Denver over July 4

June 30, 2022 6:29 PM

Is it crazy in Denver over July 4 weekend? Planning an impromptu trip there for a week, starting July 3rd.

I'm debating an AirBnB around Denver Zoo/City Park or residential areas, or just one of the downtown hotels. Will it be crazy or will there be tons of fireworks? Is there a difference in the residential areas vs downtown? I'm asking because I'll be bringing my kid and they have an early-ish bedtime. Fireworks for a little bit should be fine but not all night.

Bonus Ask -- any Denver kid-friendly recs! :) We'll be headed to Rocky Mountain too.

posted by inevitability to Travel & Transportation around Denver, CO (5 answers total)

By residential areas do you mean a suburb? It’s pretty residential around the zoo. Don’t stay anywhere near the Capital. I wouldn't expect craziness but yes there will be some people on some streets shooting off illegal fireworks. I would expect that city wide/metro wide. A hotel would be your quietest best bet.

You must have reservations to get into RMNP. You can’t just drive in anymore. Plenty of other mountains to explore though.

Kid friendly: zoo (i believe requires timed entry) museum of nature and science, children’s museum, downtown aquarium (timed entry). Wear sunscreen. Reapply sunscreen. Wear hat. Drink lots and lots of water.
posted by ChristineSings at 8:03 PM on June 30, 2022 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks! Yes, I guess the suburbs. I was debating an Airbnb there or along 16th street. One Airbnb host warned people set off fireworks through the night, so I got worried.
posted by inevitability at 5:58 AM on July 1, 2022

I live in a residential area 1 mile east of the Denver Zoo in the Park Hill neighborhood. There are enough fireworks going off that it's a regular complaint on NextDoor, but maybe because I'm used to it it's mostly background noise to me. It's mostly intermittent fireworks set off by individuals--I guess the answer is it depends on how sensitive you are to fireworks. It's not nearly as bad in my neighborhood as it will be along 16th Street--I sleep with my windows open and don't have any issues at night. I don't think the city of Denver itself is crazy over the July 4th weekend--what can be crazy is the traffic going into the mountains/returning to Denver at the end of the weekend. I think maybe the drive to RMNP won't be as terrible, but I absolutely refuse to do anymore trips along the I-70 corridor during holiday weekends.

If 4th of July Parades are your thing, the Park Hill Parade is right near the Zoo/City Park and is a delightful small-town feeling parade. The Botanic Gardens are also close to this neighborhood, and if you have small children the Mordecai Children's Garden within the gardens is a really fun place to play on a hot day. City Park Jazz is a free event on Sunday evening and is a nice picnic opportunity. Another recommendation for the Museum of Nature and Science for kids of all ages and I think it's perfect for a long visit on a hot day.
posted by shornco at 7:28 AM on July 1, 2022 [4 favorites]

I'd stay in Golden, if you can. Much better than our suburbs.
posted by cyndigo at 8:33 AM on July 1, 2022

City Park is nice, very walkable. If you can make the detour, the Carousel of Happyness in Nederland is very fun for small kids.

We do tend to have random idiots setting off fireworks in the city. You might consider a fan or white noise generator.
posted by nickggully at 9:01 AM on July 1, 2022