Known as the "City Above the Clouds," Woodland Park is a unique community located 18 miles west of Colorado Springs. If you're venturing from the Denver Tech Center, the drive is about an hour and forty minutes. I "discovered" this small town as we were road-tripping elsewhere, and added to our "must visit" list upon return. What caught my eye? For starters, we noticed massive dinosaurs standing outside the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center (RMDRC). And next door was a lively biergarten. That's what it took to get us packed up for a lovely summer day trip to Woodland Park.
Our adventure began at the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center. Open year round, 7 days a week, with reasonable rates (including free admission for children 4 and under), this facility is a great place for young visitors, teens, and adults alike. The dinosaur bones were beyond fascinating, and Woody's Paleo Play Area captured the enthusiasm of my 3 and 4 year olds, especially when they had the opportunity to touch fossilized dinosaur poop. Getting to see a real working laboratory where scientists prepare, restore, cast, and assemble dinosaur structures was a great way to talk to our children about what a paleontologist does, years after the extinction of these magnificent creatures. And in a room near at the front of the building, we even saw a birthday party setup that looked like a lot of fun! To round out our RMDRC experience, we checked out the gift shop and were NOT disappointed. I hate to admit it, but we may have spent more time there than the museum portion of our trip.
Hunger led us to our next stop, BierWerks Brewery, which is just across the street. The little courtyard is also home to two other eateries (Pizza Ragazza and Phil's Pig Out BBQ) should you opt to skip the pretzels and bratwurst. As we dined, we listened to bluegrass music which was coming from a free concert at the lawn area of the Ute Pass Cultural Center (again... just across the street). My kids were quick to notice a bounce house conveniently located at the entrance of the concert area. Should you find yourself in Woodland Park looking for something extra to do, be sure to check out their Calendar of Events.
With two activities and a meal under our belts, we called it a day and headed home. Though we didn't get to see everything that Woodland Park has to offer, I am glad we had a chance to visit for ourselves. Check out the Woodland Park Main Street Map to make your own special day trip plans.
➡️ Find more great day trip ideas in our Day Trips from the DTC guide
