Planning your visit to Downtown Denver’s cultural attractions

THE BEST WAY

From LAX, American, Frontier and United offer nonstop flights to Denver. Southwest has direct flights (stop, no change of planes). Delta, US Airways and Southwest offer connecting service (change of planes). Restricted round-trip fares start at $264.

WHERE TO STAY

Downtown Denver has many boutique hotels, including the Brown Palace, Hotel Teatro, Hotel Monaco and the Oxford Hotel. For families, several chain hotels offer larger rooms or suites within walking distance of downtown attractions.

Residence Inn by Marriott Denver Downtown, 2777 Zuni St.; (303) 458-5318, marriott.com/hotels/travel/dentw-residence-inn-denver-downtown. Studios start at $159 per night; two-bathroom suites with loft, $199 per night.

Adam’s Mark Denver, 1550 Court Place; (303) 893-3333,www.adamsmark.com/denver. Standard rooms start at $189 per night; suites, $250.

Hampton Inn and Suites, 1845 Sherman St.; (303) 864-8000, www.hamptoninn.com. Standard rooms start at $159 per night; suites, $189 per night.

WHERE TO EAT

Denver Art Museum has two on-site restaurants. Palettes, (303) 534-1455, is more upscale, though it has a children’s menu with dishes priced at $5 to $9 (including a BLT, a burger and fries, and noodles with butter). Gourmet lunch salads and sandwiches are $9 to $15; dinner entrees, such as lamb chops and rare tuna Atlantic salmon, are $16 to $29. Mad Greens, (303) 464-7336, is a casual cafe with create-your-own salads, sandwiches and kids’ meals, such as peanut butter and jelly or macaroni and cheese. Most dishes are $5 to $10.

WHERE TO GO

Denver Art Museum, 100 W. 14th Ave.; (720) 865-5000, www.denverartmuseum.org. Admission: $13 for adults (non-Colorado residents), $5 for ages 6 to 18, free for kids younger than 5.

Denver Zoo, 2300 Steele St.; (303) 376-4800, www.denverzoo.org. Admission: $9 to $11; $5 to $7 ages 3 to 11, 2 and younger free.

Denver Museum of Nature and Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd.; (303) 322-7009, www.dmns.org. This museum has a wonderful dinosaur exhibit and an Imax theater. Museum admission is free; rates vary for Imax and/or the Planetarium.

Children’s Museum of Denver, 2121 Children’s Museum Drive; (303) 433-7444, www.cmdenver.org. There are tons of hands-on activities for kids 6 months through 8 years old. Admission: $7.

Downtown Aquarium, 700 Water St.; (303) 561-4450, www.aquariumrestaurants.com/downtownaquariumdenver/flash_content/index. Admission: $13.25; $7.95 ages 4 to 12, 3 and younger are free.

TO LEARN MORE

Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, 1555 California St., Suite 300; (303) 892-1112, www.denver.org.