Thanksgiving Week Camps and Activities
Find something enriching for the whole family to do.
•Bring the family together with a festive fun run, or send the stir crazy kids out to an adventurous camp this fall break. Log on to interactive webinars, or take a trip to some holiday lights. Be sure to follow state and local guidelines for COVID-19 safety.
Camps
Hands-On History: Give Thanks!
Nov. 23-25, 9am-4pm
Learn the stories and perspectives of the different Indigenous communities that call, and have called, Colorado home. Enjoy hands-on activities, exhibit exploration, and a special service project. Space is limited and cohorts will be up to 10 children. Ages 6-12. Register online. $150 (tuition assistance available). History Colorado Center, Denver. historycolorado.org/HOHFallCamp
School Day Off Camp: Rocky Mountain Theatre for Kids
Boulder: Nov. 23-29 (no camp Nov. 26); Englewood: Nov. 23-27 (no camp Nov. 26); 9 a.m. to 2p.m.
Kids will explore performance at this variety show of a day camp with music, dance, improvisation, and sketch comedy. Ages five to 10. $65 per day, $55 RMTK students. Register online. Boulder and Englewood locations. theaterforkids.net/holiday_camp
Fall Safari Camp
Nov. 23-25, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Discover Denver Zoo’s techniques for feeding 3,600 animals with various dietary needs. Help the wild residents have fun “playing” with their food. Buy out a camp session for a group of up to 10 kids in the grade range of your choice: Kindergarten to second grade, second to fourth grade, or third to fifth grade. $1650 member-exclusive buy-out, $171 member individual, $186 non-member individual. Register online. Denver Zoo. denverzoo.org/fall-safari/
Under the Ice: School Break Camp
Nov. 23-24, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Crack the icy mysteries of Denver’s winter by exploring the properties of the South Platte area. Activities and crafts will be held outside, when weather permits. Ages seven to fifth grade. $40 per day. SPREE HQ, Denver. thegreenwayfoundation.org
Fall Break Camp: Thinking Games with Grey Havens
Nov. 24-25, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Young campers will need critical thinking skills for two days of collaborative games, storytelling, and multi-media art. Sign them up for one or both days. Ages 10 to 13. $35 each day. Cost includes a custom supply kit that can be picked up at the Longmont Museum the week before camp. Online. longmontcolorado.gov
Special Events
History in the Baking: Thanksgiving Traditions
Nov. 24, 2 to 3 p.m.
Slip on those oven mitts and aprons, it’s time to learn Thanksgiving culinary traditions. Join Golden History Museum for this interactive Facebook Live program and finish the event with a surprise holiday treat. Free. Online. goldenhistory.org/learn-do/events
Estes Park 13th Annual Turkey Trot
Nov. 26
Take the family out for gratitude and movement with this virtual Turkey Trot through YMCA Estes Park. Use the Strava app and run the 5K anytime during the day on Thanksgiving. Free. Online. ymcarockies.org
Harvesting Hope 5K
Nov. 26; 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. 5K (socially distanced), 11 a.m. to noon Kids Fun Run
Trot around Denver’s Central Park, or your own neck of the woods, while raising funds for Prader-Willi research. This event includes a T-shirt, timed results, photos, and swag. Share your participation socially with friends and family, and get a discount when you register four or more people. Strollers and wheelchairs welcome. Register for the in-person or virtual events online. Free-$40. Central Park, Denver. harvestinghope5k.com
Activities
Marine Biologist for a Day
Nov. 27 fifth to eighth grades, Nov. 28 ninth to twelfth grades; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Help prepare food, feed some exhibits, and learn how marine biologists take care of the animals at the aquarium. $65 per child. Registration required two weeks in advance. Downtown Aquarium, Denver. aquariumrestaurants.com
Zoologist for a Day
Nov. 27 ninth to twelfth grades, Nov. 28 fifth-eighth grades; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Learn how the aquarium handles and trains creatures that live outside of the ocean. Help prepare food and participate in positive reinforcement training. $65. Registration required two weeks in advance. Downtown Aquarium, Denver. Aquariumrestaurants.com
Sleep Squad
Through Dec. 31
Travel through dreamland with The Story Pirates in an interactive storytelling experience, and create a new bedtime ritual for kids along the way. Enjoy a “Dreamtime Travel Kit,” shipped to your door, complete with a dream journal, sleep mask and star machine. Ages four to 12. $50 includes the ticket and kit; $15 each additional kit. Online. storypiratessleepsquad.com
“Mis Pininos” Spanish Conversation for Kids
Nov. 25, 4 to 4:45 p.m.
Have fun playing, practicing, and learning with a native Spanish speaker. Ages seven to 13. Diviértete, jugando, practicando y aprendiendo con nativa hablante en español. Para niños siete a 13. Free. Online. calendar.boulderlibrary.org
Everything Dinosaur Talks: Pachycephalosaurs
Nov. 25, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Listen in on this discussion of the pachycephalosaurs, also known as the bone-head dinosaurs. You can spot them by their protruding dome-shaped skull. Free. Online. dinoridge.org
Exhibits
Live From Boulder: A Snapshot of Boulder’s Musical History
Through Nov. 30; Sun, Mon, Thu, Fri, Sat, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wed, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Reflect back on the good old days filled with live music during this exhibit about Boulder’s rich music scenes. Learn more about the Macky Auditorium, the Fox Theater, and Folsom Field, and how the city’s groove impacted the community’s trajectory. $10 adults; $8 seniors, youth, students; free members and age 2 and under. Museum of Boulder. museumofboulder.org
Mental Health: Mind Matters
Through Jan. 10, Wed-Sun, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Talk about mental health with the whole family; use this exhibition’s hands-on experiences to explore different aspects and common misperceptions. Take a quiz to test your knowledge, hear about what psychosis events feel like, put your worries through the Worry Shredder, and watch heartfelt videos of individual stories. Reserve timed tickets online. Free. Fort Collins Museum of Discovery. fcmod.org/mindmatters
Holiday Festivities
Camp Christmas
Through Jan. 5
Experience holiday magic from home. This year, Camp Christmas is an interactive collection of virtual illustrations and physical items shipped to your door. Explore an expansive fictional land and earn badges as you complete activities. Ages four and up. Starting at $10. Online. camp-christmas.com
Holiday Lane at Island Grove
Nov. 27-28, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Roll through Island Grove park to see dozens of light displays and floats from your cozy car. Tune in to a local radio station to jam to holiday music along the way. Prolong your lighted evening at Lincoln Park all lit up by Sat. Nov. 28. $5 per car, $10 vans/large vehicles; cash only. Island Grove Park, Greeley. visitgreeley.org
Hometown Holiday Experience
Nov. 27-29
Usher in the holidays in downtown Parker where you’ll find photo-ops by the town tree, holiday lights, enchanting music, and other seasonal accents. Activities throughout the weekend include ice sculptures along Mainstreet, lit up with holiday colors at night. Free. Downtown Parker. parkeronline.org
Trail of Lights
Nov. 27-Dec. 13, Fri-Sun, 5 to 9 p.m.; Dec. 18-Jan. 3, Nightly, 5-9 p.m.
Wind through Chatfield Farms as glistening lights guide you along enchanting paths. A shorter route takes visitors directly to the children’s play area where synchronized music will add to the experience. An extended route covers the Green Farm Barn and silo area as well. Enjoy the three-sided light tunnel, illuminated tractors, and hot beverages you can pair with nuts and kettle corn. $12.50 adult; $10.50 member, senior, military; $9 youth, $8 youth member (purchase tickets online), free age 2 and under (no ticket required). Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms, Littleton. botanicgardens.org
Catch the Glow Festival of Lights
Nov. 27-Dec. 20; Select dates and times, see website for updates
Flip the script on a classic parade; now you and the family are the ones promenading through Estes Park. Enjoy lights, holiday scenes, and music on your FM radio as you drive through this stationary parade. Free. Estes Park Events Complex. estesparkeventscomplex.com
Mile High Tree
Nov. 20, 2020 – Jan. 02, 2021
Step inside the massive and magnificent Mile High Tree immersive art installation to experience a light show set to music. Free. Downtown Denver, 16th and Welton streets. denver.org