Where to Find the Best Museums in Colorado

If you love adventure, hands-on learning and unique experiences, this list of museums in Colorado will provide you with hours of educational and memorable entertainment. The Centennial State is filled with some of the best museums in the country for learning more about history, science and technology, not to mention our epic art museums and attractions dedicated to unusual special interests, like bugs, cowboys and railroads.

We’ve built a list for everyone — geology enthusiasts, influencers, patrons of the arts, families, couples, friends on fun journeys — basically anyone who loves to learn and explore in exciting, immersive environments. Whether you’re a local looking for a new experience in your home state, or a visitor with an itinerary wish list as long as your arm, you’re going to find a museum in Colorado you will be sharing with everyone you know.

The Denver Museum of Nature and Science

www.DMNS.org | 2001 Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO 80205

Photo Credit: (c)Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Who doesn’t love a good science museum? The Denver Museum of Nature and Science is a massive space located in the heart of Denver, right next to the Denver Zoo. It features the museum space itself, plus a planetarium and IMAX theater that screens massive science-themed flicks on topics like space, climate and geology.

The museum’s permanent exhibits are plentiful. Large dioramas featuring animals and artifacts fill hallways on each floor. Dinosaur skeletons tower over visiting children. There’s an entire section dedicated to space, with hands-on activities and plenty of learning opportunities. There’s even a gallery with an enormous reconstructed crystal formation and real gems and minerals from Colorado and other parts of the world.

Visiting exhibits offers even more ways to engage, with plenty of kid-friendly themes like understanding insects, learning about the human body, or exploring the natural world. The museum has frequent free days and offers discounts for military personnel and other groups.

Check out their ticket prices online before you go to see which option will save you the most money. If you’re a local, consider a membership. With savings on IMAX and the planetarium, plus discounts on special exhibits, you’ll get a lot of value for a one-time fee.

The Fine Arts Center in Colorado Springs

www.FAC.ColoradoCollege.edu | 30 W Dale St, Colorado Springs, CO 80903

The Fine Arts Center is a stunning gallery, learning center, theater and maker space located just north of Downtown Colorado Springs. It truly aims to be an immersive space for everyone and anyone to enjoy the arts.

The theater is incredible, with thought-provoking performances, modern favorites and plenty of new ideas on display each season. Guests can often enjoy dinner or a cocktail before the show and check out the views from the balcony.

The art museum frequently features new artists, as well as visiting classic collections and a curated selection of works from the Fine Arts Center archives. The curators embrace unusual installations and new ways to engage with the arts, so you can usually expect something completely unique whenever you visit.

Locals and visitors with a day (or several weeks) to spare can take advantage of a variety of art classes taught by local and visiting artists. The kids’ classes are among the best available, with reasonable rates and scholarship opportunities. Be sure to watch the events calendar for free days, galas, special classes and more all year long.

Wild West Ghost Town Museum

www.GhostTownMuseum.com | 400 S 21st St, Colorado Springs, CO 80904

Colorado is packed with the remnants of old mining towns left behind after the end of the last great gold and silver rushes. These ghost towns are filled with fascinating history and artifacts left behind by the prospectors and pioneers who came West in search of their fortune. Unfortunately, they can be hard to access for curious visitors. Many require 4WD/AWD or long-distance hiking. The more accessible ones are often vandalized because they are easy to find. Fortunately, there is a rather awesome solution.

Located along Highway 24 on the outskirts of Old Colorado City, the Wild West Ghost Town Museum features actual structures from real ghost towns in Colorado. Even better? All of those structures are indoors! Authentic facades, real boardwalks, antique carriages, and thousands of artifacts are all preserved for visitors to enjoy without sunburns, hailstorms, lightning, snake bites, or tetanus. That’s a lot of good things! The museum is staged in a clever way that immerses visitors in the experience, making them feel like the original pioneers living their daily lives.

In addition to the exhibits, there’s a shooting gallery, an arcade to entertain the kids, and a beloved Colorado tradition, panning for gold. Anyone can try their luck at sifting through the sand and silt for a chance at a “fortune.” This is a favorite activity for adults and kids alike, so don’t be shy. Give it a chance and see what you find!

The Denver Botanic Gardens

www.BotanicGardens.org | 1007 York St, Denver, CO 80206

While we love our beautiful state, Colorado is quite dry in the lower elevations. It takes a lot of work to create a garden oasis in this dry and shifting climate. That has not stopped the Denver Botanic Gardens from thriving in its bustling location in Denver’s Cheesman Park. The Denver Botanic Gardens are absolutely gorgeous, with carefully cultivated flowers, trees, grasses, indoor plants and shrubs from all over the world. The gardens are clean, well-organized and designed by themes like environment, plant type, climate and even culture. An entire section is designed as a Japanese garden. It includes a tranquil pond with lotus flowers, an authentic tea house, and a bonsai exhibit. The tea house even offers real tea ceremonies (tickets are extremely difficult to secure).

The Denver Botanic Gardens also has art galleries, an indoor garden with amazing orchids, a large collection of rare plants, carnivorous plants, and ornamental trees. The gardens are at their peak from early summer through early fall. The beds change each year and throughout the season. If you visit more than once, you may catch multiple color changes. Pop in the gift shop on your way out. You’ll find plenty of presents to make the eyes of the plant lover in your life shine (including your own).

Space Foundation Discovery Center

www.DiscoverSpace.org | 4425 Arrowswest Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80907

The Space Foundation Discovery Center brings the wonders of the universe a little bit closer to home. Located just north of Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, the center is operated by the Space Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to all things cosmic. They provide programming, education, and resources in the United States and all over the world!

The Discovery Center has a cool balance of historic space artifacts and modern exhibits focused on the latest advancements in space technology. The Science on a Sphere is probably one of the most popular exhibits in the museum, with engaging presentations that focus on Earth, other planets, and STEM topics. The center hosts many events for kids and welcomes homeschoolers who want to enrich their science curriculum with peers. One of their most amazing events is actually free — the family star parties that occur each month. You can look through advanced telescopes and learn about stars and planets from volunteers. Visitors can visit the museum for half price during start parties!

Be sure to check out the gift shop on your way out. You will definitely want to try the astronaut food (and maybe buy some glow-in-the-dark stars for your ceiling).

The May Natural History Museum — The Bug Museum in Colorado Springs

www.ColoradoSpringsBugMuseum.com | 710 Rock Creek Canyon Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80926

We promised you a couple of unusual options for your Colorado museum adventure list. The May Natural History Museum is ready to deliver. Once upon a time, the May Museum — or Bug Museum, as the kids say — was a traveling roadside attraction bringing thousands of carefully collected and preserved insects to the public. Museum founder James May spent years traveling the world identifying, collecting and preserving insects of all shapes and sizes. Eventually, he turned his private collection into a creepy, fascinating and extremely cool entomology museum. How cool? Walt Disney wanted to house it in Florida. Fortunately for all of us, Florida was too humid for the preserved insects.

Today, you can visit the bug season from later spring through fall at its cozy location south of Colorado Springs. The May family also owns the adjacent campground, if you’re looking for a place to park your RV and roam. Be sure to keep an eye out for Herkimer, the gigantic beetle who awaits all guests. Our favorite bug cases are the butterfly displays — so many beautiful colors! However, there are many, many other cool bugs on display, so you may find your own favorite when you visit!

The Denver Art Museum

www.DenverArtMuseum.org | 100 W 14th Ave Pkwy, Denver, CO 80204

There are countless reasons to love the Denver Art Museum but one of our favorites is how hard they have worked to create a more accessible, welcoming experience for all. There are group tours for individuals with disabilities, special experiences for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia and sensory-friendly programs. Not only that, the museum has made a concerted effort to engage more families. There are frequent family-friendly stops placed strategically throughout the museum to allow kids the chance to be a little wild between galleries. Children get the chance to play grown-up and view real artistic treasures. Then they can pause for a coloring break or a quick round of dress-up.

The museum has welcomed a variety of talented artists and unique installations over the years. Some exhibits are interactive or cost an additional fee, but they’re usually worth it. The museum gift shop is packed. The collection of fine art at a variety of price points makes it a perfect shopping stop. The museum has multiple free days and discounts. Be prepared to spend a few hours at the museum. There are multiple floors with historic art, antiquities, modern works, installations, sculpture and more.

Cripple Creek, Colorado

www.VisitCrippleCreek.com | Cripple Creek, CO 80813

Yes, Cripple Creek is indeed a bustling town, not a museum housed in a building. But, it is a living monument to Colorado’s mining history. Not only that, the town is home to several museums and two historic attractions, the Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad and the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine. The railroad will take you past several historic structures (and it’s a really fun, open-air train ride). The Mollie Kathleen will send you 1,000 feet below the surface of the earth in a real gold mine. Mollie Kathleen was the first woman to strike a claim in Cripple Creek.

The Cripple Creek District Museum explores the regional Gold Rush history and features preserved buildings, maps, furnishings and mineral displays. The Heritage Center features even more Cripple Creek history and Gold Rush info. It also offers modern information about the area. You can pick up maps and brochures for more activities, too. Make it your first stop to build your to-do list. They have three floors of artifacts and it’s free. The Outlaws and Lawmen Jail Museum features 1900s-era cells, plus lots of interesting facts about managing crime in a rowdy mining town 100+ years ago. If you still have time after all those museums, we suggest you travel over and visit Rita Rock Planter and the town of Victor, too.

The Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and the Museum of the American Cowboy

www.ProRodeoHallOfFame.com | 103 Pro Rodeo Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80919

The last entry on our list of great museums in Colorado is another niche interest that still offers plenty of fun for anyone who visits: the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and the Museum of the American Cowboy. Established in 1979, the museum celebrates the epic history of horsemanship and cowboy contests and how they have shaped Western American culture, past and present.

During your visit to the Hall of Fame, you can check out real artifacts and awards from the legends of rodeo — not just bull riding, but roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing and so much more. The museum also hosts a beautiful collection of Western art and an expansive panoramic photo gallery. The grounds that surround the museum are lovely in the summer, with flowers everywhere and more art. If you’re really lucky, there may even be a few animals hanging out. If you’re really lucky, they’ll be famous!

Discover Art, History, STEM and More!

There’s nothing better than a day spent learning about something new in a space that makes it fun! These Colorado museums have everything you could want: hands-on history, art appreciation, plants, gems, bugs, and even a little sportsmanship for good measure. Pick a few and make yourself a can’t-miss list of adventures.