Hi Highlands Ranch,
If you’re not headed to the mountains this weekend, we’ve got you covered. It’s supposed to rain Sunday, so we have a good option for that.
Heads up on a few things:
🌳 Park Challenge + giveaway is the most fun
🔥 Stage 1 fire restrictions + 💧Stage 1 drought restrictions
🎨 Free Day at the Denver Art Museum
Last week’s Fly’n B Park sparked a note from one of you—remembering the old owner flying over the property back in the day. Turns out, that checks out. We linked a short history piece shared with us if you want to dig in.
There’s more behind some of these park names than you might think—we’ll start surfacing that.
A mix of things in the Ranch + a few worth the drive.
Let’s do this thing.
Views from the Ranch
🌿Weekend Outing Ideas
Día del Niño + Free Day – Denver Art Museum
🗓️ Sunday, April 26 (10am-5pm)
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Free admission + one of the bigger family-friendly events in Denver this weekend. Great Australian art exhibit on display. Live performances, interactive art, and activities across the entire museum campus—worth the drive from the Ranch and mostly free street parking on Sundays. If you’re going—grab tickets ahead.
Earth Day Celebration – Downtown Littleton
🗓️ Saturday, April 25 (11am-4pm)
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Downtown Littleton turns into a full Earth Day setup—local makers, food, live music, and hands-on workshops throughout the area, all centered around sustainability and local goods. An easy option to get out and walk around for a bit.
Free Day – Four Mile Historic Park
🗓️ Friday, April 24 (10am-4pm)
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Free admission this Friday at Four Mile—a 12-acre historic park with a working farm, animals, and Denver’s oldest home.
This runs every fourth Friday, so it’s worth keeping on your radar. We called ahead—you can just show up (no tickets needed) for this Friday.
Earth Day Pop-Up – Kistler Park
🗓️ Friday, April 24 (9-10:30am)
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A quick, free pop-up with Metro District park rangers—hands-on activities, simple crafts, and a chance for kids to learn about nature and sustainability. No registration needed—just drop in.
Pickleball Tournament – Epic Pickleball Club
🗓️ April 24-26
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A full weekend tournament with multiple divisions and prizes—whether you’re competitive or just getting into it. If you’ve been playing or thinking about it, it’s time for a Pickleball tournament.
Volunteer Day – Backcountry Wilderness Area
🗓️ April 25 (9am-12pm)
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A simple way to get outside and give back—help prep the Backcountry for summer with trail work and cleanup projects. Kids can join if supervised. Solid pick if you’re looking to do something more hands on this weekend.
🌳Park of the Week
Springer (6/26)
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A classic neighborhood park—playground, sand area, sports fields, and an easy go-to for getting outside.
If you caught last week’s trivia on park names—Springer was the answer: Politics didn’t stick for this former owner—ranching did, and the name lives on here.
➜Curious about the full story? We linked a quick history note from the Mansion.
🌲 26 Park Challenge: Visit all 26 with us over the next 26 weeks—join anytime. You don’t even have to go in any particular order. It’s not that strict.
☁️🤔Park Giveaway: Guess the park correctly on Instagram, Facebook or email. Increase your chances of winning a Colorado getaway.
🍽️Restaurant of the Week
Local Pick – Cranelli’s Italian Restaurant
🗓️ Saturday, April 25th
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Family-owned by Highlands Ranch locals, Cranelli’s is a cozy Italian spot with a loyal following—and a Bingo Brunch this Saturday worth checking out or great for a date night. Call ahead as spots tend to fill.
📰Early Next Week
Active Minds History of Horses and Horseracing – Highlands Ranch Library
🗓️ Monday, April 27 (6-7pm)
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With the Kentucky Derby coming up, this talk at the Highlands Ranch Library dives into the history of horses—from early domestication to modern racing. Easy, interesting, and a mindful way to kick start the week.
Guided Birding Hike – Backcountry Wilderness Area
🗓️ Tuesday, April 28 (7-8:30am)
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A peaceful guided walk to spot birds by sight + sound in one of the best habitats around the Ranch — a great way to start a peaceful morning. Free.
📬 Before You Go
Thank you for being part of this growing community! It has been a blast connecting with you through this newsletter.
We’ve got some exciting add-ons to share with you all in the future as we grow.
Final reminder: Farmer’s Market runs every Sunday.
If you’re enjoying this, share it with a friend or neighbor—it helps more than you know. If I missed something or you have a suggestion, just reply—I’d love to hear from you.
For now, that’s the Scoop, y’all. Have a great weekend!
— Grace
Editor, The Ranch Scoop