Denver with Kids: Home Base at RiNo's Catbird
Family travel takes serious planning: what to pack, what to rent, where everyone sleeps, how to keep the snack supply from collapsing by day two. By the time most families arrive somewhere, at least one person has spent two weeks running a mental checklist. The idea of the trip is always exciting, but logistically getting there is a lot.
Catbird— an apartment-style hotel located at 3770 Walnut Street in Denver’s River North Arts District — removes most of that labor before it starts. Full kitchens in every room. Laundry supplies on each floor. A Playroom inside the lobby. And rates that go down the longer you stay. Some planning is unavoidable, so we take care of as much of the rest as we can. 
The Playroom: A Gear Library That Cuts Half Your Packing List
Bikes, games, and sports equipment — most families either leave this stuff at home or spend a morning tracking down a rental shop that charges $40 for a helmet. The Playroom skips that conversation entirely. No schlepping a bike box through Denver International Airport, no stressing when your nine-year-old wants to kick around a ball at the park. You check in, walk to The Playroom, leave with gear, and just like that, the rest of the day opens up.
For multi-night stays, the kitchen matters just as much. Every room at Catbird comes with a full kitchen — refrigerator, freezer, a combination convection oven and microwave, dishwasher, cooking supplies, and filtered water. The lofted bed design creates a natural zone between sleeping and living space, which we know is not a small thing if you’re traveling with young kids. Grab-and-go options are also available 24/7 from Catbird Kitchen, and complimentary La Colombe drip coffee or hot tea is available in the lobby from 7 am to noon daily.
RiNo on Foot (and on Wheels) with Kids
The River North Arts District is as walkable as Denver gets. From Catbird’s front door on Walnut Street, the neighborhood unspools in all directions with murals, independent spots, and green space. A few places worth knowing:
Number 38 — 3560 Chestnut Pl., about a 10-minute walk. Part beer garden, part backyard playground, this sprawling RiNo gathering spot gives families plenty of room to spread out. With lawn games, live entertainment, kid-friendly food options, and space to run around, it’s the kind of place where parents can relax while kids stay happily occupied.
Denver Central Market — A historic 1928 food hall a short walk from the hotel, with vendors covering everything from pizza and ice cream to fresh seafood and a green grocer. Reliable for lunch, snacks, and stocking the room’s kitchen without hunting down a grocery store.
RiNo ArtPark and Murals — The RiNo ArtPark is a community gathering space with rotating art installations and a playground with climbing frames and walls that kids will love. The neighborhood also has over 80 mural installations throughout its alleys and building facades — more than enough to occupy curious kids who want to find them all. Denargo Market Park, opened in 2025, added another four-plus acres of riverfront green space with a playground and a climbable rhino sculpture along the river.
The neighborhood’s bike lanes make a Playroom bike the right call for a morning loop. The flat grid of Walnut, Larimer, and Blake Streets works for most kids, and you’ll see the art better on two wheels than from a car window.
Two Days Anchored at Catbird
Day 1 — RiNo by bike and on foot
Start with coffee and breakfast from Catbird Kitchen or walk to Home Away Coffee. Check out bikes from our Catbird team and spend the morning on a neighborhood loop — the mural corridor along Larimer and Blake, the Denargo riverfront, and RiNo ArtPark. For lunch, stake out a spot at Denver Central Market. In the afternoon, wander the galleries or let the kids lead the mural scavenger hunt. Catbird’s daily social hour runs from 4 to 5 pm in the lobby — a natural reset before dinner. Rook, the rooftop bar, is upstairs when you’re ready, with games, skyline views, and a grilled cheese-fueled menu guaranteed to satisfy even the pickiest eaters.
Day 2 — Mountain day with your family
There’s so much to explore just outside of Denver especially if you head west. Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, located about 15 miles from Denver, has hiking trails, the Trading Post Trail loop, and enough geological drama to hold kids’ attention independent of any concert schedule. Admission and parking are free. For more mountain time, Rocky Mountain National Park outside Estes Park is roughly 90 minutes from Denver — a full trip with wildlife sightings, trail options at varying difficulty, and an excuse to use snap your next family photo.
Back at Catbird after a day out like this, the easiest option is often cooking dinner in your own kitchen, while the family chills out on the sofa and queues up a movie on the projector.
When There Are More of You: The Klee House
For families traveling with extended family or multiple households, The Klee House is a private 2,500 sq ft, four-bedroom, 2.5-bath home that sits right next to the hotel. It sleeps up to 12 guests and comes with full access to all of Catbird’s amenities — bikes, the fitness center, the rooftop, the laundry. Mid-century modern decor, a fully equipped kitchen, and enough room to spread out without negotiating the hotel hallway dynamic.
Extended Stays and Rate Discounts
The longer you stay, the more sense Catbird makes for families. Progressive rate discounts kick in at 6, 14, and 30-plus nights, which brings the apartment-style setup into even clearer focus — storage lockers for your gear, Peloton bikes in the fitness center, friendly front desk ambassadors who get to know your family’s rhythms. For Colorado residents, the 303 Sleepover offer adds 15% off and a $40 dining credit. See all current offers here.
One of the most difficult aspects of family travel is the planning. Here, the Playroom’s stocked, the kitchen’s ready, and by the time you land at DEN, you’re already on vacation.
