We spent 9 days in Durango in early July with 9, 7 and 3-yr old kids. We have an RV so did most of our meals there but did eat at Steamworks Brewery downtown one night - great food and drinks.
For activities, we do a lot of hiking and stuff but below are some options with younger kids (we did all of these):
- Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Train - note the train was only running to Cascade Creek then turns around and heads back to Rockwood (departure location). But on a positive front with young kids it's about 2.5 hours round trip and views are great so we were happy to not spend the full day on the train if going to Silverton. Highly Recommend.
- Train museum downtown Durango - free and cool way to spend an hour
- Dept Wildlife & Fisheries Trout Farm - free and can see thousands of young rainbow trout before they are released into ponds/lakes/rivers
- Purgatory Ski Resort - about 20 min north of Durango, mountain coasters, sleds, ride gondola, panning for gems, etc. You buy a half day pass (morning or afternoon) and get unlimited use during your time slot. They are limiting number of people so buy tickets in advance.
- Mesa Verda NP - about 40 min west of Durango, great views, some short walks to see cliff dwellings, canyon overlooks, etc.
- Downtown Durango has some great playgrounds for kids - Santa Anita Park is awesome so have a picnic there and let the kids play. It's right next to the river on south side of downtown.
- Rafting - if the 5-yr old is up for it, do the short 2-hr rafting trip down the Animas River through town. A few fun bumps and nothing serious. Puts in on north side of town and finishes at Santa Anita Park. It's only about 1.5 hrs on the water. I did it with my 9 and 7 year old and they loved it. Wife and 3-yr old hung out at Whitewater Park and watched us raft by.
Let me know if any questions. We loved our time in Durango.