Enriching your child's Life
Fun and Enriching activities have a positive influence and can help to build your child's social and emotional growth, as well as their academic knowledge. The following activities help to promote self-understanding, confidence, communication, interaction, initiative, and learning. In addition, our six regional institutions provide free admission to Colorado residents on select days of the year. Free Days are funded in part, by the citizens of the metro area via the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) 0.1% sales and use tax. It's a great value, so check out the dates by following the link below and have a free day! http://www.scfd.org/freedays.shtml.
The Butterfly Pavillion
The Butterfly Pavilion and Insect Center is an educational facility for the study of insects and other invertebrates. The facility exists to foster an appreciation of butterflies and other invertebrates while reminding the public about the need for conservation of threatened habitats in the tropics and around the world.
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
http://www.dmns.org
The Denver Museum of Nature Science is the Rocky Mountain region’s leading resource for informal science education. A variety of exhibitions, the IMAX films, programs and activities help Museum visitors experience the natural wonders of Colorado, Earth, and the universe. Adult admission is $10.00. Senior (65+) is $6.00. Junior (3-18) or Student with ID is $6.00.
Denver Museum of Natural History
The site is under construction, but the museum is COOL! It features Wildlife exhibits, dinosaurs, fossils and artifacts. Imax Theater, Gates Planetarium and traveling exhibitions. The museum is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission for adults $6.00, for children 4-12 is $4.00, and members are always free!
The Denver Art Museum
http://www.denverartmuseum.org
Visit the Denver Art Museum and see exhibits of art from all over the world! Check the Web site for current hours of operation. Adult admission is $10.00. Seniors (65+) & Students are $8.00. Students aged 6-18 are $3.00 and children 6 and under get in free. You can check out the Art Museum's Wacky Kids page now! http://www.wackykids.org
Colorado History Museum
Imagine covered wagons, a rendezvous of fur trappers, Indian buffalo hunts, mining the Rocky Mountains, and life in early Denver. Discover the diversity of Colorado from its earliest inhabitants to its pioneer families. Explore Colorado's own museum with fascinating collections, detailed dioramas, historic photographs, artifacts, and more. Visit their Kids' Page with a printable article on Barney Ford, after whom one of our elementary schools was named!
Denver Firefighters Museum
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Denver Museum of Firefighters houses an extensive collection of artifacts and memorabilia. Education is stressed through guided tours and programs on fire safety. Interactive exhibits are available, including the opportunity to wear clothing and climb aboard a real fire engine. Artifacts date from 1866 and include hand drawn apparatus known to be used in Denver, a rare steam pumper, and three motorised fire trucks. Historic Station Number One was constructed in 1909 as a station for Engine Company No.1. Glen W. Huntington, a noted Denver architect designed the building which was one of the largest firehouses ever built in Denver. Station One housed men, fire engines and the horses to pull them. Before you go, visit their Kids' Corner online.
Black American West Museum & Heritage Center
The Black American West Museum & Heritage Center's mission and goals are the interpreting, collecting, housing, displaying, exhibiting, and preserving of historical artifacts, documents and other memorabilia which tell the history and relate the stories of Black men and women who helped settle and develop the great American West. This approach allows visual artistic inculcation of the rich and colorful contributions of Black pioneers in the western United States.
Buffalo Bill Memorial Museum and Grave
Visit this unique museum in Golden and see Sitting Bull's bow and arrows, Buffalo Bill's show outfits, Frederick Remington's "Portrait of a Ranch Hand," and many other objects from the Old West. Begun in 1921 by Johnny Baker, Buffalo Bill's foster son, the Museum illustrates the life, times, and legend of William F. Cody. It includes exhibits about Buffalo Bill's life and the Wild West shows, Indian artifacts, Western art and firearms.
The Children's Museum of Denver
Denver's best hands-on experience for children and their grown-ups is both educational and just plain fun! Programs and playscapes are designed for newborns through age eight-year-olds and their adult caregivers. So come to The Children's Museum of Denver where Play is Learning and Learning is Fun!
The Colorado Railroad Museum
The Colorado Railroad Museum is recognized as one of the best privately supported rail museums in the United States. This museum 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. The museum was established in 1959 to preserve a record of Colorado's flamboyant railroad era, particularly the state's pioneering narrow gauge mountain railroads.
Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys
This unique museum is housed in the historic Pearce-McAllister Cottage and features changing and permanent exhibits including miniatures, dolls, dollhouses, toys, and teddy bears. The museum offers workshops by reservation for groups of 10 or more. Scout badge programs and a Birthday party package are also available.
The Colorado State Capitol Building
This spectacular building features a gold-plated dome, and stained glass windows honoring Colorado notables. On the western steps, the 18th step is the exact "mile-high" point. Free tours are offered!
The Molly Brown House
Remember Molly Brown? She survived the sinking of The Titanic in 1912, but many people don't know that she lived a good portion of her life in Colorado, and she and her husband made their fortune in Leadville, CO. You can visit the Molly Brown House right here in Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood. Using educational programs and artifact acquisition, the Molly Brown House 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 Molly Brown's historically significant home through continued restoration.
The Denver Zoo
The Denver Zoo is home to nearly 4,000 animals representing over 700 species and is one of the most popular zoos in the United States. With an exciting 10-year master plan in place, the 21st century will see the Denver Zoo transformed into an exciting conservation center that will continue to further the evolution of superb zoo exhibitory.
Garden of the Gods
Imagine towering sandstone rock formations against a backdrop of snow-capped Pikes Peak and brilliant blue skies. That's the view from the beautiful Garden of the Gods Visitor Center terrace in Colorado Springs. This free center is the gateway to Garden of the Gods City Park. Here, the geology, ecology and cultural history of the area spring to life through hands-on exhibits. Before you go, visit their Educational Programs Page to explore and learn about the Garden of the Gods online!
Cave of the Winds
There are an astounding number of caves in this country and around the world. Many of these caves are show caves such as Cave of the Winds in Manitou Springs, CO. Before you go, visit their Kids' Page for some Cave fun!
IMAX Theater
If you've never experienced an IMAX movie, it's time! Check out their Web site to find out what's currently showing, and what's coming up in the future. Then go and sit back, and enjoy the "biggest" show you'll ever see.
The New Gates Planetarium
Take Your Place Among the Stars! The new Gates Planetarium, opening June 2003, will offer far more than an ordinary star show. You will voyage to other planets and travel light-years to beautiful nebulae, galaxies, and stars. A powerful supercomputer and ultra-sharp projectors will surround you with stunning images, and an innovative new theater with stadium-style seats and a tilted dome will immerse you in the universe.
Denver Botanic Gardens
At the Denver Botanic Gardens, horticultural design has been an art form since 1951. With more than 15,000 plant species from such far-away places as Australia, South Africa and the Himalayas, Denver Botanic Gardens is recognized as one of the top urban gardens in the United States. There's something for all ages -- and all five of your senses.
The Denver Mint
See how money is born! Since Congress created the United States Mint on April 2, 1792, it has grown tremendously. The United States Mint receives more than $2.4 billion in annual revenues. As a self-funded agency, the United States Mint turns revenues beyond its operating expenses over to the General Fund of the Treasury. Public tours at the Denver Mint are open to school groups, and Congressionally sponsored groups of six or fewer persons at a time.
Dinosaur Ridge
Dinosaur Ridge is a geologically famous National Natural Landmark, located along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, near Morrison, Colorado and only 15 miles west of downtown Denver. This location features historically famous Jurassic dinosaur bones, such as Stegosaurus and Apatosaurus, discovered in 1877, and over 300 Cretaceous dinosaur footprints, attributed to ornithopod and theropod dinosaurs. The site features a visitor center and is open to the public year-round. There is no admission fee and visitors may follow a mile-long trail. Guidebook and trail maps are available for use on self-guided tours.