BEST BETS >> THINGS TO DO AROUND DENVER THIS WEEKEND

Skier Andrew Hoff catches some air off a jump on High Noon Run on the first day of the ski season Arapahoe Basin Ski Area on Oct. 23, 2022. HELEN H. RICHARDSON — THE DENVER POST

ARTcade returns to the Denver Theatre District with artist-designed arcade games. PROVIDED BY DENVER THEATER DISTRICT

A python will be on-hand for the new Denver Museum of Nature & Science exhibit “Animals of the Rainforest” — along with lots of other live animals. PROVIDED BY DMNS

“Music for Mushrooms” is a documentary about psilocybin culture from musician East Forest. PROVIDED BY DAIRY ARTS CENTER

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By The Denver Post

A butt-kicking Ski Boot Camp

Saturday: The weather may not be ready for ski season, but you can be by attending a free exercise class designed to tone and strengthen those shredding muscles. Hosted by Christy Sports and Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, the event includes an hour-long high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout, plus gear tuning, music, mingling and refreshments — all for free.

Bring a yoga mat, your skis or snowboard, and thoughts of powder days. Ski Boot Camp comes to Clear Creek Valley Park (3700 W. 58th Pl., Arvada) from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12. Free to attend. Register at arapahoebasin.com/events. — Tiney Ricciardi

ARTcade has fun, games and fine art

Opens Thursday: The relaunch of the Denver Theatre District’s ARTcade is good news for fans of arcades — and fine art, believe it or not. Players can earn “loot” by winning artistic takes on classic arcade games such as claw machines and pinball, “along with new artist-customized games. Prizes include original art, stickers, handcrafted jewelry, apparel, buttons, and more,” producers wrote.

ARTcade is all-ages and free to enter, but requires tokens to play; kids 13 and under need a parent or guardian. It opens Thursday, Oct. 17, and runs noon-8 p.m. Thursdays-Sundays at 1555 Champa St. in downtown Denver, just off the 16th Street Mall. denvertheatredistrict.com/events/artcade-2024 — John Wenzel

A rainforest in dry Denver?

Opens Friday: Step into a virtual rainforest this weekend as Denverthe Museum of Nature & Science opens its newest exhibit, “Animals of the Rainforest.” Yes, Denver’s about as far as you can be from a humid, tropical environment, but that’s part of the exotic appeal.

The bilingual exhibit will feature live encounters with rainforest animals — including a sloth, a python, an iguana, boa constrictors and tortoises — elaborate environmental displays that show the importance of conservation, and family-friendly activities, organizers said.

It opens Friday, Oct. 11, at 2001 Colorado Blvd. Open every day 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. most Fridays. Included with admission, $26 for adults, $21 for kids 3-18, and free for 2 and under. 303-370-6000 or dmns.org — John Wenzel

Tune in, drop out with a new movie

Through Oct. 20: Musician East Forest’s work has long dabbled in psychedelic themes. His 2019 album, “Music for Mushrooms: A Soundtrack for the Psychedelic Practitioner,” is perhaps the most explicit about that, featuring five hours’ worth of ambient music designed to accompany a psilocybin trip.

Naturally, he’s learned a lot about the psychedelic experience and its relationship to music — which is also the subject of his new documentary, “Music for Mushrooms.” It’s playing at the Dairy Arts Center’s Boedecker Theater, 2590 Walnut St. in Boulder, through Oct. 20. Get tickets, $12 each, by calling 303-440-7826 or visiting thedairy.org/whats-happening/cinema. — Tiney Ricciardi