserved parking, which is hard to find in Manitou, so cruise on up the hill to the parking lot (which also happens to be the start of the Manitou Incline.) Once you check in and get your tickets there is a short introductory video you can watch before boarding your car and heading up the mountain. The trip is 3 hours round trip, with about 30 min at the top and is narrated on the way up. The scenery is beautiful, so although the ride is long, you won't be bored.

We packed a lunch to bring to the top. We found seats inside and enjoyed lunch plus a Pikes Peak Donut. It was freezing at the top so we were glad to be bundled up and lucky to find a seat inside. Make sure to print a coupon for a free donut for everyone in your group - not only will this save you a few bucks, they let us skip the checkout line and just hand over our coupons. The views from the top are amazing, although we were all feeling a bit lightheaded and out of breath.

I'm going to have to work on acclimating a bit more before our next trip!

Denver Airport: Concourse C with a Baby

H enjoys room to crawl around before the flight.

I'm always looking for good places for H and I to hang out at the airport. I had a little extra time on my way to Detroit today and found the best place. Once you get off the train in Concourse C, take the escalators up...all the way up. There is an empty level with some seating and no people. It is the perfect spot for some quiet nursing or to spread a blanket and let H crawl around a bit before the flight.

View from the Concourse C Second Floor.

Note: There is a great USO on Concourse A.

Also on this trip, I checked both the stroller and car seat before heading to the gate. We will see how everything fairs, but it has made getting around on my own much easier and we breezed through security. (Thank you Ergo!)