Last time I went to Carousel of Happiness, I went with adult friends and had fun. This time, I took…read moremy 2.5 year old granddaughter and had even more fun! She loved the carousel so much, we went around twice, and then afterwards we went upstairs to play with the puppets. Friendly staff, cool carousel with beautiful music, and a fun experience for all ages. I'm glad to support the Carousel of Happiness!

What an amazing magical place to take your kids to or even your adult self. I learned that the…read moreperson carved all those animals by hand as a way to heal himself from the Vietnam war.

My boys and I enjoyed this museum! There are a lot of exhibits to see, which can seem overwhelming,…read morebut we were able to see everything in about 2.5 hours at a casual pace. The gnome scavenger hunt is a MUST! It made it just a bit more exciting as you stroll through the museum. My boys enjoyed finding the gnomes. Some are easier to spot than others, but the different levels of difficulty makes it more challenging and fun! I like that there are several interactive stations to enhance the learning experience. It also makes it more interesting for younger kids. I appreciate that most of the exhibits had concise information. I do enjoy science, but it's nice to read the main point and move on. For many of the displays, they have small "I Spy" activities and the little ledges make it easy for small children to lean on or stand on for better visualization. Wildlife Halls had beautifully constructed dioramas. The Dinosaur Exhibit is always fun for my boys. Expedition Health was my favorite exhibit. There were some areas under construction/out of order, but that didn't take away from the experience since there was so much to see in general. I didn't pay extra for any of the other unique experiences and didn't feel like I missed out on anything. Overall, we enjoyed our visit and it was a great place to explore during our vacation in Denver.

Educational and interactive!…read more There's a large parking lot and an underground parking garage so plenty of spaces. You do need to purchase a ticket to enter so I suggest doing that ahead of time. It also gives you a timeframe to enter just so it spaces out the crowds. Did you know that there's a scavenger hunt for gnomes, I think they look more like elves though lol the list of where to find the gnomes can be found on the museums website. This was really fun because it kept me guessing on where to look next, and when we came up to exhibit that supposedly had the gnome, I got to look really close at all the details of that exhibit. There are three levels to the museum, the ground floor, the second level and the third floor. Each one is broken up into different categories. They also have a laser show going on with different songs or movies for the theme. You do need to reserve a spot online so make sure you check out the showtimes, each week is different. I went with a friend and we blocked out three hours for this. The laser show we chose was roughly 30 minutes so we ended the day with the laser show. So the museum itself only took 2 1/2 hours.

Daniel our car lead was fire and funny! I wish you got to change sides coming back down. The…read moresausages, cheese and crackers were nice. We got a table, which I would suggest. I think a night time train ride with all the lights would be fun. The beer samples were great! I usually don't like pumpkin but that was really good.

I found this place as one of the things to do in Colorado. The parking lot is compact and can get…read morecrowded as I saw people park on the outside on the street so show up at the early train at 10am as if you go later parking can be a pain to do. We paid $35 dollars per person online and we picked up our tickets through will call. The process is really quick. We did have a full train and you get your picture taken and they print these out and give you an option to pay for these or not. I am sure they throw away the prints, but I wish they would give them to you complimentary. Train ride is more like 45 minutes as there is a 15 minute break. You take the train around the forest and there are stops in the mines for pick ups. Overall, it is a relaxing ride, but a most do only one time. If I am in town probably something I can skip.

We actually found this place quite by accident. Our AI GPS assistant did not give us correct…read moredirections so we ended up on a road where I was looking to turn around and it happened to be the parking lot of this rock shop. There is a pond with geese and we saw kids feeding them so we decided to check it out. The setting is serene. The stream/river runs gently by the rock shop. The pond is right next door. There is a separate cafe and rest area. It all is very nice. There is seating for what looks like a lecture area. The rock shop: what an interesting place. It has tons (literally) of different rocks. Outside, there are unfinished rocks of different types and I guess you buy them to manufacture yourself. There are also decorative rocks for your yard. There are manufactured rocks inside the store. Some are really interesting and unique. It ended up being a very nice experience. I give it 5 stars because there is a place outside where you can sift for gold and other valuable rocks just like in the old days. The kid had a blast doing that and she was thrilled to find something "valuable" (though not gold). She kept asking how much her rocks were worth. I am sure that she will remember this experience, which was quite unplanned.

This rock shop is large and well stocked. It was clean and organized. I could have spent a lot of…read moretime browsing and lolly-gagging but we had places to be. Walking out of the back of the shop was a really picturesque (picture included) view of the mountains and river. It was so soothing. I was able to score some small stones to add to my collection for a fair price. I will say that the cashier was friendly enough. I would definitely come back.

i'm going out of my way to write this review because this was such a cool experience. I did the…read more"Mother Lode" combo, which includes the main main tour, plus an additional mine tour, which to reach it that requires a quarter mile hike up a trail, and gold panning (after several tries I only found one tiny gold flake, but I got something!). Definitely bring sunscreen for the second tour, as you will be sitting outside in the sun for a little bit. It's cool and refreshing inside the mines, and they're full of history, right down to the wooden shafts that still have numbers painted on them from the miners of 1800s. You will learn about mining history and how harrowing and challenging it was, and see the actual tools they used, and how techniques developed over time. You will see shafts and tunnels you cannot explore but remain from days of old that inspire the imagination. You will also hear some silly ghost stories, and even see how UV light illuminates the rocks and minerals in the mines. Interested in history, gold, geology, or mining? Even if you aren't, take this tour anyway! It's well worth it, and the guides do a great job.

We have been to Colorado many times and this remains one of our very favorite things to do! You…read more just can't beat panning for gold in a river stream knowing that you are actually going to find flecks of gold and we have every time! It is so much fun! This year we did the tour of the cave and it was super super interesting me as well and my kids really loved it :-) I did too! Lastly, the chipmunks. You could literally just go for the chipmunks lol! They are so super friendly and so much fun! We cannot recommend this place highly enough!

If you are ever in Winter Park, please consider visiting this amazing historical site!…read more I found WP very lackluster as a non skier but this gem made up for it (along with the drive up Berthould Pass!). This site was one of several stagecoach stops for travelers crossing the Rockies and a post office for the area as well. It is steeped in historical value and so well maintained! The museum even offers costumes and props in the back room which used to be used for stagecoach patrons to grab a hot meal on their journey, as well as a stagecoach full size prop that can be climbed for photos and to bring history to life. The main reason we visited was the connection to Doc Susie (who was the main inspiration for the Dr Quinn Medicine Woman character). Susan Anderson MD lived in Fraser for many years and visited the homestead to collect and send mail and they have recently acquired several of her personal items which are on display on the second floor. An amazing step back in time that will not disappoint!

Interesting local museum showcasing development in the Fraser River Valley during the last 150…read moreyears. Never knew presidents had vacationed in the area.

Went here on 12/11/24. First time here. We live in Denver so we were looking for 'museums'…read moreoutside the city. And we love going to Fort Collins for other stuff. They have a good size Kid Zone. Then they have the history of Fort Collins. Then, I believe, they have a rotating exhibit. At the time was all about Skin. On humans and animals. It was fascinating. Then the best part was the music area. So much interaction! It was great! Definitely recommend. Will definitely be here again.

This place is great! I completely forgot about a Groupon I…read morehad purchased a while back and we were able to use it just in time. Even without it though, it's a great price for what you get! There is so much to do and explore here! The music section is definitely a favorite as you get to test out so many instruments! Everything was well maintained (minus one or two exhibits that weren't functioning at the time). The toddler area is great for the little ones to be separate. Personally, I was absolutely stoked for the shadow wall - it's just a fun/silly thing to do. When we ventured upstairs we didn't realize there was a theater until a staff member asked if we were there to see the show. Since we had to get going, I asked if I could peak in real quick to check it out and he was totally fine with it. It looks so cool! We will definitely be back to catch a show in the future.

The employees are very nice, equipped with great knowledge. Our tour guide Toren was really fun and…read moreeducational! You would have never known she's only done a handful of tours and is new-ish touring with Argo Mill. The tour was very interesting and living in Colorado for 20+ years, I've always seen the red building driving by Idaho Springs but never thought they had tours available to check out. We panned for gold at the end and that was very fun to learn how to do that. All in all I'd recommend to support local and Idaho Springs to come check them out. The tour is not handicap friendly so if you have a wheel chair it would not be ideal to walk through the mill. Hard hat is for show with the tunnel visit but it was def a fun experience with photo opportunity.

We started our experience with a tour of the mill. I would definitely suggest doing the combo if…read moreyou also wanna ride the gondola. I think my biggest beef is that supposedly they charge you for parking. Why?! there's plenty of parking and why would we have to pay? It's not like it's paved it's a parking lot full of rocks with that being said we purchased the gold package which included parking so I'm not sure how much it costs but you can also just do one of the activities and use the QR code to pay for parking. However, I did not notice how they can tell who's paid for parking or not. I did not see any tickets on other people's cars and at least getting the package. They never asked for our license plate so I don't know how they're monitoring that but a stupid fee to say the least. I would give the tour a five out of five stars only because our two were really Caitlin was great. Other than that, there's not really much to look at and being a tour connoisseur. I've been a better two hours with more things to learn and see. To be honest, it really not that interesting for the cost. But thanks Caitlin you made it fun and educational! Then we rolled the gondola which is brand new as of this summer and it was really nice. No complaints and 30 bucks to ride. The gondola is typical and probably less expensive than the other mountain town gondolas.

What a cute little museum!!! Unexpected and uncrowded. A nice history Estes Park. There are plenty…read moreof exhibits and be sure to go outside to the cabin and other exhibits.

This was the cutest small museum about the history of the town Estes park in Colorado. It has 3…read morebuildings with history art and artifacts. Definitely worth a visit if you come. Maybe takes you 45 mins to and hour to complete. Not to long. You can get it done is less than 30 if you don't actually read anything and just look at what they have. But definitely take the time to read and watch some of the movies they have to offer. You will be surprised at some of it. I won't spoil it so go see for yourself. The town itself IS AMAZING!!!!

It's fine. It's something to do other than the hot springs and that matters in this town…read more For context, Hot Sulphur Springs is a tiny place that is somehow the county seat of Grand County. I presume this goes back to olden tymes when more was going on here. As of my visit, aside from the hot spring, options in this town were a single restaurant, a gas station that closed at 6 PM... and this museum. So if you want to learn a little about this town's past and what made it the county seat, you should check it out. It was a very short drive from the Hot Springs, one could walk if desired, and there is a parking lot, so that wasn't an issue. I also happened to be there on a free day, which was handy. However, admission is very affordable if you are there on a normal day - $8 adults / $7 seniors / $5 children (6-17) / under 5 is free as per https://grandcountyhistory.org. I'm not going to pretend that this was an exciting spot, but it was informative and it should not be overlooked as an option for visitors to the area.

Pioneer Village Museum is part of Grand County museums. Grand County operates a total of seven…read morelocal museums preserved over the century. Pioneer is neat cause the actual spot has a lot of history. The land and general main building started out as the county courthouse (1891-1902) and jail (1897-1937). From 1924-1942 the schoolhouse was built. Kinda funny how the jail was next to the schoolhouse. The exterior shows the original basic structure with updated technology. Aside from the local history, there are several homesteading themes on the grounds and millions of trails in the general vicinity for all your outdoor pleasures. Due east about one hour is the georgeous Grand Lake and Village. Two hours or so is the west entrance to the actual Rocky Mtn National Park (not to be confused withnthe Rocky Mtn Range). Lots of facilities in a 100 mile radius. Safe travelings.