Sounds of Southlands…In Your Car!
July 9, 2020
Everyone’s favorite summer event is back—live music concerts at Southlands! This summer, due to the coronavirus, it will be the Sounds of Southlands Drive-In Edition. A limited number of people with advance-purchase tickets will park their cars on site and enjoy the live concert from the safety of their cars! Other re-openings include Aurora Reservoir Swim Beach and the Mile High Flea Market.
TODAY/TONIGHT, July 9
ALL ABOUT SPICES—VIRTUALLY!
Can you imagine life without spice? No oregano, no pepper, no cumin?!? In the not too distant past, Europeans ate bland diets with no pizazz—until trade routes and colonialism brought a myriad of flavors across the entire world to spice up their culinary routines. This virtual Active Minds lecture lets you in on the full story of spices and how they made their way onto our supermarket shelves today.
Active Minds Online
1:00-2:00 p.m.
Register: FREE
SOUNDS OF SOUTHLANDS – DRIVE-IN EDITION!
Everyone has been looking forward to the live concerts at Southlands that define summer—and they’re finally back in a safer, socially-distanced way! The Sounds of Southlands Drive-In Edition lets a limited number of cars pull up to the venue where you can enjoy the concert safely from your car! Advance ticket purchase is required. Select Southlands restaurants will be available for curbside pickup and delivery right to your car.
Kicking off the series tonight is the high-energy band Tunisia! With a set list boasting over 300 songs, the band plays hits from artists including Earth Wind and Fire, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, The Roots, Katy Perry, Usher, Led Zeppelin and more. This versatile band covers everything from current hits to classic rock, R&B to disco, Motown to hip-hop, and standard jazz to swing.
Southlands Parking Lot, S. Southlands Pkwy. & E. Plaza Ave., Aurora
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Cost: $15 per vehicle
Thursday-Sunday, July 9-12
AURORA RESERVOIR SWIM BEACH IS OPEN
It’s official—you can swim at the Aurora Reservoir again! There will be a limited number of people allowed at any given time, so plan on arriving early if you want to swim. The reservoir is also open to boating, fishing, use of the perimeter trail, SCUBA, and the archery range.
Pack a picnic! Picnic shelters 1, 2, 3, 4, Longs Peak and Pikes Peak are now open, on a first-come-first-served limited-capacity basis.
Aurora Reservoir, 5800 S. Powhaton Rd., Aurora
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. for Swim Beach; 5:00 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Park Hours
Cost: Starting at $10/vehicle
Phone: 303-326-8425
EARTH’S COMEBACK STORY
No, it’s not a futuristic movie about how we recovered from COVID-19 but a fascinating exhibit at the Museum of Nature & Science about a newly-discovered trove of remarkably preserved fossils, found at Corral Bluffs near Colorado Springs. This amazing new discovery shows how Earth recovered after the devastating asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs.
After the Asteroid: Earth’s Comeback displays some of the very best fossils from the site, and the interactive exhibit allows you to handle real concretions and replicas of fossils important to the discovery. You’ll get to experience multimedia storytelling and immerse yourself in the environment of Coral Bluffs through huge murals of Yesterday’s World juxtaposed against Today’s World. This exhibit is free with Museum admission. Remember, you must purchase a timed admission ticket in advance.
Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver
Thurs./Sat./Sun., 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Fri., 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Timed-Entry Tickets: $14.95-$17.95
Phone: 303-370-6000
DENVER ZOO WANTS YOU!
All those adorable zoo animals spent months without seeing you while you were in quarantine, and now they can’t wait to have you visit! Plan a trip for the family in a wide-open outdoor setting, and get acquainted with Denver’s wilder side again! You must buy your tickets in advance online for a particular timed entry. Zoo members must also reserve a timed-entry ticket in advance.
Denver Zoo, 2900 E. 23rd Ave., Denver
8:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.; Last entry: 4:00 p.m.
Reserve Tickets: $14-$20
Phone: 720-337-1400
Friday, July 10
THE GOONIES AT THE DRIVE-IN
The irrepressible kids’ summer film from the 1980s will delight your kids and give you a dose of nostalgia. The Goonies is about an adorable gang of misfit kids who undertake an adventure that involves a pirate treasure map, secret caves, and saving their neighborhood.
The movie will begin at dark, but cars are welcome to arrive as early as 7:00 p.m. This is a free event and open to the public, but there is limited space available. An FM transmitter will be used to broadcast audio directly into your car’s radio. There will not be a concession stand, so please come prepared with your own food. No alcohol is permitted.
Dick’s Sporting Goods Parking Lot G, Central Park Blvd. at 59th Pl., Commerce City
7:00 – 10:30 p.m.
Details: FREE
Phone: 303-388-0724
Friday-Sunday, July 10-12
MILE HIGH FLEA MARKET
The Mile High Flea Market is back—and there is plenty of room to spread out while you shop. Sellers and customers are required to wear face masks at all times, to maintain social distancing and to wash hands regularly. For now, the rides won’t operate and there is no live entertainment, but you’ll still find some of your favorite foods, and a Farmers’ Market will be there, too!
Mile High Flea Market, 7007 E. 88th Ave., Henderson
7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Cost: Fri., $2; Sat./Sun., $3
Phone: 303-289-4656
Saturday, July 11
COCKPIT DEMO DAY
Kids and kids-at-heart have a chance to see inside the cockpits of select aircraft to get a close-up look at instruments and controls. If you or your kids dream of flying, the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum gives you a chance to visualize what that would be like. From a furious F-111 Aardvark to a late 20th century DC-10, you’re sure to walk away with an appreciation for those who fly.
Important change due to the coronavirus: Wings Over the Rockies will not permit guests to climb inside any cockpits until further notice to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, 7711 E. Academy Blvd., Denver
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $9.95-$16.95
Phone: 303-360-5360
SOUTHLANDS FARMERS’ MARKET
Fire up the grill and get ready for some of the freshest produce and gourmet foods you can make in your backyard! Southlands Farmers’ Market always comes through with in-season vegetables and fruits, grown nearby on Colorado farms. You can also get homemade bread, jams, honey, and a great selection of sweets for dessert!
Southlands, 6155 S. Main St., Aurora
8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Cost: FREE
Phone: 303-627-5000
Saturday-Sunday, July 11-12
TWO GREAT MOVIES AT THE DRIVE IN!
Make it a lo-oo-ong night out! Two great movies projected on the big screen where you watch from the safety of your car at the Drive-In at Denver Mart. Inside Out is the funny and moving story of emotions, followed by The Empire Strikes Back—the second of the original Star Wars movies, with young Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo.
Buy your tickets in advance—they always sell out!
Denver Mart Drive-In, 451 E. 58th Ave., Denver
8:00 p.m.
Tickets: $10/person (over 7 years old) in your car
Sunday, July 12
STAPLETON FARMERS’ MARKET
The perfect Sunday morning: a leisurely stroll through one of Denver’s best Farmers’ Markets, featuring local Colorado-grown fruits and vegetables. Specialty items like cured meats, gourmet food items, and delicious baked goods are also available. Remember, masks are required at the Farmers’ Market!
The Green at Stapleton, 29th & Roslyn, Denver
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Cost: FREE
Summer Things To Do Near Southshore!
There’s always something to do near the family-friendly community of Southshore! Enjoy Life at the Lake with plenty of cultural and entertainment activities in the surrounding area, and check here for more online happenings! Check out the beautiful model homes from Richmond American Homes, Toll Brothers, and Taylor Morrison, and picture yourself in your very own dream house! With ranch and two-story models available, new homes are priced from the upper $400s to the $700s.