Casa Bonita...the Magic of Mexico Right Here in Denver!

Second in our "Where to Take ALL of Your Kids to Have Fun" Series...

 

It's hard to find anyone in the Denver area who hasn't heard of Casa Bonita...but we managed to find one!  Our neighbor got the run down from my kids after we visited to celebrate the end of summer.  I think their words do a better job of confirming that ALL of your kids will have fun at this

magical place, than mine ever could.  Check out what they said:

• They have a mariachi band and the trumpets are amazing! (12yo)
• We saw a puppet show and the rock talked!  (2yo)
• The gorilla chased the guy, but he won't get US.  (2yo)
• I got the unlimited chicken plate, and I could get refills of whatever I wanted.  I just had to raise a little flag!  (OK...so that was me.  I didn't have to cook and someone brought food whenever I asked.  SCORE!)
• People dove into the water from like a hundred feet...I totally got soaked.  (8yo)

• I won a fake mustache and glasses in the arcade so I wore them with my sombrero.  (12yo)
• We got to eat sopapillas with honey, and my mom and dad got them with whipped cream for their birthdays.  (8yo)
• I got to hit the pinata!  (8yo)
• I want to be in that show! (12yo)
• I brought my money so I could buy something at the gift shop.  (8yo)
• We all threw pennies in the wishing well, and then the well talked! (2yo)
• My favorite part was Black Bart's Cave...I was scared, but it was okay!  (2yo)
• I rode on a donkey!  (2yo)
• I won 19 bouncy balls!  (12yo)
• I drove Batman's car!  (2yo)
• It looked like Mexico in there...I felt like I was there.  Can I say that I went to Mexico this summer?  (12yo)

I think it's pretty obvious that all of my kids had a fantastic time, and so did we.  If you are in the Denver area, you MUST go to Casa Bonita at least once...and your kids will convince you to go again and again.  I mean, the place is so famous that it was featured on an episode of South Park!

MOMMY HINTS:

• Plan to arrive around 5pm for dinner...this will get you there early enough to avoid the massive lines, get a great table, and give you plenty of time to enjoy the activities after dinner.
• Take advantage of the ingoing token deal!
• All guests over 2 years old must purchase a dinner to enter the building.  
• Find great deals and coupons here: http://www.casabonitadenver.com/deals
• Bring your camera!

http://www.casabonitadenver.com/

Two Times the Fun at Elitch Gardens!

First up in our "Where to Take ALL of Your Kids to Have Fun" Series...

Denver, CO

I have to admit, we had not been to Elitch Gardens for years...

and our main reason was because we have multiple aged kids.

Too hard, we said.

The little one will have nothing to do, we said.

Too long of a day, we said.

Two parks...yikes, we said.

Sooooo, yeah, we were wrong.

We ALL had a blast at Elitch Gardens!  There was literally something for everyone!  I was surprised to find that my youngest could go on a lot of rides in the regular park, not to mention all the awesome, geared-toward-the-younger-crowd Kiddie Land.  I took him on the Spider, and we spun around like maniacs...and he LOVED it.  My 12 year old had all of the thrill rides at his beck and call, and he even managed to drag me on a few...I had forgotten how fun the Sidewinder is!  My 8 year enjoyed everything, once we managed to convince her to go on the rides!  She was so excited to have bragging rights when she started school this year ("Mom, I have the best stories for when they make us write about our summer!").

And this was just the morning.

After we ate lunch, we hit the water park.  We were all grateful for the break from the heat!  We rode the family rides together and then made our way to the Commotion Ocean and Hook's Lagoon.  (I think my kiddos could have stayed there all day.)  The bigger kids were excited to ride the slides while my youngest rode the slides in Hook's lagoon...over and over and over again!

I thought we might stay for a few hours.

We ended up shutting the park down!

Needless to say, Elitch Gardens passed my test.  My kids were exhausted by the time we got home, but they could not stop talking about their day and went to sleep with smiles on their faces.

If you have one kid, or 2, or 6, take them...you will not regret it!

My Mommy Hints:

Thanks to Jessie's advice, we went on a Monday.  I ranted over the lack of crowds

and lines.  I would DEFINITELY try to go that day.

Invest in water shoes for everyone in your family.

The ground gets hot and sensitive soles will thank you for it!

Lockers are available, and worth it!

Take advantage of season passes...it is almost impossible to fit everything in,

and your kids WILL want to go back.

Get there as soon as it opens....you will want to make the most of your time!

http://www.elitchgardens.com/

Can't We ALL Just Have Fun???

You may have heard me say that I have three kids.  They are almost 3, 8 and 12...you know, impossible to please all at the same time???  (Moms of multiple age groups, you KNOW what I'm talking about!)

My goal for the next several posts is to highlight places in the Denver area that you can take your multiple aged family...and they will ALL love it.  Think I'm reaching too high?  I promise...they will all LOVE it!