Trip to Denver
 

I have an upcoming trip to Denver (mid-June) and need some advice! My husband and 7-month old baby will be with me so keep that in mind.

1. Where should we stay? Are there certain areas/neighborhoods you recommend or that we should avoid?

2. Any hotel recommendations? We would love to find somewhere with a nice outdoor pool. I also noticed alot of hotels in the area only have indoor pools. Is the weather not good for swimming?

3. Any advice on fun things to do that would be baby-friendly?

Thanks so much!

hi cleo, you might look at the denver marriott west. its on the outskirts of the city and it would take 15-20 mins to get downtown if thats where your business is. has indoor and outdoor pools. in june the weather should be hot enough to swim outside, but much of the year it is not, thus the indoor pools. perhaps dh and baby would enjoy the zoo.
check with you pediatrician about taking her to high altitude - particularly if you plan a drive into the mtns. denver is at 5000' and a typical destination of summit county is around 7500'. but you must rise to just over 11,000' to get there. they don't know how to pop their ears...and this is probably not a big deal as obviously parents do it all the time. at least take a drive up to the buffalo bill overlook on I70. splendid view of the mtns., only 15 mins up the hill. specially engineered spanless bridge just for this spot. and there may actually be a small herd of buffalo on the west side of the exit.

Where is your business?

Thanks, guys. To answer your question, my business is in the North area near the Omni Interlocken.

I suggest you stay near the Interlocken area where your business is. I don't know the hotels' names off-hand, but there are several there. The weather in mid-June will be excellent for swimming. In fact, we're having record-breaking heat and dry weather now (unfortunately).

Interlocken is NOT convenient to Denver if you planned on staying in Denver and commuting to the Omni, esp. during rush hours. Better to stay at or near the Omni and go into Denver for day trips (not during high traffic times).

Hi Cleo,

I would stay at the Omni. It is quite nice and has a great outdoor pool.

Thanks, all. I have decided to stay at the Omni and just make a couple of trips to the downtown area as you suggested. Any suggestions of things to be sure to see while we're there? I don't know how much we can do with the baby but any suggestions would help!

I wouldn't even bother with Denver. I would go the other direction to Boulder and if you have time (a full day), Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.

I reluctantly agree that you should go for the scenic wonders (instead of the city) if you haven't been; Denver is nice, but the mountains are the must see. If you really like city stuff, the Museum of Nature and Science and the Art Museum are very good; the zoo is also nice, as is the Denver Arboretum.

Oh ok! How far is Boulder? And what should we go see there exactly?

If you stay at Omni Interlocken, you are half-way between Denver and Boulder. It's about 20 minutes to drive to either from Interlocken, I think, as long as its not rush hour. Do a search on Boulder activities, as there are lots of things to do there.

In Boulder, I loved walking around the Pearl Street Mall.

How much free time will you have?

I'll be there for 4 days, will be free in the evenings and all day Saturday.

Saturday, head up to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.

On your free nights, here are some ideas...

- Dinner/shopping at Flatiron Crossing Mall (right next door to the Omni)
- Chautauqua Park in Boulder - you can hike the flatirons there - do you have a carrier for your baby? You can eat there as well. Also, you may want to check their website for concerts/events.
- As someone else mentioned, dinner and shopping on Pearl Street Mall in Boulder
- Check out the Celestial Seasonings website and see if you can make it there for a tour... it's right outside of Boulder.
- A stop at the Boulder Tea House might be nice... but not really an evening activity
- Check out the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster - your baby might like that

Thanks so much yale!! That is so helpful. I will check out all of those ideas. Thanks again!

You will have lots of options if you stay at the Omni four days, with evenings and Saturday free. Yale gives you lots of good ideas. I'm not sure your little one would enjoy the Butterfly Pavilion, though, unless it's different than my field trip visit there years ago with grade schoolers. The butterflies were mostly sitting quietly on the tree leaves, and you have to really look for them as they are camouflaged more or less. The grade schoolers loved trying to find them, but they probably wouldn't catch the eye of a little baby.
However, the Children's Museum is very nice in Denver, and has hands-on stuff for little ones to enjoy with parents' help. It's a good way to spend a hot afternoon. You could go to their website and check it out. It would be easy to get to the Children's Museum, as it's right off I-25.
And from there it's an easy drive into LoDo or other parts of downtown Denver where you could catch a game, grab dinner, see Larimer Square and other parts of authentic old Denver.
Boulder is worth a good long visit, too. The CU campus is pretty to walk through. Chautauqua Park is beautiful, family-oriented, and has a great restaurant on its veranda with a sweeping view of the Flatirons.
So many things to do, so little time...

I think neither the butterfly pavilion and the Children's Museum are not for 7 month olds. Eat at Jax's in Boulder for seafood. I also think the Children's Museum is dreadfully overpriced.

There is a children's museum in Louisville too, which might be closer. Check it out on the web. Also, downtown Louisville probably only about a 15 minute drive from the Omni - for a kid friendly dinner, try Pasquini's there. Great pizza and pasta. I think this would be a charming place to walk around with the baby in a stroller.

I love to go to Bloom in the Flatiron's outdoor mall. They have good wine flights and appetizers. Might not be the best place for kids, but if you go early I'm sure it would work.