It seems we parents have barely finished celebrating school-year’s end alongside our children, before quickly despairing about entertaining them all summer long.
Well, despair not! Here are some metro-area passes you can purchase to keep the kiddos busy on those lazy summer days when you have no plans. I’ve also added a couple that will allow you to get out with adult friends after long days on kid patrol. They’re sure to help you combat summertime boredom while saving some cash along the way.
For the Kids:
Denver CityPASS
Combining eight of the city’s top family-friendly attractions—including the Downtown Aquarium, Denver Zoo, and several museums like the Denver Art Museum—The Denver CityPASS is valid for seven consecutive days and is ideal for families spending a week enjoying Denver’s attractions. For $32 per child or $42 per adult, visitors can select three favorite spots to visit in those seven days. (Pricing includes four- and five-attraction tickets.) No need to pick your choices ahead of time. Simply go online, choose your ticket option, and visit preferred destinations as you go. Instant delivery with convenient mobile or printable options, visitors will save roughly 37 percent on combined-attraction prices.
GetOutPass Colorado
This subscription-based pass boasting some $3,000 in free admissions will set families back $149.95 per child, but it also allows them to visit numerous venues at no additional charge. Featuring an array of destinations along the Front Range, from Fort Collins and Longmont to Colorado Springs, the GetOutPass Colorado partners include Elitch Gardens, Water World, and Lakeside, among others. Whether it’s a one-time admission to Water World ($45 value) or Monarch Mountain ($89 value), a monthly bowling session at several Chipper’s Lanes ($90 value), or a quarterly admission to Dart Warz ($40 value), the pass is sure to pay for itself within just a few visits.
Mile High Culture Pass
For just $32.50, the Mile High Culture Pass offers admission to seven different cultural attractions over three consecutive days. (The pass is activated at the first attraction visited.) With a focus on museums, this pass overlaps some with the Denver CityPASS — both feature the Denver Art Museum and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, for example — but offers additional admission to lesser-known spots like the Molly Brown House Museum and the Clyfford Still Museum. It also provides additional discounts, including 50 percent off the city’s bike-sharing program, Denver B-cycle, and discounted admission to the Butterfly Pavilion.
For the Grownups:
The Passport Program
Founded in 2013 to encourage visitors’ exploration in various cities or regions via two-for-one craft beverages, the seasonal Passport Program in Colorado features pocket-size field guides for five destinations: Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver, Fort Collins, and Rocky Mountains. Buy one for $25 or the whole bundle of passports for $60. Participants must have a passport to participate in specials, and, yes, you do get a stamp!
Crazy Good Craft Passport
Launched in May, Visit Longmont’s Crazy Good Craft Pass is a free passport program offering discounts from partners throughout the city’s thriving craft-beverage scene, including several breweries and distilleries, as well as a cidery and the Brewhop Trolley. From a flight of five-ounce beers for $5 at Grossen Bart Brewery to buy-one-get-one draft cocktails at Longtucky Spirits, the program gives visitors every incentive to visit every one of the 16 participating vendors.
