Woodland Park - What Is There To Do For Teens? (Center: movies, live)

[Bob from down south]

So let me get this straight...if there's no mall to hang out at or an 8-plex movie theatre in town, the local kids are doomed? Millions of teenagers are doing just fine in little rural towns where there isn't even a Wal-Mart, and the only movies come by satellite on DirecTV. WP is paradise compared to somewhere like Wakeeney, KS...there's fishing, hiking, biking, cross-country and alpine skiing, climbing, hunting, skateboarding, reading, video games of all kinds, shooting, archery...enough to fill ten childhoods of idle time.

Of course none of these things will be apparent if the parents don't introduce the kids to any of it and get them interested. It seems that most approach this question as "what can kids, left on their own and to their own devices, find to do around WP to occupy themselves?" And, if left on their own and to their own devices, they will find a six-pack or a lid and an empty bed and entertain themselves.

P.S. It works the same way in New York City.

[treedonkey]

This is just my uneducated opinion, but, after all, what are forums for?

If your kids really enjoy pure outdoor recreation, like hiking, biking, fishing, and so on, they will have endless things to do in a place like Woodland Park. However, if their definition of 'something to do' is enjoying prescribed thrills inside manmade structures, then they may be disappointed.

That said, I agree with the previous poster who said that plenty of kids raised in a rural area turn out just fine. It depends largely on how they were raised. For example, consider Clark Kent. He was raised in a total corn town and just look how he turned out!!!

...What?

[cathyclark787]

we sent our children to Rocky Mtn Christian School. Locker checks, and no trouble like woodland park HS. Some neighbors have even pulled their children out and have done home schooling.

[dishmom58]

Nothing. They hate children in Woodland Park. The police will harass every child they see walking around, even during the day. You are not even allowed to teach your child how to skate on the sidewalk in front of your house. Don't move there if you have children, they don't want you either if you do. RUN away from WP.

[brindlexpitt]

I know nothing of WP but i grew up in a podunk town and i was just fine, we went traveling, hiking, horseback riding, white water rafting, skiing, snowboarding, fishing, etc etc.. you just need to be very into the outdoors with your kids.

[Amery523]

One of my good friends at work went through the Woodland Park school system and can echo previous posters' sentiments about rampant drug use and also teen pregnancy. WP is a small town, everyone knows everyone's business and it's rare to meet new people once you've been in the town for a long time, she says.

[Todd TCE]

I dunno..we grew up there and always had things to do.

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[mjm5180]

The school is really good. We are new to Woodland Park. The schools are awesome and the community is awesome. My daughter did tell me kids told her there is nothing to do but smoke dope. She really does not hang out with hardly anybody yet and we are planning ski trips and family events. I was impressed with how the school bent over backwards to help us since they were coming from overseas. They have an online scheldule that allows you to see how kids are doing in classes and what items are over due or needed. Still figuring out the teen event thing. Park and Rec is very nice. We put my 12 year old in soccer already and that was well ran and very successful.

[Marcy1210]

Our girls attended WP schools from K-12 beginning in 1978 for the oldest and 1981 for the youngest. We lived in Divide where there were outdoorsy things to do. When the girls were little, they'd ride their bikes to friends' houses, play Barbies or whatever, hang out at the subdivision's community center, fish, hike and have friends over. As they moved on to Jr. Hi it became more difficult. There was an after school "student center" in town, but they didn't like it, so they'd come home by bus getting there at 5:00 p.m. and do homework, eat dinner, watch TV and go to bed. They'd talk on the phone (no computers back then) to friends and that was about it. By high school, they were in Marching Band, and it was seriously a problem finding things for them to do. They would go bowling, but oftentimes, all that was available for them socially, were bonfire pot parties with alcohol and sex up by Manitou Lake. They did all their dating by going to the Springs as Woodland Park was a "teenage wasteland" in the early '90's. Our sons began school in WP in 1989 and 1994, and things had become worse by then. There was a skateboard park, Little League, and Parks and Rec, but none of those activities really interested them. Like the girls, they rode bikes around our subdivision. went to our community center playground, hung out at the lakes, hiked, and were bored. During the school year, they just came home from school each day and like the girls, did homework, ate dinner, watched TV and went to bed. And, like the girls, dates were in the Springs.

Earlier, when they were 8, though, each one started at Sanborn Western Camps for 4 weeks each summer until they were 18 and that helped a lot!!! Why we didn't think of that with the girls, I dunno. Especially since the schools send the kids there for four days in the fall anyway (or used to). But we knew Sandy and Laura Sanborn and Rick and Jane Sanborn, so it was an easy choice to send the kids to camp. Our kids are now 37, 34, 26, and 21. We know many people in WP who have tweens and teens, and other than family weekend ski trips (which some balk at due to wanting to hang with friends), or fishing, whitewater rafting, and kayaking, there isn't anything to do. If they're not going down to the Springs for the movies, arcades, bowling or restaurants, they're hanging out in WP doing drugs, having sex and drinking alcohol. It's sad that with all planning commisssion has on the table for WP, a "funtastic" teen arcade isn't one of them.

[Matt314159]

Well there's a new bowling alley in the planning stages, set to be built in 2011...that should help things a little at least.
Colorado Community Newspapers Online - News Around Town > Archives > Courier Gold Rush > News > Family fun center passes first hurdle
The movie theater in town is doing a good job of getting current movies (new owners, I think?).