We went to see Qualia here last night. The sound bath before the show was incredible. So many…read moredifferent instruments were used beautifully! The actual movie was horrible. It was like a middle schooler made it. No flow whatsoever. Choppy and just really, really bad. It's unfortunate because we will probably never go back.

Wow! What a neat place! The Fiske Planetarium is located within the CU Boulder campus in the…read morebeautiful city of Boulder. Parking is located right outside the planetarium and costs a dollar per hour. Very reasonable. If you check out their showtimes online, you will see right away that there is a show for everyone. Ranging from music light shows featuring music of Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Taylor Swift, etc; to just exploring space; to full on movies, there really isn't a show that you won't find appealing. I have personally been there 3 times: once for a Deftones show (amazing!), a space show (amazing!), and a Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon/The Wizard of Oz show (amazing!). Each show was so different but all of them were great. I would highly recommend buying tickets ahead of time. Even though most shows do not sell out, there are some that are very popular and do. The tickets are $12 for adults.

Laser shows are back! And what a great way to get started than by paying homage to the great…read moreguitar riffing master of pop, Prince. The show was fantastic. The music selection was perfect. "Let's Go Crazy", "Diamonds and Pearls", "1999", "Kiss" and of course "Purple Rain", just to name a few. I wanted to get up and dance to the strobe like laser show. I liked the integration of moving shapes along with animal, Prince and clubbing caricatures. Very family friendly. The show run time was 50 min. The only downside was the seating. Try and sit as much to the back of the auditorium if at all possible. We ended up front and had to strain our neck to view the entire wall

We went to see "Black Hole" at the planetarium. It was such a good show! We were on the edge of our…read moreseats the whole time! Next we went to the butterfly garden. When you walk in the give you a list of all of the different butterflies you can possibly see in the garden. It was fun walking around trying to identify the different varieties of butterfly. I would like to go back and enjoy another planetarium show and explore the museum!

Took my 6 & 7 year old daughters for their first visit to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for…read morethe Brick Planet exhibit and ended up staying for everything. From Space Odyssey to Prehistoric Journey, Gems & Minerals, Exploring Colorado History, the Mummies exhibit (so fascinating!), and of course the Discovery Zone where they could roam and just be kids -- we truly made an afternoon of it. Every staff member we encountered was so friendly and informative, which made the experience even better.

Denver has a great museum, so if you come here be sure to check it out. It's a great experience of…read moreColorado history, while also having tons of science and the exhibits that rotate in and out are great too. They have free days every so often. They tend to be packed but it's a great time, the building feels so alive with so many people. Come by and check it out, you will love it.

Best $15 I've ever spent! If you're a newbie like me and want to up your photography game, you have…read moreto check out this hidden gem at the Butterfly Pavilion. I used my iPhone and the tips I learned were such a game changer! Atmosphere & Service: Early birds get the best shots! Since it starts at 8:30 AM, it was a small, quiet group of three. The instructor is one of the official Pavilion photographers his knowledge of bugs and cameras is next level. Pro-Tip: If you aren't a morning person, grab a coffee on the way! You'll want that caffeine kick to stay sharp for the classroom portion. The Experience: The first hour is a classroom deep dive into tips. Everything from high end Canons to iPhone hacks. Then, you head into the Pavilion to put it all into practice! Bonus: They have a dedicated Photo Hour so you can keep shooting after class ends. Price: $15 Parking: Free and easy. Overall: A 10/10 budget-friendly experience for hobbyists or beginner photographers. It's fun and educational.

We really enjoyed this experience. You can't hold the…read moretarantula anymore, but the butterflies are SO worth it. There are other interactive things and this would be awesome for kids of all ages. Please WATCH your step!! The butterflies do land on the ground!!!

Wow, my yesterday's visit to this historic park was so mesmerizing. It's because of their annual…read more(?) "Bright Nights" (originally a lantern festival.) It is said that they unveil a brand new theme each year and this year's theme appears to be focused on some Eastern cultures such as cherry blossom and bamboo forest with pandas. Not that I have been to many lights shows and yet I must say that I have never seen anything quite like this as far as my recollection is accurate. In its 12-acre land, the installations of lantern lights are everywhere. After 8:30pm or so when it's dark, the illuminations from the lanterns are glowing brighter than Las Vegas' illuminations (LOL - why am I comparing this to Las Vegas!!) According to the park's website, some of the sculptures are 23-foot tall (such as the cherry blossom gate.) It's currently open from Wednesday through Sunday until October 5th. And last night's was one of the adult-only nights where you must be 21+ to enter (I believe the next and last such night is Sept 17th. And this writing is as of late August of 2025.) I am already curious as to what the next year's theme is going to be. There is a centralized bar, some food vendors, a stage where a performer performs, and a DJ booth. Great for family time, girls' night or date night. Helpful staff were working tirelessly to assist all visitors. Although about 1,300 tickets were sold last night, it was never super jammed packed. There is still time to visit this enchanting light show. Not only for the locals but definitely one of the must-visit attractions for out-of-staters as well.

Recently went to the Bright Lights event at this park and had a wonderful experience walking around…read morethe luminous colorful tall lanterns. Every inch of the 12 acres had lights and even in the trees and bushes. So many details that it seemed realistic. Many of the lanterns were interactive such as stationary bikes or cranks to power the lights to glow even brighter. The staff were friendly and happy to help. This event is for young and old and I highly recommend going!

A free tour at the School of Mines in Golden CO. Enriched…read morewith geo local finds and items from around the globe. This museum probably has items you've never seen in a museum before as many items were found in Colorado. If you have a couple hours to spend and you're in town it's worth stopping by. Check their hours online as it can change during holida

This place rocks! Hahaha. The hours are a bit limited but this is an amazing, free experience…read more(unless you count all the cash we dropped in the well stocked gift shop). It's on the campus of the School of Mines and we had no trouble finding some lot parking just down the street from the museum. There are so many cool specimens here and a ton of local finds including gold from Breck and gems and minerals from all over Colorado. They also have meteorites and ammonites! There is a really cool section on the lower level of the museum featuring fluorescent rocks and some information about mining in CO. I have been obsessed with rocks since childhood so knew I could spend hours in here. I was worried my bf was going to get bored, but he was totally into it as well. We probably spent about 3 hours enjoying all the cool rocks and minerals here. Everything is supremely well labeled and most labels include the chemical composition as well, so you can really geek out. Major kudos to whoever does the labels. The gift shop has a nice selection of books about rockhounding and rock identification as well as some cool decorative objects, interesting specimens, and a few pieces of jewelry. I found the prices to be reasonable for most everything and comparable to what you'd pay for stuff on retail sites like Etsy. For example, we picked up some onyx shot glasses for about $6 a glass. There is also a section devoted to kids and there's a number of tumbled rocks for sale. I really can't recommend this place more highly- one of the best free museums I have ever visited.

Loved it! We spent about an hour there. It is better if you go with someone because some of the…read morephoto ops require two people. There are many employees around to explain what you are looking at, and help you get the best picture. There is a small gift shop also. I thought it was worth it but some friends thought the entry fee was too much.

Our daughter was visiting from out of town and we were looking for an interesting afternoon…read moreactivity. Our daughter is 31 years old so perhaps we were a little above the targeted demographics but we had a nice time. The exhibits were interesting and many photo opportunities that presented interesting illusions. The staff were amazingly friendly and helpful, guiding guests through each activity, helping to explain the setup, and even taking our photos. It was the Friday afternoon after Thanksgiving so the building was somewhat crowded with families but we never had to wait more then a few minutes before accessing one of the exhibits. Highly recommend MOI to families with preteen and younger children. It may even be enjoyable for a young couple on a date night. We were able to finish all of the exhibits in 30 minutes, we thought there may be a second floor but after walking through the space a second time we realized that was it. Fun but the ticket price and cost for parking may be a bit steep for some.

Free! If you're visiting Denver and you're along 16th Street Mall then you should definitely stop…read moreby The Money Museum. It's free and you get a free bag of shredded money in the amount of $165, which makes a great souvenir. Take note of their hours: only open on weekdays from 9:30am - 4:00pm. This was our last stop in Denver and it didn't take more than 15 minutes. This is a great alternative to the US Mint. We were not able to get the free tickets to the US Mint, since we were in town during Christmas break and by the time we arrived all the tickets were gone :( The Money Museum is simple and quick. There's no souvenir shop here, but like I said, you get a cool free bag of shredded money :) It's only a slight detour away from 16th Street Mall, plus there's a free 16th Street Mall bus shuttle, so it's super convenient and accessible. Have fun!

Free Mini Museum!…read more It's a self-guided tour that takes up less than an hour of your time and comes with a free bag of shredded money! You'll learn how about to spot counterfeit money, observe historical types of currency, and enjoy some fun activities like coloring your own type of money or designing your own digital dollar bill (great for the kids). What's best is that you can easily access this mall via the free 16th Street Mall bus. Enjoy~

Visited this children's museum recently while exploring some cities north of us. Kids had a great…read moretime. Lots of different things to keep them busy including a big pirate ship, pulley chairs, art room, etc. I loved how they had some older telephones, switch boards, etc. so kids could actually experience some of these items not commonly used or seen today. It was fun to let them explore those and play with them. As a bilingual family, we appreciated how everything was presented in English/Spanish. I did feel like some of the displays were a little run down. Likewise the prices were steep, especially for adults. I really think since adult presence is required, it really shouldn't cost more than $3 per adult. Bathrooms were fairly clean. Place seemed stuck in the Covid era which I wasn't a fan of. Time to move on! This isn't the museum's fault but the day we went the kids there were a bit out of control and rude. That dampened our experience a little bit. They had a little area where families could sit and eat snacks. That was nice for taking a break, especially if you stay for a while. It was a fun one time excursion but I wouldn't return. We have a lot of fun places much closer to us that cost a lot less!

Cons: NO toilet seat covers in bathrooms (there was kid pee all over the seat and I had to wipe it…read moreoff and hover. NOT COOL.) NO antibacterial/sanitizing wipes near yuck bins (or anywhere.) if someone is putting an item in the yuck bin, you can guarantee they need to wipe their hands. And what about babies who drool on things that can't be picked up? Simple wipes would go really far. NO water from the outdoor mud kitchen spigot. If you are going to make a mud kitchen sink and have a spigot with a pipe all set up, at least make sure it works! ! Running kids... they have 2 screens that I saw that said make sure to walk, but I can tell you they do nothing, hah! So be prepared for your little one to get run into, whacked, stepped on, etc. They don't remind anyone during check in to please walk. NO parking. They have a few spots and otherwise it's street parking. For pregnant moms, newly postpartum moms with their strollers and gear, grandparents with arthritis or bad hips etc....enjoy the hike!!!! Pros: Many different areas of play, and geared toward a wide range of ages. We drove from Fort Collins to go, and had fun. Though I wouldn't return with a 1 hr drive. Also wish it was a bit cheaper, but it's better than some of the really large museums. Tried to get a pass at the library but have to have a Lafayette address to get a museum pass, even though we have a Lafayette library card. COST was about $33 for 2 kids and 1 adult. All in all, if it was walkable distance we might go more, but for any kind of driving distance plan for it to be one and done visit :) there is a cute coffee shop next door which was nice.

I'm always looking for different things to do and the Mid-Career Smear collection was different. We…read moreparked at a local parking garage on California and 19th St ( $20 for max hours) within walking distance to the historic Colorado Building. Also available is metered street parking. We had a reservation for the collection at 1:45 so we ate at the Tuscany Coffee & Deli (on the 16th St mall) for lunch and while we waited for our appointment. Initially we were confused about the collection hours and we left a VM and emailed but no response to see if we could go to the collection before our scheduled appointment (which we did anyway). A employee explained the appointment was to tell how many people would attend at a certain time. We arrived to find the building doors were locked but luckily a gentleman who works there let us in and also let us into the elevator to the 5th floor where we were greeted by an employee who explained about the visit. We were free to roam the entire 5th floor of each office at our leisure (only saw one other couple) that held exhibits from contemporary artists from around the world. There were information in the rooms providing brief descriptions of each exhibit. Some of the items were interactive. The collection is free and open to the public (Wednesday through Friday with hours from 11am to 5pm). For more information, please visit their site on Facebook or at their website.

I fortunately had the opportunity to visit this museum before the pandemic hit and was very glad…read morethat i did. The collection of art and items here is definitely very eclectic, but is also very thought provoking at the same time. This collection is definitely much nicer than most free collections that I've seen in other cities, and I would have no problem paying a small fee to visit it again. As the rooms were not busy during my visit, I had the opportunity to slowly enjoy the art - this was good as some areas have quite a bit of items to see in a small area. Overall, definitely worth a visit if you're in Denver and enjoy art -- especially unusual and creative art.