Denver’s downtown theme park, Elitch Gardens, is located right in the heart of the city. The theme park is home to all types of attractions, from thrill rides, like Mind Eraser or Tower of Doom to over a dozen pint-sized rides perfect for younger guests.

Serving up summer fun at its downtown location, Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park is right off of lines C, E, and W and close to the Pepsi Center just steps away from the Pepsi Center / Elitch Gardens station. This Denver institution offers roller coaster and thrill rides, water slides, and cabanas for family chill time.

A water park and amusement park with over 50 rides, Elitch Gardens Theme Park also has up-close animal interactions, magical illusion shows, games, and concerts. Ride a roller coaster, get soaked on a water ride, take in an acrobatic show, and view the city from the top of the observation tower. Check out the Brain Drain ride, a seven-story steel-looping roller coaster, and Disaster Canyon, which stimulates white-water rafting. After you've worked up an appetite, indulge in some barbeque or funnel cakes, or something else from one of the park's many restaurants. Parking is free with season passes, or available for a daily fee with single-day tickets. There is also a light rail stop and bus station next to the park's entrance if you want to avoid parking. Choose to start, finish, or center your holiday on a trip to Elitch Gardens Theme Park by using our Denver route planner.

After spending 104 years tucked away in northwest Denver, Elitch Gardens move from its longtime home on 38th and Tennyson to a spacious downtown site, which allowed it to add state-of-the-art rides, such as the free falling Tower of Doom and the Sidewinder. Besides the more than 100 rides, there are numerous shows, shopping outlets and eateries to keep the family entertained. In addition, in the summer you can alternate between the numerous roller coasters and the neighboring mammoth water park. Hours fluctuate throughout the year hence call ahead or visit the website for the schedule.

Elitch Gardens was a family-owned seasonal amusement park, theater, and botanic garden in the West Highland neighborhood of Denver at 38th and Tennyson streets. For more than a century Elitch's was one of the most popular entertainment destinations in Colorado. It was nationally known for its lush gardens, the Trocadero Ballroom, the Theatre at the Gardens and the premier wooden roller coaster, Mister Twister. The park moved to downtown Denver in 1994 and later became Six Flags Elitch Gardens. Elitch's Zoological Gardens opened May 1, 1890, on 16 acres of former farmland bought by John Elitch and Mary Elitch. It was the first zoo west of Chicago, and it offered the Denver community a unique cultural experience. In 1916, the park was sold to John Mulvihill, with a provision stating the name could never be changed. New attractions appeared, including the fabulous Trocadero Ballroom in 1917, and two Philadelphia Toboggan Company creations: the Wildcat roller coaster — designed by Herbert Paul Schmeck — in 1922 and a new carousel in 1928. This carousel is still operational at Elitch Gardens. It was during this time the park's enduring slogan was first popularized: "Not to See Elitch's is Not to See Denver." The 28-acre site of the former amusement park has undergone redevelopment as Highlands' Garden Village. The site won the Environmental Protection Agency's 2005 Overall Excellence in Smart Growth award for its new urbanism development of 308 housing units and a variety of office and retail spaces.