You don’t have to go far to spend an entire, fabulous day with the family or friends, escaping the high temps and screaming like a little kid, no matter how old you are. My daughters and I have been making an annual trek to Water World in Thornton since they were toddlers, and even though they’re now teenagers, we still make the Voyage to the Center of the Earth and scare each other through the dinosaurs, and squeal the whole way down Storm, and race to see who gets to the bottom of the slides first. Take plenty of sunscreen, spring for the tubes (it will make cooling off on the Lazy River so much more enjoyable) and go ahead, pack a picnic lunchunlike some other local attractions, they let you bring your own food in, which helps enormously with the budget (just no glass, please). Stay overnight and voilá!, it’s a mini vacation. Cost: $34.99 (48 inches and up), $29.99 (40-47 inches), under 40 inches free. Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily, weather permitting. 1800 W. 89th Ave., 303-427-7873, Kyle Wagner
STAY: The Westin Westminster (10600 Westminster Blvd., Westminster, 303-410-5000, ) is an oasis in the midst of dull chainville, a service-oriented, kid- and pet-friendly place that manages to please families and business travelers by being a solid cross between upscale and laidback. Rooms are reasonably sized, feature the Heavenly Bed for which Westins are famous, and the on-site O’s Restaurant serves three good meals a day. Check their Water World package online, which includes admission and a lunch add-on. . Rates start at $124 a night.
DINE: You can drive a long time in Thornton before you find something locally owned, which makes a meal at the welcoming Papa Mazzotti’s (10364 Colorado Blvd., Thornton, 303-255-8612, ) that much sweeter. The red checkered tablecloths and constant faint scent of garlic might have given it away, but this family-run spot is Italian all the way, a quintessential red-sauce joint that makes a mean meatball (you get a choice of that or the medium-spicy sausage with pasta, along with a basket of bread and soup or salad). Check out Mama’s Marinara on the ravioli eggplant parmigiana ($11.95), and come really hungry.
Thornton is 11 miles north of Denver via Interstate 25
