Denver, CO??

[momtoonegirl]

DH, DD, and I are going to Denver in mid-late February. None of us have been to Denver before.

I have a couple of questions:

1. What ground transportation do you recommend taking to/from the airport (rental car, cab, etc.). DD will have her car seat.

2. We will only be there for 3 days over a weekend, and will be Downtown primarily. Mainly we are pretty open as to activities, but probably would like to focus on activities that DD would like. She will be 2 years old when we go.
Any suggestions for activities, restaurants, shopping malls, must-sees, etc?

TIA :)

[tylersmama]

I would probably rent a car. Cab fare from the airport can be ridiculously expensive (It's $50-60 one way to my condo, which is about 3 miles east of downtown...in the direction of the airport). DIA is WAY out in the middle of nowhere. You will want to doublecheck where you will be staying and if there is a parking charge, though, if you're downtown or in Cherry Creek. You will almost definitely want your own car, though, since in general, Denver does not have great public transit.

Hmm, activities for a 2 year old downtown...the aquarium and children's museum are both downtown. I've not been to either, but have heard good things. The zoo is not far from downtown and actually pretty nice, if it's a nice day. We have a zoo membership, so we go frequently, even in the winter. Cherry Creek Mall would be great if the weather is iffy. It's an upscale mall, but it has a GREAT play area for kids. Giant, foamy breakfast foods that they can play on. DS has a blast every time we go.

I would really recommend trying to get out at least into the foothills for a little hiking. If you have an Ergo or other soft carrier you could use for your DD, I can recommend some WONDERFUL hikes, depending on the trail conditions. If you don't, I can still recommend some toddler-friendly hikes, again depending on what the weather and trail conditions are looking like.

Hope that helps a little. If you have any more specific questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them!

[momtoonegirl]

Thanks so much for your help and suggestions. They sound great!

I told DH all of the things to do in Denver, and now he is excited. I/we just had a couple of questions.

How is the weather in Denver at that time of year? Will we need full winter wear? (e.g. heavy coat, boots, hat, mittens, etc)

I believe that there is a parking fee for the hotel that we are staying, but I think they also mentioned that there was a self parking lot nearby that could also be used for cheaper. My initial thought was to rent a car, but $50-60 cab fare one way confirmed my thoughts :). Plus I like the freedom to explore the area, especially since we have never been to Denver.

That mall sounds great, as well as the zoo, aquarium, and museum. Is the zoo open all year?

DH and I were more outdoorsy pre-DD, and may be up for some small hikes, and may actually go for the more toddler friendly trails, maybe as an introduction to hiking for DD. That sounds like fun, too!

TIA :)

[tylersmama]

As for the weather...it's really hard to say. It could be full winter, or it could be 70. You just never know around here. Most likely it will be fairly mild, in the 40's, maybe even 50's. I would wait till the week before and keep a close eye on the forecast. By the end of February, it usually isn't too cold, but March is traditionally the snowiest month of the year. The nice thing is that it's usually pretty sunny, so even if it's cold, it generally feels warmer because of the sun.

The zoo is open all year, I believe the website is www.denverzoo.org. It's a pretty nice zoo, especially for a smaller one. It's right on the edge of City Park, where there are some fabulous views of downtown and the mountains.

You can bump this up, or pm or email me when it gets closer to your trip, and I can let you know what the trail conditions are looking like. Here's a link to the Jefferson County parks website that lists most of the parks that we hike at. First choices for toddler hiking would probably be Lair O' the Bear (flat trail that goes right along a creek, opportunities for your DD to splash around and maybe get a little muddy :)), Alderfer/Three Sisters (more of a meadow hike, a little farther from downtown), or Lookout Mountain Nature Center. http://co.jefferson.co.us/openspace/openspace_T56_R108.htm

I love Colorado, and I'm always happy to introduce people to the wonderful things we have to offer!