Eileen Ogintz - The Kids Guide to Denver, Boulder & Colorados Ski Country

Award-winning author Eileen Ogintz is a leading national family travel expert whose syndicated Taking the Kids is the most widely distributed column in the country on family travel. She has also created TakingtheKids.com, which helps families make the most of their vacations together. Ogintz is the author of seven family travel books and is often quoted in major publications such as USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times, as well as parenting and womens magazines on family travel. She has appeared on such television programs as The Today Show, Good Morning America, and The Oprah Winfrey Show, as well as dozens of local radio and television news programs. She has traveled around the world with her three children and others in the family, talking to traveling families wherever she goes. She is also the author of The Kids Guide to New York City, The Kids Guide to Orlando, The Kids Guide to Washington, DC, The Kids Guide to Chicago, The Kids Guide to Los Angeles, The Kids Guide to Boston, The Kids Guide to San Diego, and The Kids Guide to San Francisco (Globe Pequot).

You dont want to miss being exactly a mile high.

You will be in downtown Denverif you stop on the 13th step of the west side of the State Capitol Building downtown. Theres a brass marker there, telling you that you are exactly 5,280 feet above sea level.

Thats why Denver is called the Mile-High City. But even experts make mistakesand need kids to set them straight. At first, they thought the 15th step marked 1 mile. You can see the step carved with One Mile High. But then some college kids, using GPS equipment, figured out the correct mile-high elevation was at the 13th step.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Native Americans warned early settlers not to build where Denver is now. But no one listened and in its first few years, Denver was destroyed twice by fire and flood.

DID YOU KNOW?

Denver was just a frontier mining camp in 1858 when it was named after Kansas territorial governor James Denver. Locals hoped theyd gain political favors, but by the time they named the town, James Denver had already resigned.

In Denver youll find great kid-friendly museums, fun restaurants, and lots of shopping. But youll want to spend much of your time outdoors like local kids and their parents dohiking, biking, tubing in summer, and skiing and snowboarding in the mountains nearby in the winter. Did you know Denver has one of the biggest skate parks in the country?

This city has come a long way from the mining camp established during the Pikes Peak or Bust Gold Rush in 1858. In those first years, Denver survived a flood, two big fires, Native American attacks, and even an invading Confederate force of soldiers during the Civil War. But within 50 years, Denver had become the Queen City of the Plains, the fanciest city within a thousand miles complete with big mansions and tree-lined avenues. Think about that transformation as you look around the big, modern city Denver is today.

There are fun neighborhoods to explore. Make sure you get the names right:

The Golden Triangle Museum District includes the super-kid-friendly Denver Art Museum (100 W. 14th Ave. Pkwy., Denver, CO; 720-865-5000; denverartmuseum.org), the US Mint (320 W. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO; 303-405-4761; usmint.gov), and the interactive History Colorado Center (1200 Broadway, Denver, CO; 303-447-8679; historycolorado.org), among others.

DID YOU KNOW?

Denver has the largest city park system in the country205 parks and 20,000 more acres of parklands in the mountains where you can play, bike, hike, and more!

Whats Cool? Hiking around the red rocks or going to a concert at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the only naturally occurring acoustically perfect amphitheater in the world (8300 W. Alameda Pkwy., Morrison, CO; 720-865-2494; redrocksonline.com).

Uptown just east of downtown and including 17th Street is known for its restaurants.

The Art District on Santa Fe (between 5th Avenue and 10th Avenue) is where you can peek into art galleriesespecially on the First Friday night of the month when theyre all open. Youll find some of the citys best Mexican restaurants and the Museo de las Americas, which showcases art from South and Central America. Come at the holidays to see all the decorations!

The Riverfront/Platte River Valley is where youll find Elitch Gardens Theme and Water Park (2000 Elitch Circle, Denver, CO; 303-595-4386; elitchgardens.com), the Childrens Museum of Denver (2121 Childrens Museum Dr., Denver, CO; 303-433-7444; mychildsmuseum.org), and the Downtown Aquarium (700 Water St., Denver, CO; 303-561-4450; aquariumrestaurants.com).

LoDo stands for Lower Downtownthe 25 blocks north of Larimer Street. Youll come here to go to Coors Field to see the Colorado Rockies play, but while youre in the neighborhood, check out all the interesting old buildingsthe biggest concentration of turn-of-the-20th-century architecture anywhere in the country.

Got the lingo? Now you just have to decide where to go first!

DID YOU KNOW?

More than a million people have moved to Colorado in the last decade. Now more people live in Denver than in the entire state of Wyoming.

Staying Safe on Vacation

Write down the name and phone number of the hotel where you are staying. Also write down your parents phone numbersor make sure they are in your phone. Carry these numbers with you wherever you go.

Practice what if situations with your parents. What should you do if you get lost in a museum? A theme park? On a city street?

Only ask uniformed people for help if you get lostpolice officers, firefighters, store security guards, or museum officials wearing official badges.