Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus

The Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus is the city's premier destination for families with young children, offering 9 hands-on exhibit areas plus a spectacular outdoor adventure space designed specifically for kids from birth to age 8. Located along the Platte River at Confluence Park, the museum underwent a major renovation and expansion, resulting in a bright, modern facility that feels fresh and intentionally designed rather than cluttered.

The 3-story outdoor Adventure Forest is the museum's crown jewel and one of the best outdoor play spaces attached to any children's museum in the country. Kids navigate rope bridges, climbing walls, balance beams, and a zip line through a multi-level structure built to feel like a forest canopy. Water features including a stream, water pumps, and splash elements add a sensory dimension (bring a change of clothes).

The space is nature-inspired and genuinely challenging for kids -- not dumbed-down playground equipment but real adventure elements that build confidence.

Inside, the Bubbles exhibit is perpetually the most popular station. Kids can create giant bubbles using oversized wands, pull bubble walls around themselves to stand inside a shimmering soap film, and experiment with bubble shapes and colors. The bubble solution is specially formulated and works dramatically better than home attempts, which is part of the magic.

The Joy Park is an imaginative indoor play space with a fire station (including a real fire truck cab for pretend play), a veterinary clinic, and My Market -- a kid-sized grocery store with miniature carts, pretend food, and a working checkout. Toddlers especially love My Market, pushing tiny shopping carts through aisles and "buying" plastic fruits and vegetables. The role-play elements here support development in ways that feel like pure fun.

For the youngest visitors, the nursery-age play space on the ground floor offers soft surfaces, sensory toys, crawling structures, and a calm environment separate from the energetic older-kid areas. This thoughtful separation means parents with infants can relax without worrying about big kids charging through.

The Art Studio provides rotating art-making activities with real materials -- not coloring sheets but genuine painting, sculpting, and collage projects guided by museum educators. The STEM labs offer age-appropriate building, engineering, and science challenges that rotate seasonally.

Practical details make this museum notably family-friendly. The attached parking garage is free -- rare and wonderful in Denver. The museum is fully stroller accessible.

Nursing rooms and changing stations are clean and available. A small cafe serves simple snacks and meals, though the Highland neighborhood surrounding the museum has excellent restaurant options within walking distance, including the famous Little Man Ice Cream (5-minute walk in LoHi) where the line is worth the wait.

The museum's location at Confluence Park means families can extend their visit with a walk or bike ride along the Platte River Trail, which runs right past the front entrance. The REI flagship store with its outdoor climbing wall is directly across the river.

Admission is $16 per person (flat rate, no separate adult/child pricing), with children under 1 free. Target free first Tuesdays (4-7:30 PM) are popular for budget-conscious families. Timed entry may be required on busy days -- buy tickets online to guarantee your preferred time slot.