9 of the Best Museums in Denver and How To Visit

The Denver Art Museum was founded in 1893, when it was called the Denver Artists’ Club, and has since grown to house more than 70,000 works of art in 12 different collections, including art by local Rocky Mountain residents. Beyond its exhibits, the museum also functions as a community hub, offering classes, talks, studio programs, and activities for kids. This is one of the three big museums that make up the so-called Golden Triangle Museum District, which you can visit on a tour of Denver’s highlights.

Don’t miss: The sensory garden on the property that’s designed to inspire creativity by evoking all of the senses.

The newest addition to Denver’s museum scene is the Museum of Illusions on the 16th Street Mall, where you can discover a whole new perspective. That’s because it’s not history or culture on display here, but illusion rooms, art installations, optical illusions, and holograms that play tricks on the mind. With plenty of interactive exhibits that encourage hands-on play, the Museum of Illusions offers a truly engaging experience for visitors of all ages.

Don’t miss: The Beuchet chair that makes anyone who sits on it appear tiny—a fun photo opportunity!

Venture into City Park, where you’ll find the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, one of the top-rated Denver museum attractions. This is an ideal place for curious travelers, where you can visit the planetarium or spend hours exploring exhibits on everything from health and wellness to wildlife, gems and minerals, Egyptian mummies, and more. The museum also welcomes various rotating exhibits that explore other fascinating themes within nature and science—there’s always something new to learn here.

Don’t miss: The permanent Space Odyssey exhibit, where you can enter a fantasy spaceship or even get a feel for space travel in the launch simulator.

Molly Brown was a survivor of the RMS Titanic who also helped rescue other passengers from the world’s most famous shipwreck. The Browns bought a house in Denver in 1897, which was later converted into the Molly Brown House Museum dedicated in part to this socialite-turned-hero’s amazing life. This is one of the most quirky historical museums in Denver, where you’ll find exhibits that provide greater context to the Titanic and also offer insight into Denver’s Victorian era.

Don’t miss: The lithograph of F Street in Denver, which shows what part of the city looked like in the 19th century.

Learn about the often overlooked experiences and actions of the women of Colorado at the Center for Colorado Women’s History, located inside a historic home. You can join a women’s history tour, led by a docent who will guide you through various eras of Colorado’s history and share about the role women played in the area’s development from prehistoric times to the suffragette era, the wartime years, and beyond.

Don’t miss: A wander through the property’s well-kept gardens.

Denver’s Latinx population has greatly influenced its development, and the Museo de las Americas in the Art District on Santa Fe Drive honors this part of the city’s multicultural identity. The small museum opened in 1991 and has displayed exhibits focused on Latin American music, art, and culture ever since. This is one of the unexpected Denver museum highlights, a place where you can get a peek at an interesting slice of culture with its roots beyond the Rockies.

Don’t miss: The recently restored model of The Temple of the Magician, an archaeological site in Uxmal, Mexico.

If you’re interested in exploring Denver's cultural institutions, the Black American West Museum and Heritage Center is a great place to start. This Denver museum has been around since 1971, when it grew from a personal collection to a full-blown museum dedicated to telling the story of the African-Americans who contributed to the growth of the West. You have to sign up for a scheduled slot to visit this museum, so plan ahead if you can.

Don’t miss: Hiring a reenactor to tell the story of Black Americans in the West from the point of view of a significant historical character.

Immerse yourself in the aviation and space industries at Wings Over the Rockies, located in an airplane hangar within the former Lowry Air Force Base. This educational museum displays various types of aircraft, including airplanes, helicopters, and space vehicles, along with exhibits about everything from the Wright Brothers to navigation systems, spaceflight, and more. Visitors also have the chance to feel what it’s like to pilot an aircraft in the museum’s flight simulators.

Don’t miss: The real piece of moon rock on display, which was brought back from the Apollo 15 Mission.

The Museum of Contemporary Art near Union Station brings the global contemporary art scene to the city, with a number of world-class art galleries in Denver inside one building. Here you’ll find sculptures, paintings, and other art installations from around the world. Although most of the museum’s exhibits are temporary, there is one permanent statue on the property that’s visible from the streets of Denver, and another installation outside the building that plays with a series of aesthetically pleasing lines.

Don’t miss: A drink at the museum’s rooftop bar with views over downtown.