It’s Veterans Day Weekend and our city’s annual Denver Veterans Day Parade, Festival & Run will take place this weekend, allowing you and your kids to honor and support our local veterans!
This weekend also feature FREE admission to many Denver museums, and these opportunities will continue to be offered every month for 12 more years, thanks to your vote YES to support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District!
Check out these and events and more to find out what to do in Denver with Kids this weekend November 11th – 13th, 2016.
Free Days & Winter Gift Market | Denver Botanic Gardens
Photograph courtesy of ©Denver Botanic Gardens
When: Friday, November 11th & Saturday, November 12th, 2016
Where: Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York St, Denver, CO 80206
Time: Nov. 11 9am – 7pm; Nov. 12th 9am – 5pm
Cost: Free
Ages: All Ages
Denver Botanic Gardens is free and open to the public for two consecutive days this weekend! Tour, explore and enjoy the beautiful Gardens and don’t forget to also start your holiday gift shopping early with their Winter Gift Market event, that is also free to attend!
Santa’s Flight Academy | Cherry Creek Shopping Center
When: Friday, November 11th through Sunday, November 13th, 2016
Where: Cherry Creek Shopping Center, 3000 E 1st Ave, Denver, CO 80206
Time: 10am – 9pm;
Cost: Photo Packages Starting at $23
Ages: All Ages
Santa’s Flight Academy, taking place in the Kaiser Permanente Grand Court at Cherry Creek Shopping Center, is an interactive and magical hero’s journey that transforms children into key members of Santa’s Flight Crew.
Create memorable and sharable moments for families, including the Flight Suit Visualizer and the Flight Navigation Station. Experience a powerful and magical snow and light show inside Santa’s sleigh, and, of course, a visit with Santa Claus.
Santa is Coming to Town | Colorado Mills
When: Friday, November 11th through Sunday, November 13th, 2016
Where: Colorado Mills, 14500 W Colfax Ave, Lakewood, CO 80401
Time: Mall Hours
Cost: Varies
RSVP to skip the line at: bit.ly/WhereIsSantaCO
Ages: All Ages
Children and their families are invited to experience the joy and excitement of the holiday season with a visit to Santa at Colorado Mills, a Simon center.
This Saturday, November 12th, enjoy a special event: Celebrating Santa.
Children and families can enjoy story time and arts and crafts with Santa, from 8:30am to 10am, to create special holiday memories. Children can also visit Santa daily to capture treasured photos and share their holiday wishes.
Free Day | Four Mile Historic Park
Photograph by ©Four Mile Historic Park
When: Friday, November 11th, 2016
Where: Four Mile Historic Park, 715 S Forest St, Denver, CO 80246
Time: 12pm – 4pm
Cost: Free
Ages: All Ages
Check out historic demonstrations, tour the Four Mile House Museum, explore their 12-acre grounds, sample a treat from the summer kitchen, and say hello to their farm animals. In addition, they’ll offer their Hay Bales & Tall Tales story time.
Free days are courtesy of the support provided by your Scientific & Cultural Facilities District.
Last $5 Day of the Year | Butterfly Pavilion
Photograph courtesy of ©Butterfly Pavilion
When: Saturday, November 12th, 2016
Where: Butterfly Pavilion, 6252 W 104th Ave, Westminster, CO 80020
Time: 9am – 5pm
Cost: $5; Free for Children 2 and under
Ages: All Ages
Experience the Butterfly Pavilion and all of its small wonders for only $5, for the last time this year!
Journey through their new and improved Crawl-a-See-Em, hold Rosie, touch a starfish and make your way through the Tropical Rainforest with 1,600 fluttering butterflies.
Denver Veterans Day Parade & Festival
Photograph courtesy of ©Denver Veterans Day
When: Saturday, November 12th, 2016
Where: Civic Center Park, 101 14th Avenue, Denver, CO 80204
Time: 10am
Cost: Free
Ages: All Ages
Celebrate and honor our local veterans and heroes at the Denver Veterans Day Parade & Festival at Civic Center Park!
The Denver Veterans Day Parade will be broken down into serials that represent a different conflict in military history: Revolutionary War, Civil War, WWI, WWII, etc. This will allow spectators to brush up on their military history as well as add a sense of excitement to the event. Each engagement will feature military memorabilia from that era, such as uniforms, vehicles, and weapons. The Veterans organizations have agreed to march together to showcase their organizations historic roots in these eras.
Once the parade concludes enjoy the special Denver Veterans Day Festival at the park! This family-friendly event offers free admission, a music stage, kids & family activities, military displays, tons of vendors, and a wide variety of food. The festival serves as a celebratory “Thank You” to our Veterans who have fought to ensure our freedom.
Monster Hunt | Denver Public Library
When: Saturday, November 12th, 2016
Where: Denver Central Library, 10 W 14th Ave Pkwy, Denver, CO 80204
Time: 10am – 4pm
Cost: Free
Ages: All Ages
Join the Denver Central Library, part of Denver Public Library, as they host a special Monster Hunt all day on Saturday. Practice your tracking skills by searching for monster footprints, discovering hidden lairs, and identifying monster scat!
Family Fun Day Harvest Fest | CU South Denver
Photograph courtesy of ©CU South Denver
When: Saturday, November 12th, 2016
Where: CU South Denver, 10035 S Peoria St, Parker, CO 80134
Time: 10am – 3pm
Cost: $10 – $14 Adults; $9 – $13 Seniors (60+); $6 – $9 Children (3-12); Free for Children (0-2)
Purchase Tickets at: bit.ly/FamilyFunDayHarvestFestCUSouthDenver
Ages: All Ages
Celebrate our own connections with food, and discover how other cultures create nourishing meals from their local plants and animals at the Family Fun Harvest Fest!
Sit back in the Fiske Planetarium at CU South Denver and discover how cultures use the sky to determine when to harvest. A special presentation of the culinary classic film Ratatouille is available for purchase as a combo.
In partnership with the CU Museum of Natural History and the Starlab Planetarium, courtesy of Fiske Planetarium at the University of Colorado Boulder.
WOW!’s 20th Birthday Party | WOW! Children’s Museum
Photograph courtesy of ©WOW! Children’s Museum
When: Saturday, November 12th, 2016
Where: WOW! Children’s Museum, 110 N Harrison Ave, Lafayette, CO 80026
Time: 10am – 6pm
Cost: Museum Admission
Ages: All Ages
WOW! Children’s Museum is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a special 20th Birthday Party celebration!
Enjoy a full day of activities and events for all ages including and opportunity to meet Lulu the Bearded Dragon and Friends, a musical performance by the Boulder Bach Festival, face painting, a special birthday hat craft, story time, balloon animals, magic and juggling by Simply Smiles, and cupcakes and lemonade for all!
Holiday Artisan Markets | Denver Parks and Recreation
When: Saturday, November 12th, 2016
Where: Cook Park, 7100 Cherry Creek S Dr, Denver, CO 80224 & Barnum, 360 Hooker St, Denver, CO 80219
Time: Cook 9am – 3pm; Barnum 10am – 3pm
Cost: Free
Ages: All Ages
Join Denver Park & Recreation for the 15th annual Holiday Artisan Markets taking place at two different parks: Cook & Barnum.
The marketplace will showcase Denver communities’ handcrafted artisan work by featuring Local artisans, selling handmade soaps, holiday foods, leather craft-work, glass and mosaic pieces, Christmas ornaments and holiday decor, knit and embroidered pieces, jewelry, canvas paintings, gift basket items and more.
Enjoy treats and beverages made by vendors while you shop, and each attendee will receive a raffle ticket for the chance to win great gifts from the marketplace vendors.
Kids DIY Pizza Party | Denver Deep Dish
When: Saturday, November 12th, 2016
Where: Denver Deep Dish, 1200 W 38th Ave, Denver, CO 80211
Time: 10am – 12pm
Cost: $12
Ages: All Ages
Denver Deep Dish is hosting a Kids DIY Pizza Party this Saturday! They will provide you and your kids with the ingredients, you and your kids make your own pizza, and they will prepare it for you.
Chinese Lion Dance | Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus
Photograph courtesy of ©Shaolin Hung Mei Kung Fu Association
When: Saturday, November 12th, 2016
Where: Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus, 2121 Children’s Museum Dr, Denver, CO 80211
Time: 12pm
Cost: Museum Admission
Ages: All Ages
The Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus is celebrating the final day of Denver Arts Week 2016 with a traditional Chinese Lion Dance performance by Shaolin Hung Mei Kung Fu.
These talented performers will demonstrate martial arts skills such as balance, power, spirit, endurance and strength.
Denver Veterans Day Run 5K/10K
Photograph courtesy of ©Denver Veterans Day
When: Sunday, November 13th, 2016
Where: City Park, Denver, CO 80205
Time: 8am
Cost: $25 – $35 Veteran; $35 – $45 Civilian; Free for Children 12 and under
Register at: bit.ly/DenverVeteransDayRun2016
Ages: All Ages
Recognized as “Denver’s Run for Veterans Day” by Mayor Michael Hancock, this is a memorial 5K & 10K fun run that is open to runners, joggers, walkers, kids of all ages, and dogs are always welcome.
The Denver Veterans Day Run is hosted by Colorado Veterans Project,501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that hosts special events in order to raise awareness and funds for local Veterans organizations. Their mission is to enhance pride and patriotism in all Coloradans by building a stronger, more supportive community around our Veterans.
Psst… 100% of your registration cost and donations goes directly to helping Colorado Veterans!
Free Day | Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Photograph courtesy of ©Denver Museum of Nature & Science
When: Sunday, November 13th, 2016
Where: Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO 80205
Time: 9am – 5pm
Cost: Free
Ages: All Ages
Visit the Denver Museum of Nature & Science this Sunday for free, courtesy of the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District.
This free day will also you to explore the museum’s new and current exhibit: Mummies, New Secrets from the Tombs, as well as other great exhibits such as Extreme Mammals, Nature’s Oddest Creatures, and many more!
Star Wars™ and the Power of Costume Exhibit Opening | Denver Art Museum
Photograph courtesy of ©Visit Denver
When: from Sunday, November 13th, 2016
Where: Denver Art Museum, 100 W 14th Ave Pkwy, Denver, CO 80204
Time: from 10am
Cost: Museum Admission; Free for Children (0-18)
Ages: All Ages
Denver Art Museum presents Star Wars™ and the Power of Costume, on view November 13, 2016 through April 2, 2017. The exhibition will give DAM visitors a look behind the scenes into the fantasy, marvel and delight of bringing characters in the Star Wars universe to life through a dramatic presentation of original costumes.
Star Wars and the Power of Costume will closely examine the captivating process of costume conception and design for iconic outfits, from Princess Leia’s unforgettable bikini to Darth Vader’s imposing black uniform, featured in all seven films of the Star Wars series!