Innovative Solutions

Aurora's Great Plains Park is great in so many ways. Visitors can enjoy several outdoor activities like splashing around in the water feature area, watching the kids play on the jungle-gym or running around and playing a game of catch on the spacious open fields. The park gets high marks from many visitors who site its cleanliness and family-friendly atmosphere. It is also a favorite of nature lovers, as you can enjoy a picnic lunch or just sprawl out on a blanket on the grass with your favorite book and take in some of that Colorado sunshine.

For the past several years, the Aurora Fox Arts Center has carried on the tradition of providing great theatrical entertainment by delivering consistently excellent performances to the delight of many audiences. The building itself is an historic landmark located in the city's East End Arts District, the epicenter of performing arts in the area. There is always an enticing array of entertainment on the schedule that includes plays, musicals, children's theater, and concerts, as well as performing classes for theater-lovers of all ages.

The Centennial House is one of Aurora's most significant pieces of history for various reasons. The structure is a Queen Anne Victorian-styled home and is the oldest of the nine houses Donald Fletcher built to begin developing a new community east of Denver. The community's original name, Fletcher, was later changed to Aurora. The home was one of the first in the area to feature plumbing and has had both its interior and exterior restored to reflect its original 1890s appearance. Tours are available, but you must call to reserve your time.

Get a feel of what it was like to attend class in a two-room schoolhouse when you visit Aurora's Melvin School. The structure, built in 1922 and named a landmark in 1986, originally served the outlying community of Melvin. In 1949, the structure was carefully moved to make room for the Cherry Creek Reservoir. After being used as a tavern for 17 years, the Cherry Creek Historical Society moved the school to its current location on the grounds of Smoky Hill High School where it continues to be owned and maintained by the Cherry Hill School District.