Elitch Gardens Theme Park
Elitch Gardens Theme Park
3
10:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Monday
10:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday
10:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
10:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
10:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
10:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday
10:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday
10:30 AM - 8:00 PM
About
Located in the heart of Denver and celebrating more than 130 years of fun, Elitch Gardens is Colorado’s only world-class combination theme and water park. From thrilling roller coasters to pint-sized adventures, a splashin' water park and tons of special events, there's thrills for all. The park is open April through October. Visit ElitchGardens.com for more information and to purchase tickets.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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3.0
852 reviews
Excellent
140
Very good
192
Average
224
Poor
141
Terrible
155
KTNtastetester
Ketchikan1 contribution
Sep 2022 • Family
Super disappointed. I had the opportunity to visit three amusement parks this summer in the American West and one in Europe. I had a great time at all but Elitch Gardens. Staffing was clearly a problem at Elitch while the other parks seemed to have figured it out.
Many of the rides were closed on the day of our visit but worse than that the rides that were open were being run so inefficiently that the lines moved very slowly. I saw lots of line cutting, probably due to insufficient staff to enforce park policy. That’s hard to stomach anytime but particularly when your waiting for such a long time in line.
We left after two hours and one successful ride.
It just isn’t worth it…don’t waist your time and money. After leaving the park I remarked to my family that our experience at all the other parks this summer, while expensive, had offered a good value because we had so much fun. At Elich however I felt like I had been taken advantage of, there was no value for your dollar. It felt like it was a shell of a park, like it shouldn’t have even been open.
Many of the rides were closed on the day of our visit but worse than that the rides that were open were being run so inefficiently that the lines moved very slowly. I saw lots of line cutting, probably due to insufficient staff to enforce park policy. That’s hard to stomach anytime but particularly when your waiting for such a long time in line.
We left after two hours and one successful ride.
It just isn’t worth it…don’t waist your time and money. After leaving the park I remarked to my family that our experience at all the other parks this summer, while expensive, had offered a good value because we had so much fun. At Elich however I felt like I had been taken advantage of, there was no value for your dollar. It felt like it was a shell of a park, like it shouldn’t have even been open.
Written September 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aailiyah
Thornton, CO17 contributions
Oct 2022 • Friends
Elitchs is always fun whether it's for fright fest, luminova, or even just a day of fun. The rides for the most part are open, The water park is always fun and those slides are always open. The staff were mostly helpful and cheery and made sure we were safe and having fun. The only drawbacks are the price of food and the age of some of the rides. also, i really like Fright Fest they have two or three haunted houses and staff dressed up to scare you. I really recommend going here for fright Fest and I especially recommend you come here in the summer because they have lots of rides and also a water park the food here is very expensive though
Written May 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Devan S
Rifle, CO119 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
Purchased tickets (discount 50% off through Pepsi) based off ofntheir website stating they were open till 900 PM. $300 for a famiky of five to include parking and two Rapid Access passes.
Rode three rides and two waterpark rides in 4 hours. Spent $100 in overpriced gas station food and drinks. To top it off games were a minimum of $5 to win a small stuffed animal you can buy on amazon for cheaper then it would take to win.
The final straw...they closed at 700 PM. The Lagoon in Salt Lake City had more rides cheaper food. This is not your Elitch Gardens from your childhood. Furthermore, Twister II was not operational.
Not worth your time or your hard earned money no matter how much they are discounted.
Rode three rides and two waterpark rides in 4 hours. Spent $100 in overpriced gas station food and drinks. To top it off games were a minimum of $5 to win a small stuffed animal you can buy on amazon for cheaper then it would take to win.
The final straw...they closed at 700 PM. The Lagoon in Salt Lake City had more rides cheaper food. This is not your Elitch Gardens from your childhood. Furthermore, Twister II was not operational.
Not worth your time or your hard earned money no matter how much they are discounted.
Written August 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lindsay O
2 contributions
May 2023 • Friends
Many broken rides. Water way too cold to enjoy. Do not waste your money. When a team of 17 yr old boys can all agree "it sucked", then you know it was not worth the price of admission.
Written May 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
pednurse13
Lafayette, IN109 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
Much smaller park than I was expecting and had numerous rides that were not working. If I’d known there were so many nonfunctional rides, I would not have paid $45 per person plus $20 parking for the day. We left mid afternoon. It wasn’t crowded but lines were long because so many rides were down. Even though their website says you can bring in water, they made us dump our water before allowing entry. The rides that were functional were fun. If a ride breaks down after you’ve waited in line, you’re just out of luck for that lost time—no compensation or pass to return to the front of the line where you were when it broke down.
Written July 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Roam789391
1 contribution
Jun 2022 • Family
Super fun summer day at water park and theme park on a Thursday. We have 3 boys ages 8, 10 and 12. We moved to Denver from San Diego more recently and have a lot of amusement park experience. We rented a cabana which gave us the fast passes. Since we will only be doing this park once this season, we splurged. So we were able to do a lot more rides because of pass. Prior to coming today I read posts and lowered my expectations. Since Covid all my expectations have been lowered with regard to every aspect of being a customer. I thought Elitch Gardens did a pretty good job in all areas of cleanliness, customer service, and most rides were open (lazy river opened late); the healthier food we ordered (with the non healthy food) was mediocre/not remotely fresh and I don’t recommend even trying to order their salad or crudite. I do not agree with those who say the whole park is shabby. The wave pool floor probably needs to be redone. All else mostly looked good. Prices for food … it’s an amusement park, you know they’ll be high. It’s a business. But I think they should let you bring in your own food as an option. Anyway, our family enjoyed it, kids want to go back (maybe next summer).
Written June 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zachary P
1 contribution
Oct 2021
This is an excuse for a theme park. A pop-up parking lot carnival would be leagues above this place. Not only were half the rides closed when I visited, but the rides I did go on weren't worth the wait. The rides were poorly operated, resulting in long wait times for the shortest attractions. Apart from the rides, I'm 100% sure this place broke at least 5 health code violations with the food court alone. There were flies everywhere, rats running around, and food (somehow) more expensive than Disney prices. The whole park seems like it could use a makeover and had last seen a janitor over 10 years ago. I didn't go to the water park section, but that closed down while I was there as well. There's nothing inviting about this place and you're better off traveling another hour to a better theme park (if this could even be called a theme park)
Written September 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John H
Loveland, CO8 contributions
Aug 2021
Prior to spending the day at Elitch's, I read a number of reviews and was concerned at how many negative reviews there were. The primary complaints were lots of unaccompanied kids running wild, closed rides, uncaring staff, dirty park and high prices, so let me give an objective opinion of each.
1) There may have been an issue with unaccompanied kids running wild, but I believe that park management sufficiently put an end to this. All the lazy parents will have to find another babysitting service,
2) Closed rides. We visited on Sunday 28 August 2021 and many of the staff remarked that it was a slow day, Even with the low attendance, 90% of the rides were running. I suspect that most of the closures were staffing related.
3) Uncaring staff. Flat out NOT TRUE. From kiddie land to the large roller coaster rides, the staff that I observed demonstrated safety and reasonable conduct as primary concerns. Security was plentiful and obvious and bad behavior was not tolerated.
4) Dirty park. Considering the numbers of different demographics passing through the park, I thought that the parks, bathrooms and food areas were reasonably clean. There were not disinfecting armies wiping down each ride, but in general, the park was clean.
5) Cost. The days of the 10 cent ride are past. While our government may want you to believe that there's lots of Free Stuff to be had and minimum wage can be $50/hour, this is one of the places where you get to pay for a piece of that "Free Stuff" bill. It costs money to run a park like this. You can get some breaks if you buy on-line, but a season pass for $59 that covers the balance of 2021 and all of 2022 isn't bad for locals and a $44 day pass for out of towners isn't bad either. That said, if you eat there, expect to pay a lot of money. $13 for an 8" pizza, $13 for a 24 oz beer and $6 for a soft drink (with $1 refills).
All things considered, the visit to the park was time well spent.
1) There may have been an issue with unaccompanied kids running wild, but I believe that park management sufficiently put an end to this. All the lazy parents will have to find another babysitting service,
2) Closed rides. We visited on Sunday 28 August 2021 and many of the staff remarked that it was a slow day, Even with the low attendance, 90% of the rides were running. I suspect that most of the closures were staffing related.
3) Uncaring staff. Flat out NOT TRUE. From kiddie land to the large roller coaster rides, the staff that I observed demonstrated safety and reasonable conduct as primary concerns. Security was plentiful and obvious and bad behavior was not tolerated.
4) Dirty park. Considering the numbers of different demographics passing through the park, I thought that the parks, bathrooms and food areas were reasonably clean. There were not disinfecting armies wiping down each ride, but in general, the park was clean.
5) Cost. The days of the 10 cent ride are past. While our government may want you to believe that there's lots of Free Stuff to be had and minimum wage can be $50/hour, this is one of the places where you get to pay for a piece of that "Free Stuff" bill. It costs money to run a park like this. You can get some breaks if you buy on-line, but a season pass for $59 that covers the balance of 2021 and all of 2022 isn't bad for locals and a $44 day pass for out of towners isn't bad either. That said, if you eat there, expect to pay a lot of money. $13 for an 8" pizza, $13 for a 24 oz beer and $6 for a soft drink (with $1 refills).
All things considered, the visit to the park was time well spent.
Written August 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Missy
1 contribution
May 2022 • Family
Heads up 2022!! Elitch’s has implemented this fast past ride add on ($50) which is fine and dandy if fast pass didn’t mean instantly on the ride all the time!
Went to Elitch’s today for a school event. Watched my daughter stand in line for 1.5 hours for the Brain Drain ride (the line didn’t even snake through all the turn stiles). The last 50 minutes of her wait, the “general” line did not move at all. Instead the ride operators were continually taking the fast past line (which replenished with new fast passers every few minutes).
Even Disney and other major amusement parks ALTERNATE between the fast pass and the general pop line. When taking this issue to guest services, I was advised that I should have told the ride operator to practice this strategy of alternating.. Really!! The employees are only doing as instructed!! Everyone knows that standing in line comes with amusement parks, but now with the new fast pass option be prepared to be at a stand still!!
Went to Elitch’s today for a school event. Watched my daughter stand in line for 1.5 hours for the Brain Drain ride (the line didn’t even snake through all the turn stiles). The last 50 minutes of her wait, the “general” line did not move at all. Instead the ride operators were continually taking the fast past line (which replenished with new fast passers every few minutes).
Even Disney and other major amusement parks ALTERNATE between the fast pass and the general pop line. When taking this issue to guest services, I was advised that I should have told the ride operator to practice this strategy of alternating.. Really!! The employees are only doing as instructed!! Everyone knows that standing in line comes with amusement parks, but now with the new fast pass option be prepared to be at a stand still!!
Written May 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alicia
10 contributions
Jul 2021 • Friends
If you are going to go to this place and try ride more than two rides, you either need to pay extra for the fast pass or plan to go open to close. Some of the rides could have been good but we only got to ride two rides before they shut down virtually everything except kiddie rides due winds and lightning in the area, with no rain check given. Not worth the price for the experience.
That said, the mind eraser was enjoyed by all who rode.
That said, the mind eraser was enjoyed by all who rode.
Written July 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Can I take my own stroller wagon for my autistic son to use?
Aailiyah
Thornton, CO17 contributions
Hmm, I'm not quite sure, i think you might be able to? i see people with strollers at Elitches sometimes so I think you should be fine, but i do suggest contacting Elitches or going there to ask just to be sure! sorry if this wasn't very helpful! Have a great day :)
Can you take in yetti’s with water, or the freezer blocks ( you put in the freezer) to keep water cold?
Nope. They say only unopened clear water bottles can be brought in. No other water bottles.
Macy S
Johnstown, CO11 contributions
Do they have any public lockers you don't have to pay to rent?
Keshia J
1 contribution
Thank you for your review! It was very insightful! I am trying to figure out which cabana to rent. How was the area you were in?
If i have a rapid ride pass and a season pass and my freind has a season pass can she be my plus 1 on to my rapid ride pass?
JW traveler
92 contributions
I am sorry I can't answer that question. I would contact the office at Elitch Garden for that answer. Sorry.
how large are the lockers?
buddyb1021
Denver, CO88 contributions
They are not that large, maybe large enough for a beach tote, or backpack...but it will cost you about 13$
Elitch Gardens Theme Park (Denver) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Elitch Gardens Theme Park
- Elitch Gardens Theme Park is open:
- Sun - Thu 10:30 AM - 8:00 PM
- Fri - Sat 10:30 AM - 9:00 PM
- Hotels near Elitch Gardens Theme Park:
- (0.44 mi) SpringHill Suites by Marriott Denver Downtown
- (0.52 mi) Hampton Inn & Suites Denver-Speer Boulevard
- (0.58 mi) Limelight Hotel
- (0.70 mi) The Oxford Hotel
- (0.68 mi) The Crawford Hotel
- Restaurants near Elitch Gardens Theme Park:
- (0.17 mi) Aquarium Restaurant
- (0.67 mi) Little Man Ice Cream
- (0.72 mi) The Capital Grille
- (0.69 mi) Rioja
- (0.58 mi) Tavernetta
- Attractions near Elitch Gardens Theme Park:
- (0.17 mi) Downtown Aquarium
- (0.25 mi) Ball Arena
- (0.28 mi) Children's Museum of Denver
- (0.22 mi) Bikalope Tours
- (0.42 mi) Cherry Creek Trail