Elitch Gardens
A Kids Dream in Denver
When in Denver
the list of family activities is plentiful but there is a fun and historic
place to go that the kids will be begging to go back to. Elitch
Gardens is located near the Broncos
Stadium in downtown Denver
and offers fun for all ages. It first opened in 1890 as a botanical garden and
zoo and has slowly evolved into the modern day amusement park locals enjoy
today.
What You Need to
Know:
-
It’s $15 to park per day.
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Your ticket purchase covers both the amusement and
water park.
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No outside food or drink is allowed (with the exception
of baby food). They will confiscate it at the entrance.
-
They have metal detectors upon entering so make sure to
leave pocket knives or anything similar at the hotel.
-
Check the online calendar as there are places in the
park where concerts, movies and other performances and festivals are held for
your family to enjoy.
-
They sometimes run a Groupon, so double check before
you go for some extra savings.
-
You can add a Rapid Ride Pass to each ticket purchased so you can
skip the long lines for some of the rides. From what I've read, most people
don't think this is a good deal though.
-
There are a couple of different VIP experiences that
may be well worth your dollar. Some including credits for the carnival games
and other park perks.
Overall, we had a good experience at Elitch Gardens.
The most challenging part was the beginning where there are two lines to wait
in, one to buy your tickets and one to actually get in the park, both of which can
be quite long. We waited about 45 minutes in total so be prepared with little
ones. After going through the metal detectors at the entrance, we walked into
an adorable little scene of shops. They looked like something straight out of a
1930s movie scene, some of the shops selling funnel cake, some selling souvenirs
and some selling hot lunch items. Once we exited that area we came to the fork
in the road, if you will, go straight and you go to the water park, take a left
and you go to the amusement park. I can only speak to the amusement side as we
did not go to the water park…so off we go! I love that the walk to the
amusement park area is done up like an old Americana Main Street. There are charming
little store fronts - places to eat, grab coffee and shop. The atmosphere is
nice as there is music playing to get you hyped and in the mood for some rides!
To the left of the centerpiece Ferris wheel is the Kiddie Land,
an entire area dedicated to the kids. This was a surprisingly large area for a
local amusement park and it was filled with unique rides that I’ve never seen
before for children. Our son’s favorite was the motorcycle merry-go-round. With
each spin the motorcycles you sit on pop up and do some wheelies. They even
have a few thrill rides for the little ones as well as plays on a stage that
are fun and educational. We spent a good 2 hours just enjoying the rides in Kiddie Land.
After we let our little one enjoy himself it was time for us to go out and feel
like kids again! The adult rides are equally fun, although I will say you won’t
see anything too different from any other theme parks. The lines for most rides
were between 10-40 minutes and while we were there, there were more than a couple
of rides down. A couple of which we already waited 20 minutes or so for before
they were closed. At one point, all the roller coasters were shut down due to
some lightening moving in but it was quickly lifted and we were able to hop on
and scream until our hearts were content. I have to say my favorite attraction
(although not necessarily a thrill ride) was the Ghost Blasters ride. A journey
that takes you through a spooky ghost house with a gun attached to your cart
and lets you shoot at little targets pinned onto ghosts and ghouls. Since I
love shooting guns in real life I was overly competitive and totally didn’t
notice my poor son scared out of his mind…thank God daddy was there to comfort the
little man (on the upside, I did score a 1200 which made me an EXPERT ghost
hunter…yay me!!). There are carnival games throughout that are an extra cost
($3-$5 per game), face painting, Henna tattoos and photo booths. In my opinion,
the food is overpriced and poor in quality (we paid $13 for 3 drinks, YIKES!)
and I was disappointed that where we stopped to grab some snacks had no high
chairs for my baby. As we were eating, I noticed several security guards and
armed Denver
police officers walking around and I realized how safe I felt the entire time.
After looking into it, the Elitch
Gardens website makes a
point to say they have worked with Homeland Security and the Denver Police
Department to come up with their firearms policy and create a safe and secure
environment. I also love that they have a dress code within the amusement park
that certain bathing suits are not allowed and cover ups must be worn on the
amusement park side. I felt confident that my son wouldn’t be exposed to
something inappropriate while enjoying himself.
 |
| I love this little town set up |
 |
| The centerpiece Ferris wheel is a must go for everyone |
 |
| A world all to themselves |
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| This was my favorite ride in Kiddie Land! |
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| Mike's Bikes - where ever kid can feel like a bada** for a few minutes |
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| Free plays for everyone to enjoy |
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| I thought I was going to pass out on this ride, talk about a thriller! |
 |
| So many cute carnival games set up through out the adult side of the park |
Taken as a whole, we had a fun and memorable day and at
$36/adult and $32/child (these are ONLINE prices so make sure you buy in
advance) for a day of enjoyment is kind of hard to beat. Our son is already
begging to go back and the next time we are in Denver we just might treat him to a magical
day of fun.
Happy Travels!
