Museums
Explore the world of art, science, and history by visiting a museum in Colorado. Museum trips can make your lessons come alive and can offer a fun way to spend the day learning.
History & Culture Museums
Ouray County Museum
Explore the history of Ouray County with special and permanent exhibits, including a look at the mining history of the area. The museum is located in Ouray.
Pueblo County Historical Society Museum
The Pueblo County Historical Society's museum was opened in 1975 in the lower level of the old Vail Hotel. It features exhibits relative to the Pueblo area, including the William White Railroad Collection, The Pueblo Saddlemakers (The Ray Bryan Western Room Collection), and The Francis King Western Collection. The museum also houses a substantial collection of Pueblo and regional artifacts.
Telluride Historical Museum
The Telluride Historical Museum provides a rich and compelling experience to visitors, offers learning opportunities, and encourages a deeper understanding of our past -- all by exploring the events, artifacts, and personal accounts of Telluride's cultural heritage. he mission of the Telluride Historical Museum is to preserve the rich, colorful and diverse history of the region and to bring history to life through exhibits, programs and education.
Fort Collins Museum of Discovery
The Fort Collins Museum of Discovery is dedicated to engaging and inspiring their audiences to explore the legacies of the peoples and environments of the Cache La Poudre Rivery Valley. The Main Gallery highlights the early history of Fort Collins from paleolithic Indians that lived 10,800 years ago, to the fort era, and the agricultural boom of the sugar beet industry. Also features special exhibits including a ferret cam, music and sound lab, and tot spot.
Fort Sedgwick Historical Society
The Fort Sedgwick Historical Society features collections in two museums: The Depot Museum, housing relics documenting the early pioneer life, and the newer Fort Sedgwick Museum which contains the interpretative displays, Book Corner, Austin Research Room, and society offices. The Fort Sedgwick Museum is open year-round. The Depot Museum is open during the summer season. Both are located in Julesburg.
Cozens Ranch Museum
Cozens Ranch House is one of the oldest homesteads in the Fraser Valley. Throughout the house now you will find photographs of the Cozens family and early life in the Fraser valley. Original wallpaper and carpet pieces in the mainhouse are combined with family and antique items to help history come alive.
Astor House Museum
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Astor House Museum in Golden has been restored to its original glory as a late Victorian western hotel/boarding house. It offers a look into the life of Ida Goetze, boarding house residents, Golden founders and pioneers, as well as Victorian material culture. The Astor House was built in 1867 and stayed in continuous operation as a boarding and rooming house until 1971. It rented rooms and served hot meals to lawmakers, laborers, miners, students and families, some of whom stayed for weeks or even months. Although it may not appear grandiose by modern standards, the Astor House was considered quite fancy in 1867. The first stone building in Golden, it helped to establish a sense of prosperity and permanency in a growing city.
Fort Morgan Museum
Come explore Ft. Morgan, the boyhood home of Glenn Miller. Exhibits include the Old Hillrose Soda Fountain, farming exhibits, Native American exhibits, and more, all focused on the history of the Ft. Morgan area.
McAllister House Museum
Tour one of the oldest homes in Colorado Springs with knowledgeable guides and staff who recreate the atmosphere of the early history of the family and city, making the house and its occupants live again. Restored to its original Victorian elegance by the National Society of Colonial Dames.
Third Armored Cavalry Museum
Located on Fort Carson, this museum offers a look at regimental history. Admission is free.
Aurora History Museum
The museum collects, preserves, interprets and exhibits artifacts and documents that tell the story of Aurora, Colorado, from prehistoric times to the present. Admission is free.
Aspen Historical Society
Includes information on the Wheeler/Stallard Museum, Ashcroft and Independence Ghost Towns, and the Holden/Marolt Mining and Ranching Museum.
Meeker Home
The 1870 home of Greeley's founding family, Nathan Meeker and his family. It is built of adobe bricks in keeping with the ecology of the region. It is filled with many Meeker family belongings and furnishings of the 19th century and is open for touring from May through September.
Museum of Colorado Prisons
Cañon City, in southern Colorado, is the home of the Museum of Colorado Prisons, a showcase of the atmosphere and exhibits of days, staff, and inmates gone by. The remodeled facility now welcomes visitors to explore the history of Colorado Corrections. Audio tours guide visitors through 32 cells filled with exciting exhibits and life sized models that link the past to the present in dramatic presentation. Other artifacts and exhibits include: The hangman's noose used for the last execution by hanging in Colorado; confiscated inmate weapons and contraband; the gas chamber; rare, historic photographs depicting life in prison facilities; displays of disciplinary paraphernalia used from 1871 to the present; Federal Bureau of Prisons display; Inmate Arts and Crafts; and a Gift Shop.
Enos Mills Cabin Museum and Gallery
The Enos Mills Cabin in Estes Park is an unconventional Museum that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 3, 1973. Enos Mills is best known for being the "Father of Rocky Mountain National Park", after his six year struggle to educate the public and Congress of the importance of setting aside large land areas for preservation of scenery and the wild life inhabitants. He was also an author, photographer, nature guide, innkeeper, lecturer, and adventurer.
Burlington Old Town Museum
Tour an old town circa 1880-1921, including a depot, shops, jail cells, saloon, barn, school house, and more.
Fort Vasquez Museum
Fort Vasquez Museum, 35 miles northeast of downtown Denver on U.S. Highway 85, features displays that interpret the fur-trade era. Annual educational events offered by the museum include the Kids' Fur Trade Rendezvous in September and May, and the Rendezvous Workshop Series in October and April. Visit the site of an 1835 fur-trading fort, and follow the paths of founders Louis Vasquez and Andrew Sublette.
Old Colorado City Historical Society History Center
The History Center represents the interwoven stories of the life and personality of the many people who made Old Colorado City their home, their workplace and, most importantly, their community. Provides a physical place to view the many artifacts and photographs, and a place to conduct research.
Overland Trail Museum
The Overland Trail Museum in Sterling commemorates the historic westward migration of gold seekers and early pioneers. The “village” behind the main structure has several buildings from pre-1915: a one-room schoolhouse, church, store, blacksmith shop, farm machinery, and the granary barn, which has branding irons, saddles, and other farm and ranch equipment.
Molly Brown House Museum
The Molly Brown House stands as an enduring symbol of the Victorian era and the city of Denver. Using educational programs and artifact acquisition, the Museum interprets Margaret "Molly" Tobin Brown's life - primarily between the years 1894 and 1912 - in order that a broad public and future generations may understand and appreciate the social, economic, and political aspects of Victorian life in Denver. The museum preserves Margaret Brown's historically significant home through continued restoration.
Montrose County Historical Museum
The Museum focuses on early-day pioneer life, with a walk-through of a Homesteader's Cabin, equipped with furnishings and memorabilia. Also offers one of the most extensive collections of Farm Machinery in the state, including horse-drawn reapers, planters, plows, and a hay baler. The "County Store" exhibits wares, household objects, and tools. The Children's Corner contains dolls, toys, and baby furniture. The Museum's Library contains a complete set of Montrose newspapers from 1896-1940, a photo collection of the Montrose area, historical publications, and oral histories.
Gilpin Historical Society
Includes information on the Thomas House Museum, Gilpin History Museum, and the Coeur d' Alene Mine Shaft House.
Historic Georgetown
Historic Georgetown was created to initiate, encourage and integrate efforts to preserve the rich heritage of the Georgetown/Silver Plume National Historic Landmark District. It purchased the Hamill House, the home of Englishman William Hamill, a successful mine owner, banker and politician of 19th century Colorado, to restore this elegant home as a museum. Over the years, Historic Georgetown, Inc. has acquired other properties - a miner's cottage, a professional man's house, a merchant's home and a log cabin - to guarantee that the history we preserve includes a variety of lifestyles.
Frontier Historical Society Museum
The Frontier Historical Society Museum collects and preserves artifacts and materials relating to the history of Glenwood Springs and Garfield County, Colorado.
State Capitol Building
The Colorado State Capitol is available for tours. Visit the historical Capitol Building, Attic, and take a legislative tour. You can visit the House and Senate Galleries and meet a lawmaker. The Colorado State Capitol welcomes over 300,000 visitors each year. Tours allow you to enjoy the beauty of the building while learning about the work of the General Assembly and Colorado's unique heritage. Tours are free of charge. Note that student group tours during the legislative session running January through May are extremely popular and space is limited. It is recommended that reservation requests are made early.
Clear Creek History Park
The Clear Creek History Park provides history-based educational opportunities interpreting the Golden region from 1843-1900. Using skilled living history interpreters, the Park provides visitors with diverse hands-on experiences designed to enable the public to see and use restored structures and period replicas which illustrate the lives of late 19th century Golden area residents. Clear Creek History Park is home to many of the original buildings from the old Pearce Ranch in Golden Gate Canyon. Thomas and Henrietta Pearce, pictured below, raised eight children on their ranch. It was one of the largest in the area by 1912. pearce_edit2 Stroll through this park and imagine yourself growing potatoes or raising chickens as part of a homesteading family. Peek through the windows of real 1800s cabins and see other buildings from the ranch like the barn, chicken coop and two-seat outhouse. You can also have a glimpse of the 1876 Guy Hill schoolhouse which was originally located in the canyon too, but on a different property. It served the needs of canyon locals until 1951. It’s only a short walk from downtown Golden which features shopping, restaurants, and more. Admission is always free.
Koshare Indian Museum
The Koshare Indian Museum in La Junta is patterned after the Pueblo architecture found throughout the southwest, featuring the world's largest self supporting log roof and housing a collection of Native American art and artifacts.
Baldpate Inn Key Collection
Visit The Baldpate Inn in Estes Park, home of the world's largest key collection. The collection boasts over 20,000 keys including examples from the Pentagon, Westminster Abby, Mozart's wine cellar, and even Frankenstein's castle.
Simpich Character Doll Museum
Simpich Character Doll Museum is located in Colorado Springs. Simpich creates unique dolls, hand-crafted by skilled artisans. They are cast, hand-painted, and clothed at their workshops in Old Colorado City. The extraordinary Simpich Character Doll enterprise operated from this Old Colorado City building for nearly thirty years. Beautiful handmade figures were created here and shipped to points across the globe; and visitors were welcomed to tour the workshop areas where each character was painstakingly crafted. The Simpich Doll Museum features over fifty diorama exhibits from the early 1950s where the dolls were made in a tiny cottage in Manitou Springs through the mid 2000’s where the Simpich Doll operation peaked in artistry and complexity. Many exceptionally rare and one-of-a-kind figures are displayed, as well as creation processes, unusual memorabilia and family heirlooms. Many displays are scheduled to rotate to accommodate appropriate space for the nearly 500 distinct characters in the Simpich family’s collection, which remains the largest and most comprehensive in existence. The tour of the museum is free.
Lula W. Dorsey Museum
Whether you’re an old-timer or first-timer, the Dorsey Museum in Estes Park has something for you. Housed in a 1924 guest lodge, the museum features several period room settings and display galleries. There is also a 1905 log tourist cabin and two-bedroom cabin depicting accommodations from 1949. Admission is free.
Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum
The mission of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum is to collect, preserve, research and interpret the history and culture of the Pikes Peak Region. The Museum is housed in the beautifully restored 1903 El Paso County Courthouse.
Grand County Museum Complex
Housed in the old Hot Sulphur Springs School, exhibits include a display detailing the beginning of the ski industry in Colorado, 8,500 year old artifacts of Windy Gap, and a Pioneer Woman exhibit.
Littleton Historical Museum
The Littleton Historical Museum is located on 14 acres and features two living history farms. The 1860s homestead farm and the 1890s turn-of-the-century farm show how people lived and worked during the early years in Littleton and the South Platte Valley. There is a working, early 1900s blacksmith shop, an ice house and Littleton's first one room school house. Interpreters work the farm sites, run the blacksmith shop and teach in the school house, offering a "living history" perspective to the museum visitor.
Miners Museum
In the "school room" of the museum, Lafayette's educational heritage has been well preserved. Pictures, trophies and memorabilia are available for viewing. A small bedroom also contains vintage clothing and accessories from the turn of the century. The museum is open to the public all year long.
Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site
The spirited history of the Pikes Peak Region comes to life at Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site. Discover the American Indian Area, visit the 1860s Galloway Homestead, the 1880s Chambers Farm and the 1907 Orchard House. Knowledgeable interpreters present the true-to-life history of the people of the Pikes Peak Region.
Golden History Center
Discovery place of Tyrannosaurus Rex, home to an American saint, location of the largest single-site brewery on Earth—Golden, Colorado is truly a one-of-a-kind city. Explore the colorful past of this unique community at the Golden History Center. Begin your Golden adventure by exploring our dynamic exhibits, engaging programs, and amazing collections. Get both close-up and behind-the-scenes views of inventions born in Golden like the two-piece aluminum can, marvel at the beauty of the Coors porcelain collection, and listen to music played on one of the finest instrument collections on the Front Range.
El Pueblo History Museum
The El Pueblo History Museum showcases the history and traditions of the various cultural and ethnic groups in Pueblo, and includes exhibits focusing on the region’s early history through the twentieth century with objects, art, and photographs that represent the events and people who shaped the area. The outdoor El Pueblo Trading Post placita is also available for tours.
Hiwan Homestead Museum
Located in Evergreen, this 17-room log lodge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its unique construction. Hiwan’s restored 1890–1930 era rooms illustrate a comfortable style of early mountain summer home living. As a local history museum, it maintains active craft and interpretive school programs as well as changing exhibitions, which are sponsored by the Jefferson County Historical Society.
Cañon City Municipal Museum and Rudd House
Tour the Anson and Harriet Rudd Cabin, built in 1860, preserved as part of the Cañon City Municipal Museum, and numerous displays of artifacts from Cañon City’s history. The two galleries contain game trophies, fossils, minerals, weaponry, tools, household objects and American Indian artifacts from the 1860s to the 1950s.
Miramont Castle
Miramont Castle was constructed in 1895 as a private home for Father Jean Baptist Francolon, a French born Catholic priest. The castle features nine styles of architecture ranging from English Tudor to Byzantine and all crafted from locally quarried greenstone and yellow pine framing. Today Miramont is a museum dedicated to preserving the Victorian heritage of Manitou Springs and the Pikes Peak region. Experience life as it would have been in Victorian times, from the Castle itself where you can view 30 rooms resplendent in authentic Victorian furnishings, to the Queen's Parlour Tea Room where you can feast on Victorian (and modern day) fare made fresh daily.
Four Mile Historic Park
On the banks of Cherry Creek, just four miles from downtown Denver, Four Mile Historic Park is a 12 acre oasis featuring Denver’s oldest standing structure, pioneer exhibits, special events for all ages, and guided tours that transport visitors to Colorado’s frontier past. Four Mile House was once a wayside inn and stage stop.
Anasazi Heritage Center
Located in Dolores, Colorado, the Anasazi Heritage Center is a museum of the Ancestral Puebloan (or Anasazi) culture and other Native cultures in the Four Corners region. It is also the starting point for visits to Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. The museum features exhibits on archaeology, local history, and Native American cultures, interpretive programs, archaeological sites, and a research library.
Stanley Museum at the Stanley Hotel
In 1997, the Stanley Museum was invited to The Stanley Hotel to set up museum exhibits and to manage the historic tours of the Hotel and has become an important extension of the original Stanley Museum. Over the years the Museum has attracted a worldwide membership while fulfilling its mission to tell the Stanley story.
History Museum and Smith Education Tower
Located in Grand Junction, the History Museum and Tower features a 1921 LaFrance fire truck, Southwest pottery, a full-size WAAIME uranium mine, a firearms collection, a 15th century Spanish cannon, and a display of the life of Alferd Packer. The Sterling T. Smith Education Tower offers a 360° view of the surrounding geography. Tower top displays include a working weather station, and provide information on downtown historic preservation efforts, regional archaeology and geology.
Museum of Northwest Colorado
Take a look at Colorado's frontier history at the Museum of Northwest Colorado in Craig. Also houses the Cowboy and Gunfighter Museum.
Log Cabin Heritage Museum
This two-story log cabin homestead was moved in 1994 from the site of the Wolford Mountain Reservoir into Kremmling and was preserved as a historic site.
Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum
Come explore the world of quilts at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum. RMQM is dedicated to the preservation of quilts, and the continuation of the art of quiltmaking.
Centennial Village
Stroll through history at Centennial Village in Greeley. Visit 32 structures set on 5.5 acres surrounded by beautiful landscaping.
ProRodeo Hall of Fame Museum
The Hall is located in Colorado Springs adjacent to the National Headquarters of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and is the only heritage center in the world devoted exclusively to professional rodeo. Visitors to the Hall are greeted by "The Champ," a larger-than-life bronze statue of the legendary Casey Tibbs aboard the famed saddle bronc "Necktie."
Colorado History Museum
Explore Colorado's own museum with fascinating collections, detailed dioramas, historic photographs, artifacts, and more. Special galleries also feature changing exhibitions on life and culture in the American West. Located in Denver.
Phoenix Gold Mine
The Phoenix mine is operated by the oldest continuous gold mining family in Colorado, Al and Dave Mosch. It is a working gold mine where miners actually do the work. Take a guided tour of the mine and then do some actual panning for gold in the stream. There is also an area to picnic. This tour has a fee associated with it. Panning is included in the cost of the tour and you may keep any gold that you find in the stream while panning.
Elbert County Historical Society and Museum
The Elbert County Museum, housed in the old Kiowa High School, offers exhibits that explore the history of Elbert County.
Ghost Town Wild West Museum
As a true preservation of Colorado’s western past, Ghost Town Museum is a fun and historic look back at kind of old west town that used to dot this region during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Located in Colorado Springs.
Trinidad History Museum
Explore the Baca House, Bloom Mansion, historic gardens, and learn more about the Santa Fe Trail. Ongoing exhibits document the history and culture of southern Colorado from the Santa Fe Trail period through the 1920s.
Lakewood's Heritage Center
A historic and social center park, Lakewood's Heritage Center features a look at 20th century lifestyles. Located in Belmar Park, the museum currently has over 10 historic structures and 30,000 artifacts. Tours allow you to learn about life in the 1920s and 1930s.
Hotel de Paris Museum
Tour an elegant restored hotel from Georgetown's affluent mining days.
Bent's Old Fort
Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site features a reconstructed 1840s adobe fur trading post on the mountain branch of the Santa Fe Trail where traders, trappers, travelers, and the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes came together in peaceful terms for trade. Today, living historians recreate the sights, sounds, and smells of the past with guided tours, demonstrations and special events.
Estes Park Area Historical Museum
The Estes Park Museum, in Estes Park, Colorado, was founded by volunteers in 1962. As a department of the Town of Estes Park, its purpose is to collect, preserve, interpret and exhibit local history for visitors and residents.
Buffalo Bill Grave and Museum
Come learn about the life and times of William F. Cody, also known as "Buffalo Bill." Located on Lookout Mountain overlooking Golden, explore exhibits featuring Sitting Bull's bow and arrows, Buffalo Bill's show outfits, and more. Also visit the grave of Buffalo Bill.
Fort Uncompahgre Living History Museum
Fort Uncompahgre was first established as a fur trading post around 1826, by Antione Robidoux near the present sight of Delta , Colorado. Fort Uncompahgre today recreates the sights, sounds, the feelings and the experience of visiting the original post, offering guided tours by interpreters clothed in period attire.
Golden Pioneer Museum
The Pioneer Museum contains an interesting array of exhibits from Golden's past, including ranching and farming implements, mining artifacts, antique clothing and household goods. Special exhibits are always offered and change three or four times a year.
Southern Ute Indian Cultural Center Museum
Located on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation southeast of Durango, the Southern Ute Indian Cultural Center Museum brings to life the rich history of the Ute Indian People who occupied all of Colorado, eastern Utah, and northern New Mexico when the U. S. Civil War ended in 1868.
Cross Orchards Historic Farm
Costumed interpreters at the Museum’s Cross Orchards Historic Farm offer you opportunity to step back in time and imagine what it was like to live as a Grand Valley pioneer in the early 1900s.
Boulder History Museum
The Boulder Historical Society and Museum was founded in 1944 Now called the Boulder History Museum, it exhibits artifacts from a collection of over 30,000 objects of historical significance.
Western Museum of Mining & Industry
Nestled along the Front Range in scenic Colorado Springs you will find the Western Museum of Mining and Industry (WMMI). Among the museum's attractions, you will find mining artifacts, a 12,000 volume research library available by appointment, a museum store and historic machinery that actually works. WMMI, is a nonprofit educational museum dedicated to preserving the West's mining heritage.
United States Mint Tour
Touring the United States Mint is a fascinating experience for those of all ages and one that will be remembered for a lifetime. Tours cover both the present state of coin manufacturing as well as the history of the Mint. Learn about the craftsmanship required at all stages of the minting process, from the original designs and sculptures to the actual striking of the coins. There is a also a gift shop at this location selling commemorative coins, books, games, and other souvenirs. There are some security procedures associated with your visit. Be sure to check their website for their current security status. The U.S. Mint at Denver offers free tours of its production facilities.
Limon Heritage Museum & Railroad Park
Limon Heritage Museum is a local history museum with focus on the Colorado high plains, the Union Pacific and Rock Island Railroads, ranching and farming. View the Prairie Monument, a one-room schoolhouse, rail dining car, and Native American teepee.
Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum
Visit the International B-24 Memorial Museum and view the expanded memorabilia collection of Bomb Groups and Air Forces which utilized the B-24 in combat operations. Inside you can view authentic military uniforms of the era, arms and other relics of American Wars, plus a full scale model of the Memorial Airport diorama as it looked during wartime operations. Outside you can view Colorado's best static aircraft display with more than 20 aircraft.
John May Museum Center
Located in Colorado Springs, this Museum Center includes the May Natural History Museum of the Tropics and the John May Space Museum.
Argo Gold Mine and Mill
In 1893 construction of the Argo Tunnel Began. It would be 17 years before it would reach Central City , over 4.5 miles away. The tunnel would provide water drainage, ventilation and economical transportation of the gold bearing ore from the many mines it would intersect along the way. The Argo Mill was constructed to process the gold bearing ore from these mines. When completed, the Argo would be the largest mill of its type in the world. The mill processed over 100 million dollars of gold ore at the old time prices of $18.00 to $35.00 per ounce and stands today as a memorial to the hard rock miners of the day when gold was king! The Argo Mill, Mine and Museum tour is educational and fun.
Georgetown Energy Museum
Georgetown Energy Museum is located in a fully functioning and operational Hydroelectric generating plant in Georgetown, Colorado. The plant is owned and operated by Xcel Energy. It has been in operation since 1900. The museum includes exhibits and photographs and also household / consumer appliances relating the the early use of electricity.
Steelworks Museum and the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (CF&I) Museum of Industry and Culture
The Steelworks and CF&I Museum of Industry and Culture features exhibits related to all facets of the CF&I, including the history of mining, labor history, history of steel production, railroad history, and history of Pueblo and Colorado and the CF&I's impact on the region.
American Numismatic Association
Located in Colorado Springs, this museum offers a look at the history of money and includes special exhibits. Admission is free.
Colorado Railroad Museum
The Colorado Railroad Museum is recognized as one of the best privately supported rail museums in the United States. This "can't miss" site for railfans features over 70 historic narrow and standard gauge locomotives and cars exhibited on 15 acres at the foot of North Table Mountain, near Golden, Colorado.
Denver Firefighters Museum
The Denver Firefighters Museum is located in an historic firehouse, built in 1909. The collection includes firefighting equipment dating back to the days when horses provided the locomotion. Learn all about the games that firefighters used to hone their skills, the big Denver fires that they have fought, and how trained horses and dogs helped the firefighting effort. Try on a firefighter's uniform and visit the gift shop, which offers many hard-to-find firefighting memorabilia and souvenirs.
Forney Transportation Museum
The Forney Transportation Museum in Denver is a one-of-a-kind collection of over 500 exhibits relating to historical transportation. It began with antique cars, but soon expanded to include vehicles of all kinds. The museum houses "Big Boy," the world's largest steam locomotive, railcars, cabooses, coaches, a diner, antique cars, buggies, carriages, wagons, fire engines, aircraft, Denver's only cable car, trolleys, steam tractor, models, motorcycles, bicycles, costumes, music boxes, and more.
Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys
The Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys' mission is to provide educational and cultural services to the greater Rocky Mountain region through the preservation, exhibition, collection and interpretation of the visual arts using miniatures, dolls and toys.
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
More than 30 years ago, Crow Canyon was founded on the idea that members of the public could play an important role in archaeology. Each year, they welcome people of all ages to their campus near Mesa Verde in southwest Colorado. Their volunteers support their mission of archaeological research, education programs, and partnership with American Indians.
Manitou Cliff Dwellings
Explore the fascinating architecture of the ancient Anasazi and browse through two museums featuring cultural displays all overlooking the historic town of Manitou Springs. Be sure to include Manitou Cliff Dwellings during your visit to the Pikes Peak Region. The magic and mystery of the Native American culture is sure to delight visitors of all ages. Inside the Pueblo you'll tour the Anasazi Museum where dioramas depict daily life. There are also exhibits of tools, pottery, and weapons offering a glimpse of the mysterious people who left a remarkable architectural legacy on mesa tops and in cliff walls like the one at the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. When you visit, there will be no need to hurry as you follow the self-guided tour and explore each room of these carefully preserved structures. As you do, imagine what it was like to live over seven hundred years ago in a structure like this. You can even have your picture taken in front of a building that’s a lot older than your Grandfather!
Art Museums
Leanin Tree Museum of Western Art
The Leanin’ Tree Museum of Western Art in Boulder, Colorado, exhibits the private art collection of Ed Trumble, Founder and Chairman of Leanin’ Tree, Incorporated, publisher of fine art greeting cards since 1949. Admission is free.
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center offers a multidisciplinary focus and includes the Taylor Museum, performing arts theatre, and the Bemis School of Art.
Gallery of Contemporary Art
Featuring a selection of contemporary art, the Gallery is located at and operated by the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
Van Briggle Pottery Factory Tour
Born in 1869, Artus Van Briggle from an early age demonstrated a unique artistic gift. He eventually open a pottery studio in Colorado Springs, using local clays found in the Colorado Springs area. His work earned him many honors. Artus Van Briggle died in 1904, but his wife continued to operate the pottery company. Today, the factory continues to produce many of Van Briggle’s original designs, often in his turquoise Ming matte glaze. The factory offers free tours.
University Memorial Center Art Gallery
The University Memorial Center Art Gallery, located in UMC 225, exhibits a variety of visual offerings ranging from student works created on campus to presentations of internationally recognized artists. The UMC Art Gallery seeks to expose the CU and Boulder communities to the role that art plays in understanding the complexity of human experience and culture. The gallery's role is to educate as well as display high quality artwork. The UMC Art Gallery exhibits the work of area and national artists. The gallery presents seven shows per year; three each semester and one in the summer.
Denver Art Museum
The Denver Art Museum has the largest and most comprehensive collection of world art between Kansas City and the West Coast, with over 55,000 works of art, including American Indian, pre-Columbian, and Spanish Colonial art. Other collections include Painting & Sculpture, Asian, Architecture, Design & Graphics, Modern & Contemporary, Textile Art, European, American and Western painting, sculpture, decorative art, textiles, and photography.
Foothills Art Center
Foothills Art Center is a 35-year-old non-profit arts resource for Golden and the Denver Metro area as well as for the state, the Southwest, and for artists across the nation, through competitive exhibitions and invitational opportunities.
Swetsville Zoo - UPDATE: CLOSED 2016
Located at 4801 E. Harmony Road in Fort Collins, the Swetsville Zoo is an outdoor art gallery filled with metal animal sculptures. Bill Swets, creator of the Swetsville Zoo, built them all from car parts, farm machinery and scrap metal. Admission is free, but they do take donations. To read about the closing and moving of the sculptures, refer to the link in the title of this entry.
Koshare Indian Museum
The Koshare Indian Museum in La Junta is patterned after the Pueblo architecture found throughout the southwest, featuring the world's largest self supporting log roof and housing a collection of Native American art and artifacts.
Simpich Character Doll Museum
Simpich Character Doll Museum is located in Colorado Springs. Simpich creates unique dolls, hand-crafted by skilled artisans. They are cast, hand-painted, and clothed at their workshops in Old Colorado City. The extraordinary Simpich Character Doll enterprise operated from this Old Colorado City building for nearly thirty years. Beautiful handmade figures were created here and shipped to points across the globe; and visitors were welcomed to tour the workshop areas where each character was painstakingly crafted. The Simpich Doll Museum features over fifty diorama exhibits from the early 1950s where the dolls were made in a tiny cottage in Manitou Springs through the mid 2000’s where the Simpich Doll operation peaked in artistry and complexity. Many exceptionally rare and one-of-a-kind figures are displayed, as well as creation processes, unusual memorabilia and family heirlooms. Many displays are scheduled to rotate to accommodate appropriate space for the nearly 500 distinct characters in the Simpich family’s collection, which remains the largest and most comprehensive in existence. The tour of the museum is free.
Children's Museums
Denver Firefighters Museum
The Denver Firefighters Museum is located in an historic firehouse, built in 1909. The collection includes firefighting equipment dating back to the days when horses provided the locomotion. Learn all about the games that firefighters used to hone their skills, the big Denver fires that they have fought, and how trained horses and dogs helped the firefighting effort. Try on a firefighter's uniform and visit the gift shop, which offers many hard-to-find firefighting memorabilia and souvenirs.
Forney Transportation Museum
The Forney Transportation Museum in Denver is a one-of-a-kind collection of over 500 exhibits relating to historical transportation. It began with antique cars, but soon expanded to include vehicles of all kinds. The museum houses "Big Boy," the world's largest steam locomotive, railcars, cabooses, coaches, a diner, antique cars, buggies, carriages, wagons, fire engines, aircraft, Denver's only cable car, trolleys, steam tractor, models, motorcycles, bicycles, costumes, music boxes, and more.
Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys
The Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys' mission is to provide educational and cultural services to the greater Rocky Mountain region through the preservation, exhibition, collection and interpretation of the visual arts using miniatures, dolls and toys.
Association of Children's Museums
The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) is a professional member service organization for the children’s museum field. ACM is the only organization representing museums and professionals dedicated to early childhood play, the starting point in the continuum of lifelong learning. The Association promotes the impact children’s museums have in preparing children for school, building 21st century skills and nurturing a love for lifelong learning.
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain region’s leading resource for informal science education. A variety of exhibitions, programs, and activities help Museum visitors experience the natural wonders of Colorado, Earth, and the universe. Includes an IMAX theater and a planetarium.
Dinosaur Depot Museum
The Dinosaur Depot Museum in Cañon City features fossils and the rocks where they are found. Among the dinosaurs on display is the world's most complete Stegosaurus. You can visit the Garden Park Fossil Area where it and many other dinosaurs have been excavated over the last 125 years. Explore fossils and how they are found in the Discovery Room. Talk with people working on fossils in the Preparation Laboratory.
Dinosaur Journey Museum
Located in Fruita, this museum features the latest exhibits and information about dinosaur excavations, realistic robotic dinosaurs and a working paleontology laboratory.
Sangre de Cristo Arts Center and Buell Children’s Museum
From contemporary and historic visual arts exhibitions to an interactive children’s museum; from world-class performing arts programs to hundreds of education classes, the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center has it all. The Center is located in Pueblo.
Natural History Museums
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
More than 30 years ago, Crow Canyon was founded on the idea that members of the public could play an important role in archaeology. Each year, they welcome people of all ages to their campus near Mesa Verde in southwest Colorado. Their volunteers support their mission of archaeological research, education programs, and partnership with American Indians.
CU Museum of Natural History
The University of Colorado Museum of Natural History is an academic unit of the Graduate School at the University of Colorado at Boulder with a mission to contribute to knowledge of the natural world and the humanities through research, teaching, and public education. The Museum's collections number more than four million objects in anthropology/archaeology, botany, entomology, paleontology, vertebrates and invertebrates. The University of Colorado Museum offers a wide variety of K-12 and adult educational programs and activities throughout the year, including lectures, family days, and guided tours. The exhibition galleries are open to the public seven days a week, free of charge.
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain region’s leading resource for informal science education. A variety of exhibitions, programs, and activities help Museum visitors experience the natural wonders of Colorado, Earth, and the universe. Includes an IMAX theater and a planetarium.
Dinosaur Depot Museum
The Dinosaur Depot Museum in Cañon City features fossils and the rocks where they are found. Among the dinosaurs on display is the world's most complete Stegosaurus. You can visit the Garden Park Fossil Area where it and many other dinosaurs have been excavated over the last 125 years. Explore fossils and how they are found in the Discovery Room. Talk with people working on fossils in the Preparation Laboratory.
Dinosaur Journey Museum
Located in Fruita, this museum features the latest exhibits and information about dinosaur excavations, realistic robotic dinosaurs and a working paleontology laboratory.
University of Denver Museum of Anthropology
Explore the DU Museum of Anthropology, located on the campus of the University of Denver. The Museum houses 165,000 archaeological and ethnographic objects and site collections and records from over 1,800 Colorado archaeological sites and from hundreds of other sites in twelve western states.
Manitou Cliff Dwellings
Explore the fascinating architecture of the ancient Anasazi and browse through two museums featuring cultural displays all overlooking the historic town of Manitou Springs. Be sure to include Manitou Cliff Dwellings during your visit to the Pikes Peak Region. The magic and mystery of the Native American culture is sure to delight visitors of all ages. Inside the Pueblo you'll tour the Anasazi Museum where dioramas depict daily life. There are also exhibits of tools, pottery, and weapons offering a glimpse of the mysterious people who left a remarkable architectural legacy on mesa tops and in cliff walls like the one at the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. When you visit, there will be no need to hurry as you follow the self-guided tour and explore each room of these carefully preserved structures. As you do, imagine what it was like to live over seven hundred years ago in a structure like this. You can even have your picture taken in front of a building that’s a lot older than your Grandfather!
Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum
Visit on your own or schedule a tour to learn about Colorado geology. Tours go outdoors to look at local geology, then indoors to learn about rocks, minerals, and fossils. Tours must be scheduled in advance. Located in Golden. Admission is free.
Science & Technology Museums
Western Museum of Mining & Industry
Nestled along the Front Range in scenic Colorado Springs you will find the Western Museum of Mining and Industry (WMMI). Among the museum's attractions, you will find mining artifacts, a 12,000 volume research library available by appointment, a museum store and historic machinery that actually works. WMMI, is a nonprofit educational museum dedicated to preserving the West's mining heritage.
United States Mint Tour
Touring the United States Mint is a fascinating experience for those of all ages and one that will be remembered for a lifetime. Tours cover both the present state of coin manufacturing as well as the history of the Mint. Learn about the craftsmanship required at all stages of the minting process, from the original designs and sculptures to the actual striking of the coins. There is a also a gift shop at this location selling commemorative coins, books, games, and other souvenirs. There are some security procedures associated with your visit. Be sure to check their website for their current security status. The U.S. Mint at Denver offers free tours of its production facilities.
Limon Heritage Museum & Railroad Park
Limon Heritage Museum is a local history museum with focus on the Colorado high plains, the Union Pacific and Rock Island Railroads, ranching and farming. View the Prairie Monument, a one-room schoolhouse, rail dining car, and Native American teepee.
Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum
Visit the International B-24 Memorial Museum and view the expanded memorabilia collection of Bomb Groups and Air Forces which utilized the B-24 in combat operations. Inside you can view authentic military uniforms of the era, arms and other relics of American Wars, plus a full scale model of the Memorial Airport diorama as it looked during wartime operations. Outside you can view Colorado's best static aircraft display with more than 20 aircraft.
John May Museum Center
Located in Colorado Springs, this Museum Center includes the May Natural History Museum of the Tropics and the John May Space Museum.
Argo Gold Mine and Mill
In 1893 construction of the Argo Tunnel Began. It would be 17 years before it would reach Central City , over 4.5 miles away. The tunnel would provide water drainage, ventilation and economical transportation of the gold bearing ore from the many mines it would intersect along the way. The Argo Mill was constructed to process the gold bearing ore from these mines. When completed, the Argo would be the largest mill of its type in the world. The mill processed over 100 million dollars of gold ore at the old time prices of $18.00 to $35.00 per ounce and stands today as a memorial to the hard rock miners of the day when gold was king! The Argo Mill, Mine and Museum tour is educational and fun.
Georgetown Energy Museum
Georgetown Energy Museum is located in a fully functioning and operational Hydroelectric generating plant in Georgetown, Colorado. The plant is owned and operated by Xcel Energy. It has been in operation since 1900. The museum includes exhibits and photographs and also household / consumer appliances relating the the early use of electricity.
Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum
Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum is Colorado's official air and space museum. Located in the former Lowry AFB on the east side of Denver, it is housed in the 40,000 sq. ft. World War II-era Hangar No. 1. The collection includes over three dozen aircraft and space vehicles, scale models, technology exhibits, and one of the original full scale X-Wing Fighter mock-ups used in the filming of the first Star Wars movie.
Steelworks Museum and the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (CF&I) Museum of Industry and Culture
The Steelworks and CF&I Museum of Industry and Culture features exhibits related to all facets of the CF&I, including the history of mining, labor history, history of steel production, railroad history, and history of Pueblo and Colorado and the CF&I's impact on the region.
American Numismatic Association
Located in Colorado Springs, this museum offers a look at the history of money and includes special exhibits. Admission is free.
Colorado Railroad Museum
The Colorado Railroad Museum is recognized as one of the best privately supported rail museums in the United States. This "can't miss" site for railfans features over 70 historic narrow and standard gauge locomotives and cars exhibited on 15 acres at the foot of North Table Mountain, near Golden, Colorado.
Denver Firefighters Museum
The Denver Firefighters Museum is located in an historic firehouse, built in 1909. The collection includes firefighting equipment dating back to the days when horses provided the locomotion. Learn all about the games that firefighters used to hone their skills, the big Denver fires that they have fought, and how trained horses and dogs helped the firefighting effort. Try on a firefighter's uniform and visit the gift shop, which offers many hard-to-find firefighting memorabilia and souvenirs.
Forney Transportation Museum
The Forney Transportation Museum in Denver is a one-of-a-kind collection of over 500 exhibits relating to historical transportation. It began with antique cars, but soon expanded to include vehicles of all kinds. The museum houses "Big Boy," the world's largest steam locomotive, railcars, cabooses, coaches, a diner, antique cars, buggies, carriages, wagons, fire engines, aircraft, Denver's only cable car, trolleys, steam tractor, models, motorcycles, bicycles, costumes, music boxes, and more.
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain region’s leading resource for informal science education. A variety of exhibitions, programs, and activities help Museum visitors experience the natural wonders of Colorado, Earth, and the universe. Includes an IMAX theater and a planetarium.
Multidisciplinary Museums
Longmont Museum and Cultural Center
The Longmont Museum, housed in a distinctive contemporary building, features changing exhibits in history, art, and science, as well as the award-winning Front Range Rising, a long-term exhibit on the history and culture of this region. The Museum recently opened an expansion, featuring the 250-seat Stewart Auditorium and Cone-Shortall stage, the Swan Atrium, and the Kaiser Permanente Education Center. The Museum also has hands-on education programs for all ages, indoor and outdoor concerts and performances, film series, lectures and a gift shop featuring local history books, souvenirs and exhibit-related materials.
Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities
The Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities was founded in 1976. Offers award-winning, professional regional theater, children’s theater, concerts, classical and contemporary dance performances, gallery exhibitions, a history museum, and over 600 arts and humanities classes each year for students of all ages.
Sangre de Cristo Arts Center and Buell Children’s Museum
From contemporary and historic visual arts exhibitions to an interactive children’s museum; from world-class performing arts programs to hundreds of education classes, the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center has it all. The Center is located in Pueblo.
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