Hudson Gardens in Littleton is 30 acres of public garden along the South Platte River with free admission every day of the year. The grounds are open sunrise to sunset and the Welcome Center runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For a homeschool family it is an easy nature study that costs nothing; for a co-op it is one of the few gardens with a formal free field-trip program.
Self-guided group field trips run Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. year-round, typically last one to two hours, and are reserved through South Suburban Parks and Recreation’s registration system (150 visitors a day cap). Leaders bring their own lessons; Hudson recommends one chaperone per 10 students. There are outdoor picnic areas but no indoor lunch space. Paid nature classes are also offered through the season, such as an owl-pellet dissection class on Sept. 26, 2026 ($15-$20).
Lesson hooks
- Nature: plant identification, pollinators, riparian habitat along the Platte.
- Seasonal: fall color and seed collecting in October; the Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns runs on select nights through Nov. 1.
More like this: Free Field Trips · Nature · Littleton
