As the old adage goes, if you don’t like the weather in Colorado, wait five minutes and it will change. So it’s not likely that your Steamboat summer vacation is going to get rained out, but if your kids have had enough Vitamin D for this lifetime and you are tired of applying multiple layers of sunscreen, then head indoors for a few of our indoor summertime favorites.

hula-hoop

Mini Masterpieces + Bowling

Head on over to Splatz – now located inside of SnowBowl bowling alley - to paint masterpieces with your little ones. The Thursday double-your-fun summer special includes painting, bowling and lunch from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is suitable for kids from 6 to 16.

Bumper Cars on Ice

Even though we wait nine months to wear our flip flops around town, it’s still pretty fun to get the “Thrill of the Chill” in July over at Howelsen Ice Arena. You can go ice skating during open skate hours or try out the slippery fun in the bumper cars on ice area. We can pretty much guarantee that during this summer car ride, nobody will be whining, “Are we there yet?” or fighting over turns at the Xbox.

A children’s library

Enjoy story time for toddlers in the reading room at the Bud Werner Memorial Library. Stories are at 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. for 1 to 3 year olds and include finger plays, stories and songs. Grab a cushion and join the circle.

And preschoolers, of course, get their own story time as well. Wednesdays at 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. are for these older tots, 3 to 5 years old. Robot Readers day is Thursday, when elementary school kids get to drop eggs from roof tops, conduct electricity through a banana, play with slime, fly paper airplanes, create a robot and anything else that disguises learning as all out fun. Activities start at 10:30 a.m.– no registration or sign up required. The library hosts a ton of standalone events throughout the summer too – rocket launching, Lego contests and astronomy for everyone. Check their calendar for details on what’s happening when you’re in the ‘Boat! This beautiful library is located along the Yampa River with floor to ceiling windows, so if you are stuck inside, you probably won’t even realize it.

Hula Hooping

For those of us who are self-taught (i.e. not very good) hula hoopers, we can marvel that kids these days can actually get bona fide instruction to perfect their hooping. At Sundance Studio, kids 5 and older can hoop to it and learn this requisite summer activity. And if they need a little mellowing out after all that hooping, they can stick around for kids’ yoga classes right afterwards.

Then be sure to take them over to Rex’s American Bar & Grill and show off their new skills on the outdoor patio and hula hooping lawn area.