Outdoor gardens in the middle of Denver, a Sensory Garden of touchable plants, a free backpack of sensory tools, and your own picnic allowed. The Gardens says it has quiet spaces but doesn't say where. Here is the quiet way through it, in its own words.
Denver Botanic Gardens York Street
1007 York St, Denver 80206 · Last entry 4 pm through Nov 18, then 2:30 pm Nov 19 to Dec 31; opens 9 am. Grounds clear an hour after last entry. Early closings Oct 21 to 24 (1 pm), Oct 28 to 31 (2 pm), Dec 24 and Dec 31 (noon). Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. January hours: not posted yet.
The Gardens' visitor guidelines: “no loud music, balls, bicycles, scooters, skateboards, frisbees or sleds.”
Our note The Gardens doesn't say when it is quieter. Fri Nov 27 is a free day that the Gardens says “will sell out”; we'd pick another day.
Our note The listed hours are last-entry times. Mordecai Children's Garden lists no hours after Oct 31, which reads as closed until spring; the reopening date is not stated.
Our note Glow at the Gardens and Blossoms of Light are separate evening tickets. Regular daytime admission doesn't include them.
Free SPARK backpacks at the Information Desk in Boettcher Lobby or the Helen Fowler Library: noise-reducing headphones, weighted lap pad, wiggle seat, visor, fidgets, fan, sunglasses, a calming card and a blanket. Leave a photo ID.
You may bring your own food and non-alcoholic drinks. Seating is limited; the Gardens suggests a blanket.
Timed entry, reserve ahead. Adults $16.25, kids 3 to 15 $12, seniors and military $12.50, 2 and under free.
More: parking, entrances, wheelchairs, free days
Named by the Gardens; it publishes no noise scale and names no loud spots for regular days
Louder or brighter, in the Gardens' words
Glow at the Gardens (Oct 21 to 24, evenings, ticketed) (“Spooky illusions, props and sound effects are featured in certain areas.”)not stated
Blossoms of Light (Nov 20 to Jan 10, evenings, ticketed) (on its Sensory-Friendly Night, “Light and sound are adjusted to subdue the highest sensory features”)not stated
Quieter
Quiet, low-sensory spaces (not named; ask at the Information Desk)quiet zone
Sensory Garden (touchable plants)quiet zone
Limited free parking in the garage between York and Josephine streets; accessible parking first come, first served. Vans park on the top deck. Street parking in Cheesman Park where posted.
Enter through the Bonfils-Stanton Visitor Center at 1007 York St.
Manual wheelchairs and strollers are free to borrow, first come, first served.
Free day: Fri Nov 27, regular hours only. Tickets go out on the 1st of the month; no onsite tickets once sold out.
No social story or pre-visit guide is posted. The SPARK kit includes a calming strategies card.
Children under 16 must be with an adult. No pets; service animals welcome.
Questions: call 720-865-3500. The Gardens asks for advance notice.
What the Gardens doesn't say
not stated a re-entry rule
not stated where first aid is
not stated the name or location of the quiet spaces
not stated how staff are dressed
not stated a social story
not stated Sensory-Friendly Night ticket prices (until Nov 9)
Timed tickets, booked ahead. Park in the free garage, then go in through the Visitor Center. At the Information Desk, leave a photo ID and borrow a free SPARK backpack: headphones, a weighted lap pad, fidgets, sunglasses and a blanket. Then garden paths outside, and a Sensory Garden with plants to touch. Your own food is fine. From Nov 19 the last entry is 2:30 pm. Change anything.
One tip from a dad who's been there
Check the hours the night before; the times the Gardens lists are last entry, and they drop to 2:30 pm on Nov 19. At the Information Desk, ask where the quiet spaces are before you start walking. Leaving early still counts as a garden day.
Common questions
What if my child won't look at the schedule or story?
That is common at first. Leave it where the moment happens, point to one picture at a time, and keep it low-pressure. Many kids warm up to it after a few calm tries, in their own time.
Can I make this in Spanish?
Yes. Every tool and this page exist in Spanish, and the printed page comes out in the language you choose. Use the language switch at the top.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no signup, and we don’t keep what you type; anything you save stays on your device. Make it, print it, done.
