Getting ready forthe Focus on the Family Welcome Center.
The Welcome Center on the Focus on the Family campus, right off I-25 at the Briargate exit, with the Kids' Korner play area downstairs, a three-story corkscrew slide called A-Bend-A-Go, a toddler room, a puppet stage and reading area, and Whit's End Soda Shoppe.
Know before you go. The Welcome Center doesn't list sensory-friendly hours or a quiet room. Here's what it does say about the slide, the play rooms and when it's open.
Hours
Winter hours (day after Labor Day to the day before Memorial Day): Monday to Friday, Welcome Center and Play Area 9 am to 5 pm, Soda Shoppe 10:30 am to 3:30 pm; Saturday, Welcome Center and Play Area 9 am to 4 pm, Soda Shoppe 10:30 am to 3 pm. A-Bend-A-Go slide: call ahead for times. Closed once a month for a staff chapel service; see the closures below.
“Downstairs in the Welcome Center, young visitors will love Kids’ Korner, including A-Bend-A-Go, a three-story corkscrew slide that’s 76-feet long.”
“Riders must be at least 43 ½ inches tall and no taller than 5’9″.” Slide times: “Call Ahead For Times,” and “Subject to weather conditions and based on staffing of the day.”
“For the safety of all children, we ask that an adult stay with children under the age of 16 and that there be one adult for every five children in your group.”
“Toddlers (ages 0-4) can play safely in this room we designed especially for them.”
“KYDS Radio sessions can only be reserved in person on the day of the recording. They are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.”
“The Welcome Center and Bookstore are closed once a month for a staff chapel service. Chapel dates and times vary, so please check for operating hours before your visit by calling (719) 531-3400.”
If the slide is the big draw for your kid, call (719) 531-3400 first to ask about slide times. A closed slide is easier to hear about at home than at the bottom of the stairs.
KYDS Radio lets a child record their voice on an Adventures in Odyssey episode. Sessions can only be reserved in person on the day of the recording, first come, first served, and space is limited, so it may help to tell your kid it's a maybe.
Slide riders must be at least 43 ½ inches tall and no taller than 5'9"; call ahead for slide times.
The Welcome Center asks that an adult stay with children under 16, with one adult for every five children in your group.
The Welcome Center and Bookstore close once a month for a staff chapel service, on dates and times that vary.
Posted closures: November 19 CLOSED 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; November 26-27 (Thanksgiving observed) CLOSED; December 18 CLOSED 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.; December 24-25 (Christmas) CLOSED.
First week of February: annual shut down of the downstairs play area and Whit's End Soda Shoppe.
Operating hours are also subject to change for building maintenance or other issues. To check hours before your visit, call (719) 531-3400.
Summer hours (Memorial Day to Labor Day): Monday to Saturday, Welcome Center and Play Area 9 am to 5 pm, Soda Shoppe 10:30 am to 4 pm.
Also inside: a 10-minute film about Focus on the Family, the Discovery Emporium with a puppet stage and reading area, the Narnia Adventure Room, the Solid Grounds coffee area, and Whit's End, a turn-of-the-century soda shoppe from the Adventures in Odyssey audio series. Guided tours of the ministry run Monday through Friday; call ahead to confirm tour times.
There are two free birthday party rooms, J&J Antiques and the Odyssey Fire Station; call (719) 531-3400 for reservations.
Directions: from I-25, take the Briargate Exit (Exit 151) onto Briargate Parkway, continue east past Voyager Parkway/CO-83 for 0.3 miles, turn right onto Explorer Drive, go 0.2 miles, and turn left onto the campus at 8605 Explorer Drive.
