So let’s just pretend that you don’t have malls, movies, and football to fall back on for entertaining your houseguests over Thanksgiving weekend. What would you do with an eye-rolling teen, a flock of bored tots or a couple of tech-adverse grandparents?
Here are our suggestions to match your guests with local family fun.
Guest: Antsy, screaming littles that need to blow off steam
Match: Drive straight to the Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus.
Points: Kids can run, jump, push buttons (the ones on exhibits, not mom’s), and paint on the windows. If you haven’t been since the expansion, you are in for a treat with the Water and Energy exhibits, the climbing tower, and hands-on creativity in the Art Studio.
Bonus: Parking is free—an anomaly for any downtown destination—and if it’s a nice day, the kids can zip line in CMD’s backyard Joy Park.
Guest: OMG, a squad of bored, angsty teenagers
Match: Head to the Denver Art Museum for the Star Wars and the Power of Costume exhibition.
Points: Impress the unimpressable with a selfie-worthy glimpse of more than 70 original costumes from all seven Star Wars films. Visit the museum gift shop to get creative ideas for the teens on your gift list.
Bonus: Tickets for the exhibition are only $5 for youth ages six to 18, and free for children age five and under.
Guests: Grandparents eager to share an experience with grandkids
Match: Visit the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
Points: It’s no exaggeration when people say there is something for everyone at this Denver classic. People of all ages can lose track of time in the exhibits spanning prehistory to modern space travel. Otherwise disconnected grandparents and grandkids will have plenty to talk about.
Bonus: Include an IMAX or planetarium show for a chance to rest tired feet.
Guest: A house full of stuffed relatives in a festive holiday mood
Match: Bundle up and stroll Denver’s many downtown areas.
Points: Walk off the pie and inspire the holiday spirit by watching Downtown Denver flip the switch on lights from Union Station all the way to the City and County Building during Grand Illumination on November 25. Or go quaint with candles and caroling, as Santa rides his sleigh down Main Street in Historic Downtown Littleton on November 25 and magically lights all the trees he passes.
Bonus: Holiday music, cocoa, shopping, and a chance to wrap your arms around people you love as you stroll in the crisp Colorado air.
