Denver Museum of Nature and Science
2001 Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO
Denver, CO
A grand natural history museum on the edge of City Park, where dinosaur skeletons, wildlife dioramas, and a planetarium sit beneath a Rocky Mountain skyline.
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science is one of the great natural history museums of the American West, a sprawling institution on the edge of City Park that draws visitors into the story of life, earth, and the cosmos. Its halls hold towering dinosaur skeletons, rich fossil collections, classic wildlife dioramas, exhibits on space and geology, and a planetarium beneath its dome.
Founded well over a century ago, the museum grew from early collections into a beloved Denver landmark, as much a part of the city's identity as the park it overlooks. Its grand terrace faces west across Denver toward the Rocky Mountains, a fitting backdrop for a museum devoted to the natural world.
What Guests Love
- Towering dinosaur skeletons and rich fossil collections
- Classic wildlife dioramas of animals in painted natural settings
- A planetarium and space exhibits under the dome
- A grand terrace with views across Denver to the mountains
Worth Knowing
- It is a large museum, so give yourself several hours or plan which halls to focus on
- Special exhibitions and the planetarium may need separate tickets or timed entry
- City Park around it is a fine place to walk or picnic before or after a visit
- It is a popular family destination, so weekends and school breaks are busiest
Details
Denver, CO
Learn about Denver Museum of Nature and Science
A Denver institution
The museum traces its roots back more than a century, growing out of early natural history collections into one of the most visited cultural institutions in the region. Over the decades it expanded its halls, its research, and its programs, becoming a fixture of Denver school field trips and family outings for generations.
Set on the edge of City Park, one of Denver's grand public spaces, the museum is woven into the life of the city. Its distinctive building and the great lawn and lake nearby make it a destination as much for the setting and the views as for the collections inside.
Dinosaurs and the earth's story
Among the museum's most popular draws are its dinosaurs and fossils, with mounted skeletons and rich displays that tell the deep story of life on earth. Colorado is famous dinosaur country, and the museum draws on the region's remarkable fossil record to bring that ancient world to life.
Alongside the fossils, exhibits explore geology, gems and minerals, and the forces that shaped the land, subjects with special resonance in a mineral-rich mountain state. Together they trace the earth's history from its deep past up to the landscapes visitors know today.
Dioramas, space, and the planetarium
The museum is treasured for its classic wildlife dioramas, painstakingly crafted scenes that place mounted animals against painted backdrops of their natural habitats, from the Rocky Mountains to distant continents. These beautifully detailed windows into the wild are a beloved part of the experience for many longtime visitors.
The museum also reaches skyward, with exhibits on space and the universe and a planetarium where visitors can journey among the stars beneath a great dome. Between the dioramas, the fossils, and the cosmos, the collections span life on earth and the wider universe around it.
City Park and the view
One of the museum's quiet pleasures is its setting. The grand terrace and upper-floor windows look out across City Park and downtown Denver to the wall of the Rocky Mountains on the horizon, one of the finest mountain views in the city.
City Park itself is worth lingering in, with its lake, gardens, and adjacent zoo making an easy pairing with a museum visit. A stroll around the grounds before or after exploring the halls rounds out a day that moves from the natural world inside to the living park outside.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Denver
City Park
Surrounding the museum
One of Denver's grand public parks, with a lake, gardens, and adjacent zoo, and mountain views to the west.
Denver Zoo
Within City Park
A large, well-loved zoo set in City Park, an easy pairing with a museum visit.
Downtown Denver
About 3 miles west
The heart of the city, with museums, sports, dining, and a lively arts scene.