Kids learn about farm and ranch life at the annual Denver Stock Show
By Eileen Ogintz
Tribune Content Agency
Taking the Kids
Ride ’em, cowboy! The bucking broncos aren’t making it easy for these cowboys, especially since many are under three feet tall, some not even in kindergarten yet.
Welcome to the Mini Bronc Riding event at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, celebrating its 120th anniversary this year! The huge two-week event every January (ending this year Jan. 25) draws ranchers, farmers and city folk from all 50 states and 33 countries, typically more than 700,000 people, more than 60,000 some days.
They come for the events, including those featuring the youngest competitors, as well as pro rodeos, horse shows, livestock shows, Western art exhibits, Wild West shows with all kinds of cowboy entertainment reminiscent of the historic Buffalo Bill Wild West Shows, even Xtreme dog shows (meet and pet them after the performance).
Just as entertaining and educational are the many kids’ activities – pony rides, stick pony races, the big petting zoo, the chance to see baby animals up close (pigs, lambs, goats, donkeys), and the chance for kids to learn roping tricks from the kids’ and teen Westernaires Trick & Fancy Ropers, and of course the chance to watch kids and teens compete in sports they may never have heard about – like trying to stay on a huge bucking bronco for six seconds or stepping over a spinning rope.
The place was buzzing on Martin Luther King Day when kids were out of school, with parents and kids patiently waiting in line for pony rides and to get into the petting zoo. This is also the place where farmers and ranchers come to meet old friends, learn about new techniques and do business.
Shop for all varieties of Western gear – everything from turquoise jewelry to cowboy boots and hats, including those for kids that have blinking lights), coyote scrunchies, Western art, belts, denim, toys (everything from small plastic horses to John Deere tractors, signs like “Saddle Up, Buttercup” and T-shirts, including those for kids saying “Free Range Wild Child.”
You can also shop for a hot tub, horse supplies, knives, grills, leather furniture, Western blankets, rawhide throws and pet beds – and anything a rancher might need, it seems. Chow down on an elk bratwurst, barbecue, pizza or cotton candy shaped like a duck.
Wide Open Saloon collaborated with Riot BBQ, a popular Denver spot showcasing Texas-style barbecue with the culinary traditions of Northern Mexico with a pop- up at the event, complete with live music. Riot BBQ is a great place for a brisket sandwich, ribs, pork belly, cornbread and more with award-winning chef, Manny Barella, manning the smokers and overseeing the menus. The name, incidentally, comes from the 1898 Denver BBQ riot. What started as a free event celebrating the closing of Denver’s National Stock Grower’s Convention, devolved into chaos when a crowd of 30,000 showed up here at the stockyards.
Just two miles from downtown Denver, this is a huge campus where there are activities and events all year, all part of a multi-phase transformation to create a year-round destination for locals and visitors. It is a collaborative effort with the city, private developers and Colorado State University.
Colorado State University’s SPUR is located here with complimentary activities ranging from the chance to watch a veterinarian perform surgery on a dog, eat ice cream made with liquid nitrogen, explore the art installations and on the second Saturday of the month, cooking activities, engaging with scientists, strolling through the rooftop greenhouse and more.
The Livestock Exchange Building, built in 1898 and expanded in 1916, has been painstakingly renovated (the windows alone cost millions) and will be home to businesses, organizations and The Stockton steakhouse, with beef sourced from local ranchers committed to eco-friendly practices. The restaurant, in the same room where multi-million-dollar cash deals were once finalized, is set to open later this year.
For most of the 20th century, this building was the epicenter of the region’s livestock industry, built beside the railroad, stockyards and meatpacking plants.
Also here is the World Family Heritage Center, which celebrates the history and culture of ranching, and the Katherine and J. Robert Wilson Art Gallery (both located in the Western Stock Show Association headquarters) with its collection of Western Art. New is the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Livestock Center, a multi-use building complete with a 5,000-seat arena which will allow for concerts and farmers markets, as well as larger stock shows.
At the Stock Show, the largest in the country, CSU was sponsoring a Colorado Ag Adventure scavenger hunt for kids enabling them to learn more about agriculture and ranching. Did you know it takes 308 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef to eat?
The piglets are so cute. Did you know pigs will grow to 270 pounds in just five months?
Families love the sheep- shearing contests here, including some where kids compete.
Check out the live beehive where you can see the bees working, thanks to the Colorado State Beekeepers Association. Bees bring life to plants, trees and the food we eat!
One Denver grandmother I know tries to bring her grandkids every year. “It really is a chance to see a totally different world,” she said.
Absolutely.
(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The fourth edition of The Kid’s Guide to New York City and the third edition of The Kid’s Guide to Washington D.C. are the latest in a series of 14 books for kid travelers published by Eileen.)
©2026 Eileen Ogintz. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.