Fun in the city of Denver

Kevin's days have been filled with his conference while we are in Denver. So, that leaves the kids and I to venture out for some fun and exciting day trips.

Our first stop was the Hammond Candy Factory. They have been making candy since 1920. We were able to go on a factory tour and watch candies being made by hand and with the help of vintage machinery. Katelyn took detailed notes and found it very interesting. Brittany and Jackson were just waiting until they could go to the candy store and stock up on candy! It took a while for the kids to pick out exactly what they wanted. We left with candy canes, lollipops, ribbon candies and chocolate bunnies.

In the evening Kevin joined us for dinner at the Downtown Aquarium. The Aquarium consists of a restaurant and a museum. We sat right next to the tank and all the kids were fascinated watching the fish swim around. After dinner we went into the museum to see aquarium life from all over the world.

We had been to the Downtown Aquarium when we lived in Houston and thought this Aquarium had a better exhibit.
Jackson was excited to see "Nemo" and "Dory" in a tank. Brittany and Katelyn were intrigued by the sting rays that they could actually touch. The only Hill family member who touched them was Kevin!

The following day, the kids and I met up with Michele Woytek and we went to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. This is one impressive museum. It is massive - with three stories of exhibits. We spent the entire day there and still did not see everything. This is one museum I would highly recommend to anyone traveling to Denver. The kids kind of ran through it and I wish we could have spent a little more time in the exhibits. Our favorite exhibits were the Gem and Mineral Exhibit and the Space Odyssey Exhibit. Of course all the kids had fun in the Discovery Zone. Katelyn spent most of her time at the dinosaur dig. We ended the day with a trip to the museum store where Katelyn left with a bracelet and quartz keychain. Jackson and Brittany wanted dinosaur masks and more rocks to add to their growing collections. I guess it should come as no surprise that our kids would love all things about rocks and minerals, as their father has a degree in geological engineering!

I think we have spent enough time in museums lately. Although, there are other museums I would like us to visit when we get to Colorado Springs on Thursday. However, tomorrow we will take a break and do some shopping. Katelyn has been really looking forward to this part of our vacation!