Durango, Colorado Family-Friendly Travel Guide

My parents bought a house in Durango, Colorado in 2012, and it quickly became one of our favorite places to visit. After Isla was born, we spent six weeks in Durango to escape Houston’s summer weather, and we’ve tried to keep the tradition up after our other two girls were born. Durango is a beautiful, walkable city that is perfect for traveling with children. In the past two weeks, I’ve had a handful of people reach out to me for recommendations, so I thought it would be helpful to share a post with our favorite kid-friendly activities and restaurants/cafes. I hope you find this guide helpful! Please email me at ailee@snapshotsbyaileepetrovic.com if you have any additional questions. I’m happy to help be a tour guide for this city we adore!

View my Durango Travel Guide Google Map to help map out the activities and eats listed below!

Kid-Friendly Activities

Feed the fish at the Durango Fish Hatchery: The Durango Wildlife Museum has an adjoining fish hatchery which the girls adore visiting. Make sure to bring quarters to buy fish food from the vending machines at the hatchery! There is a small, two room nature exhibit at the museum which is worthwhile walking around – our girls like going inside to see the animals.
Feed the ducks at the Huck Finn Pond: Across the train tracks from the hatchery is a big pond with a pretty trail that wraps all the way around. We like to save some of the fish food and throw it to the ducks in the pond.
Visit the Durango Public Library: Just up the hill from the Fish Hatchery, there is the cutest little library with an amazing kids area. There are games, puzzles, lots of little kiddos to play with, and a great selection of books to read. You can check the library’s schedule online for any family reading times they have! We’ve had great luck with their interactive storytime.
Swim at the Durango Hot Springs Resort & Spa: We were in town for Sasha’s 40th birthday and chose to go here to celebrate. There are a ton of natural hot spring pools with the most picturesque view of the mountains. During the summer, I would definitely recommend going in the evening when it starts to cool off!
Shop at the Durango Farmer’s Market: We never miss a Saturday Farmer’s Market in Durango. There is always live music and really good food. Ruby is a balloon artist who is there every week and does amazing animals/shapes/crowns for tips.
Visit Maria’s Bookshop: The girls love their kids section and I always buy a good that one of the employees recommends! It is my favorite bookshop in the world and the girls love looking at the stuffed animals, kids books and toys.
Play at Santa Rita Park: The best kids park in Durango is definitely Santa Rita Park. It’s a bit of a walk from town, so unless you have bikes or a good running stroller, you might want to drive! The girls could honestly spend hours at Santa Rita Park. We also love the school park at (ironically named) Park Elementary – there are two different play areas that are both in decent shade.
Rent bikes: You can rent bikes for the whole family at 2nd Ave Sports – this is where we’ve bought almost every bike in our family, so we’re very loyal to this local shop! Their rental details are here. The best ride for kids is along the Animas River Trail.
Visit the Train Museum: Visiting the station is a must, as Durango is known for it’s train! There are trains that run to Silverton during the summer, but it’s a long trip for young kids. During the summer, they offer a Canyon Cascade Express train ride which is a shorter ride than the Silverton one. We did it for the first time last summer, and I’m dying to do it again this year. The views were unbeatable.
Eat ice cream at Cream Bean Berry: I am obsessed with their vegan chocolate flavor, which is a staple. This ice cream shop has been our favorite since 2014, and I’m convinced you’ll be addicted quickly too!
Visit the Durango Rec Center: We buy an inexpensive 10 punch pass to get access to the fun indoor pool and the splash pad. They are both so good for kids, and there is a great park outside the Rec Center too!
Hunt for Fairy Gardens on 3rd Avenue: Walk along East 3rd Avenue to look for the fairy gardens in peoples’ yards – there are some on 2nd Avenue too! The girls love spotting these tiny fairy setups.
Go horseback riding: Less than 30 minutes drive from the center of Durango is a horseback riding company called Rapp Corral. They offer rides for all levels of riders, as well as a number of different trail options (and lessons too!). Six years old is the minimum age – Isla had a blast doing an hour-long ride with her aunt!
‘Hike’ up to Fort Lewis College: You can access the trail head to the university at 10th Street and 6th Avenue. It is a semi-easy-with-a-kid-on-your-back hike. There are newly built Sky Steps which means you can walk up stairs to get to the top vs. following the dirt trail. The views at the top are breathtaking.
Fill up a bag of candy at Fuzziwig’s: The girls love getting a little bag of candy at Fuzziwig’s candy shop. They have the most amazing selection of sweets.
Check out the fabulous toy selection at Twilight Toys: This toy store is the girls’ favorite! It’s dangerous to enter because they stock such great (and appealing!) toys.
Catch a concert at Buckley Park: During the warm months, there will be events and concerts in Buckley Park on Thursday evenings.
Get your feet wet in the Animas River: Go to Rotary Park and walk down to the river near the info sign/bench seat. There are rocks to sit on down there and the water is normally shallow enough for the kids to stand and get their feet wet. We love to look for sticks by the river there. This spot is very close to Animas Brewing and also near the Fish Hatchery, if you wanted to group those activities.
Visit The PowerHouse Center: This interactive science center is fun for kids and adults, with exhibits & activities focusing on energy. It’s located right off the river by the Fire Station.
Visit Purgatory Resort: The resort is full of fun outdoor activities for kids in the summer, like their alpine slide, mountain rollercoaster, ziplining and trampoline. We’ve gone every summer at the girls have the best time. You pay per activity, which we’ve always appreciated.
Visit Lake Nighthorse: This gorgeous lake was only opened up to the public in 2018 and is a blue water reservoir lake. There is a small fee to enter (per car), and then different activities to do once you get to the water. We’ve kayaked and done stand-up paddle-boarding.
Raft down the Animas River: This is definitely an activity for older kids, but it’s so fun to take a raft down the Animas. We’ve done it a number of times (always without our young kids) and have loved it. We’ve used Durango Rivertrippers & Adventure Tours for the trips.
Go ziplining at Full Blast Adventure Center: We’ve ziplined a few times now as adults, but only once have I gone with my younger cousins. Kids must be 5 years old, so we’re going to take Isla this summer. The $99 course is great and would likely be as long as a little kid would want to zipline, but I love doing the longer course when it’s just adults.

Kid-Friendly Restaurants/Take-Away

Eolus (recommend the upstairs patio): Eolus is a big more formal than the other restaurants on the list, but the upstairs patio is gorgeous with the best views. We will take the girls for an early dinner on the patio before the mood starts to get a bit more adult-y later in the evening.
Doughworks: The girls love the donuts from here! It’s near the Rec Center, so a little away from all of the Main Street walkability.
Grassburger: Their Southwest Vegan Bowl is a salad with their delicious black bean patty on top. It is heavenly. Their sweet potato fries are so good too, so make sure to order those! There is a small kids play area and a kids table, so it is definitely a good spot to bring young ones.
Fired Up Pizza (recommend the upstairs patio): This is our favorite pizza place ever. Their Vesuvius is so tasty (I get it without pepperoni) and their hard basil lemonade is a must. The upstairs patio is our favorite place to be with the kids (typically outdoor spaces stress me out less with kids!).
Animas Brewing Co. (recommend the side patio): We like to get an afternoon snack and drink at Animas Brewing Co. after we’ve been playing at the park or down at the river. They have great appetizers and wine and a nice little gated in outdoor patio that the kids run around in.
Himalayan and Thai Kitchen (recommend takeaway): There are our favorite restaurants in Durango and the girls love the food too, but both are definitely takeaway spots. Himalayan is a fancy-ish restaurant which is opposite from Thai Kitchen – but the tasty food makes up for the lack of atmosphere.
Carvers (recommend the back patio): This restaurant is great for kids because their kids menu is delicious and they also have books and toys that kids can play with, as well as coloring sheets/menus. Again, we always opt for the back patio so the girls can roam around our table while we wait for food.
Ernie’s/11th Street Station: This is a new-ish restaurant/area with a number of great food trailers. It has a great atmosphere and everything we’ve eaten there has been so good! There is a back patio with sky chair swings that is fun for the kiddos. It’s also a good spot for a cute photo opp.
Thai Kitchen: Thai Kitchen is always our go-to spot if Sasha or I get to choose – but it’s more of a take out option than a picturesque place to sit and eat. It has the best Thai food!
The Box: Another food trailer option, this pizza place makes such delicious dishes – we all get their gluten free crust and the girls devor their cheese pizzas. I love their custom pizza option.
Dandelion Cafe: This used to be Cyprus Cafe, but recently shifted management and had a name change. It’s a little more expensive than other restaurants here and a tad more formal than you might want with really young kids. The falafel and hummus are both so good!
East by Southwest: This is another great restaurant on 2nd Avenue that is kid-friendly. We love their beet fries, brussels sprouts, and shisito peppers. It gets busy, so we normally go early – around 5:15/5:30 which works because our girls get hungry early!
Steamworks: Another family-friendly Durango staple that also gets busy, so get there early! Steamworks will have a line out the door most nights if you wait too late – it has a sort of bar/brewery vibe inside, so is a little louder but perfect for eating out with young kids.

Cafes and Wine

Smiley Cafe: It’s rare for a day to go by in Durango without a visit to Smiley Cafe. It is inside of an old elementary school and is such a cute little place to walk around. We get coffee/tea/hot chocolates and baked goods then go to Buckley Park, which is right around the corner for a little picnic. They have delicious gluten free baked goods and a really good almond milk chai tea latte.
Durango Coffee Company and Hermosa Roasters: Two amazing side-by-side coffee shops. There is some sort of drama/reason that these two are next to each other and I wish I could tell you that I prefer one over the other, but they’re both really good. We buy Durango Coffee Company coffee by-the-bag to roast at home, so maybe my loyalty lies slightly more to that cafe!
Fired Up Pizza: Their upstairs patio bar is great too if you wanted to just get a drink and have a beautiful view.
Taste Coffee at 11th Street Station: This little coffee shop is inside Ernie’s at 11th Street Station. They make a mean almond chai tea latte.

Photo Opps

McPherson Chapel: A beautiful chapel at the top of the Sky Steps by Ft. Lewis College with rocks to it which give you a great view of the city and a pretty photo spot (the trees offer great shade!).
‘Welcome to Durango’ mural wall at 2607 Main Ave: I love this new piece of art in Durango, which makes for a really cute touristy pic.
A train pic by the Durango Train Station or at the bridge crossing the Animas River (near Animas Brewing): Check to see when the train leaves the station and comes back and plan to be on the bridge 5-10 minutes beforehand or afterwards for a great shot.
Lake Nighthorse: There are great photo opportunities by Lake Nighthorse – beside the water or even on the lake doing an activity since the water is a stunning blue and the water has no wake so is so still.
Huck Finn Pond: Across the train tracks from the Fish Hatchery (Durango Wildlife Museum on Google Maps), there is a cute pond that always has ducks. Bring bread to attract them!
Santa Rita Park: This park is colorful and the kids love it, which always makes for good pics (lots of smiles!).
White picket fences on 3rd Avenue: There are a few homes on this street with white picket fences.909 E. 3rd Avenue has a really pretty fence with good shade. I love taking photos on the street corner in the shade by the fence!
Cream Bean Berry: I love the blue awning outside and always love a good ice cream pic!
Durango Rec Center splash pad: It’s so colorful and fun to take photos here.
On the Animas River: A small parking lot just north of the ‘Durango River Boat Launch’ spot (there’s no address, but Google Maps recognizes that exact phrase) – keep driving a bit past the big launch area and there’s a small dirt lot on your left hand side. Park there for some good shots on rocks next to the river.
Purgatory Resort: Lots of amazing action shots with all of the summer activities they have to offer.
11th Street Station/Ernie’s: With a vintage, Texaco sign in the middle of the food trailer lot and strung lights, it’s a great place for a photo opp.