These trip ideas will feed your kiddo’s obsessions and score serious “best parent ever” points with your little one.
Jump to: Trains, Dinosaurs, Castles, Wildlife, Fairies or Old West
Train Rides & Museums
Colorado’s history is rich with locomotive lore and is full of memory-making spots for little engineers. Read on for a sampling, and for more, view our full list of Colorado train attractions.
- Forney Museum of Transportation, Denver: Families love the just-right size of this attraction, yet there is no shortage of antique vehicles — motorcycles, cars, fire engines and trains.
- Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden: A hit with families, this museum is full of unique, historical train cars, models and a working turntable. Train rides are offered on most Saturdays January through mid-May and in the month of October. In the summer — mid-May through mid-August — rides take place Thursdays through Sundays.
- Colorado Model Railroad Museum, Greeley: Kids and adults alike are fascinated by the miniature world on display. An eye-spy game will have you hunting for hidden figures among the model trains and landscapes, and you'll also find a play area with Thomas the Tank Engine and simulators.
- Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad & Museum: The ultimate interactive experience for train lovers is an actual train ride. The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad travels between Durango and Silverton along the Animas River through a scenic landscape unaccessible by any road and has museums at the end of each line for little conductors to explore.
- Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, Antonito: The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad travels through beautiful southwestern terrain and offers a themed rides throughout the year — ranging from Fourth of July celebrations to geology trains — to keep the youngins enthralled.
Here are more historic and scenic railroads in Colorado offering family thrills that range from zooming across a canyon floor to climbing up a steep mountainside. Find more Colorado train rides for kids
Dinosaurs in Colorado
Your kid clearly rocks (pun intended) and, luckily, there are tons of dinosaur attractions in Colorado, many of which are home to some of science’s landmark dino discoveries.
- Denver Museum of Nature and Science: Explore the Prehistoric Journey exhibit, films, special dino-themed events and rotating exhibits.
- Dinosaur Journey Museum, Fruita: Hands-on experiences and robotic displays bring to life the ancient beasts that once called this area home.
- Dinosaur Ridge, Morrison: Some of today’s best-known dinosaurs were first discovered here. Take daily self-guided and guided tours of excavation sites and exposed fossils, including dinosaur footprints.
- Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, Woodland Park: Life-sized replicas, fossils and a souvenir shop where you can buy locally excavated fossils make this small-town attraction a fun stop.
- Dinosaur National Monument, near Dinosaur: Inside the main visitor center, Dinosaur Quarry, guests can see fossils from the world-famous Carnegie Dinosaur Quarry, where approximately 1,500 dinosaur bones are left in place in a cliff wall. There’s lots more to explore, and the National Park Service even offers a Junior Paleontologist program.
Find more places to see the dinosaurs of Colorado
Castles for Royal Capers
Your kiddos can act out all their favorite Disney scenes at these cool and quirky Colorado castles.
- Glen Eyrie, Colorado Springs, and Cherokee Castle & Ranch, Sedalia: Both locales offer a fancy teatime service to delight little princesses.
- Miramont Castle Museum, Manitou Springs: An air of mystery surrounds this mansion, with period recreations on display and a scavenger hunt to guide kids through the building.
- Denver Art Museum; The north wing is a modern architect’s take on a castle, which might intrigue your little one. In the Martin Building's Family Central, there are costumes to try on, as well as wooden blocks and the Design Studio, perfect for building one’s own castle.
- Bishop Castle, near Colorado City: A lifelong project of a local Coloradoan who lived on site, this weird and wacky castle is worth a roadside stop. Admire it from outside — the inside is an active construction site, and the official website states the castle is not open to the public.
