The Trekaroo KidsMobile just climbed from sea level to the mile high city of:

Denver, Colorado

Who would have known that Denver is a city that is full of indoor water parks?  Who would have thought that local families love having a fiesta good time at one local Mexican restaurant called Casa Bonita?  These were some of my favorite surprises found in the recommendations that local travel savvy Colorado moms are sharing with the rest of us on Trekaroo.  Jump on board the KidsMobile – the locals are taking our families on a tour of Denver.  They’ll even tell you where the locals frequent on the weekends when they head up to the mountains.

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Trekaroo families have been voting for their favorite kid-friendly activities in and around San Diego for a couple of months. We’ve tallied their votes for 2009 and here’s the line up!

Top Activities for Kids in Denver, CO – voted by Trekaroo parents

First up, Kara gives her stamp of approval to what she considers the Top 5 Museums for Kids in Denver.  When Kara gives her thumbs up, we all take note because she is one of three founders and travel writers for The Vacation Gals.  Their site is chock full of great tips on favorite destinations for family trips, girlfriend getaways and romantic escapes.  Kara is a wonderful story-teller and she’ll get you ready to jump on the next plane and head to whatever destination she’s writing about.

Fiona, better known as the witty mom behind her blog Bantering Blonde, brings us her Five Favorite Indoor Water Parks In the Denver Area. Only a local mom would know that Denver is a city that abounds in indoor water parks. Fiona is an active mom of 3 who is also the founder of Mom Active.  A site that inspires women to be positive role models in their family. If you’re having one of those days, hop on over to Bantering Blonde and you’ll be sure that Fiona will have you chuckling about your life as a mom in no time at all.

Suzanne has the local scoop on  the Top 5 Places to eat with your Kids in Denver.  She is the mom extraordinaire to 7 kids (yes! That’s right – 7.)  She tells her tales of life as a mom of a blended family on her blog Crunchy Green Mom. She is your go-to mom for what’s fun to do on a budget or for free in Denver.

If you’re visiting Denver with your kids for a weekend, kick start your itinerary with Lori’s recommendations of How to spend a day or weekend with kids in Denver.  Lori is the mom behind WeeblesWobblog where she blogs about open adoption, parenting, mindful living, politics, 1970s trivia and much more.  She’s lived in Japan and Syria and having kids has not stopped them from traveling.  With their kids, they’ve traveled all across the US and to Costa Rica.

Our Family’s Staycation Experiences in Colorado is brought to you by Jillian, the mom of 3 who authors the blog Is dis normal or dysfunctional, She’s got a wonderful collection of stories that any mom can relate to.  Her casual and open writing is a pleasure to read.  Jillian has been writing offline for many years and started writing online in 2009. Since then she’s been featured in both travel and parenting online websites like Parenting.com, Blogher.com and many many more.

Other Resources for Denver, CO

• All 104 Activities for Kids in and around Denver, CO
• Kid-friendly hotels in and around Denver, CO
• Ski Resorts in Colorado with Daycare and Kid Programs – TravelPangs
• Sledding and Tubing Hills in Colorado – TravelPangs
• Wintertime Day Trips from Colorado Springs – Gretchen

Next stop, Charlotte, North Carolina (that’s right, the launch of North Carolina is coming soon)

The Trekaroo KidsMobile is a blog carnival with a twist. It’s designed to provide a unique opportunity for mom and dad bloggers to be featured on Trekaroo while

1) expressing their unique point of view

2) getting a web of link exchanges.

Join us for one of our next stopovers.

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LiLing Pang is a contributing author on Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NY | PA | TX | VA | WA

Denver is the largest city for 600 miles.  But does the size of this mile-high metropolis mean an abundance of kid-friendly fun?

Trekaroo families have voted and the answer is “Yes!”  With astounding natural beauty surrounding the city and a bustling urban center, Denver combines the fun of the outdoors with numerous opportunities for adventure and exploration in the heart of the city.  From hiking to museums, families on Trekaroo have made it known that Denver is a hotspot — and we don’t mean WiFi — even under a blanket of snow.  Take a peek at the top Denver fun for kids as rated on Trekaroo.

Best Place to See Animal Life: Denver Zoo

The Denver Zoo’s commitment to education and conservation leaves a positive impression on the families who visit.  Gretchen emphasized the wide appeal of the zoo, saying it is “very engaging for young and old.”  Gwosatum liked the zoo so much her family visited every month for four years! Elephants, tigers and gorillas were etitameh’s favorite attraction, but the mini-train ride is a sure-fire hit as well.  Denver Trekaroo parents unanimously agree that the Denver Zoo is a must-see.

Photo Credit: Gretchen

Best Hands-on Museum for Older Kids: Denver Museum of Nature and Science

Kids are thrilled by the opportunities to learn about themselves and the world around them in the interactive exhibits of the Museum of Nature and Science.  The exhibits change, so there is always a reason to go back and see what new adventures await.  ColoradoGal’s family enjoyed “Exhibition Health” where “kids learn about how their bodies work by actually measuring ‘their’ heart rate, arm span and gait.”  Etitameh says there are plenty of artistic activities too, like a stage with musical instruments for kids to rock out or compose a new symphony.  Perhaps the biggest thrill is best described by ajmorrow mentioning the gigantic dinosaur replicas: “it’s always fun to see the kids’ eyes get wide when they see the sheer size of them!”

Photo Credit: Museum of Nature and Science

The Closest Place to Sea Level: Downtown Aquarium

The Aquarium in Denver moves the sea to the sky.  The Downtown Aquarium makes the move well with exhibits that explore a number of marine and fresh-water habitats.  Trekaroo parents and kids were intrigued by the aquatic and terrestrial life that wriggles and roams different habitats, like the Tigers in the rainforest.  Chi-Ma mama ranks “feeding rays” as a memorable moment. ColoradoGal adds that there are also a host of special programs like “Marine Biologist for the Day” that may appeal to your aquatically inclined youngster.

Photo Credit: flickr/scubadive67

Top Educational Place to Take Kids: The United States Mint

Money, money, money.  Whether it be Fiat or Commodity, we have all been using it for a while.  The Denver Mint, one of six in the country, offers a

FREE inside look into how our cash money is produced.  The tour is very informative, according to amysmile, who writes, “Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and challenged us to stump him with questions.”  She also recommends making reservations for this popular attraction. Gretchen gives an important warning about restrictions: no cameras, purses, and camera cell phones!  So be sure your family is properly weaned from the iPhone before attempting a visit.

Photo Credit: usmint.gov

Best Encounter with Colorado History for Kids: Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave

With spectacular views and an interesting story, the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave is highlighted by ajmorrow as a “great outing for families with children ages 3 and up.”  Kids will enjoy checking out the cowboy history and garb during this short self-guided tour.  After the tour you can pay your respects to the late Bill Cody at his final resting place.  According to ajmorrow, it’s also a great place to fill hungry bellies and take in some nice scenery.

Photo Credit: buffalobill.org

Best Journey to Nature with Kids: Castlewood Canyon State Park

Castlewood Canyon State Park is rated five-stars!  With close proximity to Denver, this outdoor adventure makes for a wonderful summertime outing.  There are many trails of varying length so both long and little legs and varying affinities to the outdoors can be accommodated.  Happykidtraveling writes that kids will enjoy the small stream alongside the trail, but warns the “water is COLD!!”

Photo Credit: 4sixsuit

Other Resources for Denver, Colorado

• All 104 Activities for Kids in and around Denver, CO
• Kid-friendly hotels in and around Denver, CO

• Ski Resorts in Colorado with Daycare and Kid Programs – TravelPangs
• Sledding and Tubing Hills in Colorado – TravelPangs
• Top 5 Museums for Kids in Denver - ColoradoGal
• Favorite Indoor Water Parks In the Denver Area – BanteringBlonde
• Top 5 Places to eat with your Kids in Denver – Crunchy Green Mom
• How to spend a day or weekend with kids in Denver – BestLightLori
• Our Family’s Staycation Experiences in Colorado – Jilly3
• Wintertime Day Trips from Colorado Springs – Gretchen

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Stephen Wanta is a contributing author on Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NY | PA | TX | VA | WA

Trekaroo is heading up to the beautiful Pacific Northwest to launch in Seattle and across the rest of the state of Washington.  There’s so much to see here for tweens and teens – Shamu in the wild, Mt. Rainier, Pike’s Place, the Space Needle, where grunge music began, where coffeehouses took off, Microsoft, and more. For the younger set, there’s a plethora of indoor and outdoor fun to entertain kids for many days.

University of Washington by Flickr: danramarch

What have we got for you?

• Over 200 activities that have been rated and tagged by parents like you
• List of 1000 plus hotels throughout the state of Washington waiting to be rated by parents like you
• Coverage of the 5 major areas in Washington: Greater Seattle Region (Puget Sound),  Palouse -Spokane, Mount Ranier and Snoqualmie, Olympic Peninsula, and the San Juan Islands.
• All sorts of fun lists on Destination Playgrounds in the Greater Seattle / Puget Sound Area, 5 Hidden Kidspots in the Seattle Area and more.

So, we’ve now launched something new in the Midwest and the Northwest. Stay tuned because we’ve got a pretty full schedule of places that we’d like to launch before our 1st birthday!

A standing ovation goes out to harebearmommy, travelmom, bbmmouse,  and adorablyconfused who each jumped in full force to help get Seattle to a place where we’ve got something to share with the world. I also want to say thanks to my faithful team who work tirelessly to get things done in time.

Race you to the top of the Space Needle,

Esther Lee (thelees3) – CEO

Seattle Resources:

Best Activities for Kids in Seattle – voted by parents

Best Kid-Friendly Hotels in Seattle – voted by parents

• All 140 Activities for kids in the Seattle-Puget Sound Area
• Kid-friendly hotels in and around Seattle-Puget Sound

• Visiting Seattle with Little Kids -  adorablyconfused
• Destination Playgrounds in Greater Seattle and Puget Sound – Travelmom
• Seattle Parks and Playgrounds -  wandermom1
• Stores Mom and Kids Love in Seattle by Mompreneurs – Jill Dickinson
• 5 Lesser Known Pit Stops In and Around the Seattle Area – pitstopforkids
• Where to eat in Seattle with Kids in Tow - kirida
• Pumpkin Patches in the Seattle Area -  Lydie Thomas

Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | FL | HI | MA | NY | PA | TX | VA and now IL and WA