Denver Museum of Nature and Science outdoor play area a favorite among kids

DENVER ( KDVR ) — It’s like all of Colorado’s eight ecosystems in one location, throw in some slides, and you have the new Nature Play exhibit in Denver’s City Park.

The play area sits on four and a half acres just outside the Denver Museum of Nature and Science . After 18 months of construction worth almost $8 million , the exhibit is now open.

Jackie Altreuter is the director of strategic planning at the museum, and she said taking Colorado’s natural history outdoors was a natural thing to do.

“By being in nature we learn to love nature. It connects us to ourselves and to each other,” said Altreuter.

It also connects us to the past, like a waterfall that was built generations ago and restored specifically for Nature Play.

“It was designed in the late 1940s by the Denver Botanical Gardens. They changed their name to the Denver Botanic Gardens when they moved to the York Street location,” said Altreuter.

Altreuter said Nature Play was designed for all ages to enjoy but admits it’s very kid-friendly.

When you visit, pay attention to the details because there are things right in front of you that you might easily overlook, like the tiny numbers etched into the rings of an old Colorado tree trunk.

“It means this tree was planted in 1801,“ said Altreuter.

And that is a right smart piece of time.

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