City: Boulder, CO

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (303) 595-4386

Address: 2000 Elitch Circle (off Speer Boulevard)

Description: This is Denver’s oldest and grandest amusement park, in a new location near lower downtown Denver. Families can enjoy the live restaurant entertainment and the progression from kiddie rides to hair-raising ones. The new location lacks the 100-year-old trees and turn-of-the-20th-century elegance of the former site, but with 67 acres, it’s more than twice the size of the old park. The 1925 carousel with wooden horses is there. Twister, the famous wooden roller coaster, has been rebuilt, which relieves most parents, because although the old roller coaster was safe, sometimes you wanted to take a hammer on the ride and whack in a few extra nails. Like the old Twister, the new one is listed as one of the top 10 in the country by American Coaster Enthusiasts. The landscaping includes formal gardens, shaded areas, and several thousand young trees. Elitch’s is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Daily tickets are no longer available. A family four-pack season pass for four or more is $74.99 and an individual season pass is $79.99. You may choose to just buy a day pass for $34.99. Elitch Gardens is easy to find. To get there, take I-25 to Speer Boulevard South and head for the roller coasters.