Fun and free museum at CU Boulder. Quite a few different exhibits but the fossils were the coolest…read more There is construction in the area but the museum is still accessible.

Was looking for a place for the kids on a rainy day; the Museum of Natural History was a good…read morechoice. It is relatively small, but has some interesting exhibits in the 4 wings for all ages. There are some interactive displays, that some children will enjoy. The docent at the front desk was helpful. What challenged me was parking. There is none nearby. I guess this is true for most Universities. The GPS took me to the museum and with 2 toddlers in tow, I parked in one of the 6 non marked, empty spaces. Just to be sure I asked if I needed a visitor permit for my car, when I was told those spots were not for visitors. I needed to look for parking elsewhere. I found there was parking available approximately 1/4 mile away and across Broadway. That is an extremely busy street. There are no pedestrian crosswalks near the museum. So fairly good museum -- difficult logistics made worse on cool rainy days.

Nice museum and worth checking out if you're in the area. $31 for 2 tickets, babies no charge. For…read morea small museum, it's pretty random. We were told to check out the rooftop first only to see nothing. The view is cool but could've seen it from the outside without paying the museum fee or going hiking on a trail. I think the biggest appeal is if you have children. The Google Garage is innovative and the whole basement level is dedicated to kids play area. Bathrooms located on every floor.

A very nice museum, well laid out and shows everything I've ever wondered about Boulder and its…read morehistory! Plus they have a great section on staple restaurants from past and present Boulder- super fun to check out! Plus if you have SNAP then it's totally free, so worth it!

Visiting NCAR is an extraordinary experience that should be seized by any visitor to or resident of…read morethe area. The complex was designed in 1961 by I. M. Pei, one of the greatest architects of the 20th century, and completed in 1967. Although this was his first major project, it received immediate recognition as a masterpiece of modern design and caused Pei's career to rocket. The buildings are inspired by ancient Pueblo ruins and fit seamlessly into their spectacular foothills setting, rather than trying to dominate the landscape. Meteorology first became criticality important during WWII, but basic research into our weather declined drastically after the war. The National Academy of Sciences approached Congress in 1956 to fund an institute for basic climate research. NCAR has been funded by the National Science Foundation since 1960 and is managed by a consortium of universities. One of NCAR's basic functions is to develop models of our climate and the facility has housed a series of state-of-the-art supercomputers for this purpose. Alas for computer nerds, since 2012 the latest generations of systems are now at the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center in Cheyenne (there is a nice visitor center and tour if you visit there). NCAR encourages visits by the public and is open every day at no charge. The complex sits at the top of Table Mesa and takes up 28 acres of 565 acres of City of Boulder open space. Getting there is a little tricky. You take Table Mesa Drive through a residential development. The houses suddenly end and you're on NCAR Road which twists seamlessly into the landscape and leads past the main entrance to the huge parking lot. Be careful on the rather steep road as it is used by lots of bicyclists and runners. There's a path from the parking lot to the rear of the complex. A staircase leads to the plaza and public entrance. The setting is gorgeous and there are eight hiking trails of various lengths and levels of difficulty. The main public parts of NCAR are the lobby and adjacent two-level science hall which are packed with dozens of interesting and well-done exhibits, many interactive, that explain the functions of weather and scientific research about it. There's also a small theater, a research library, and Pei's original model of the project. The public is welcome to use the large cafeteria (follow the signs from the exhibit hall) which has great views and hosts a continuing series of art exhibits. I usually stop at NCAR whenever I visit Boulder and always enjoy my time there.

What a treat to find this. Very informative and interactive to learn about meteorology and fun for…read morethe kids. Plenty of parking and it seems most everyone uses it for trail access, but the center itself is worth the stop. Great views from here and it offered a nice break for us.

Very small museum with just a few exhibits. I allowed one hour for our visit before our lunch…read morereservations, we only needed five minutes. The reception staff was very friendly and although admission is free, they ask for a donation up front. I gave a nice donation, expecting a good experience! It would have been hard to donate after our short visit. Most of the pieces were typical for contemporary, interesting to unusual. There were two different video graphic art pieces that were interesting. Parking is tough, street parking. It's close to the Pearl Street Mall area.

Underwhelming, I'm glad they asked for a donation at the start because I was in and out in about 5…read moremins. The 2nd floor is empty besides a few chairs in the corner and a sofa and the 1st floor you can see in the 4 second video attached. I love art and this was just odd. No details. I would recommend just a walk through waiting for your reservation at the tea house.

Went here on 12/11/24. First time here. We live in Denver so we were looking for 'museums'…read moreoutside the city. And we love going to Fort Collins for other stuff. They have a good size Kid Zone. Then they have the history of Fort Collins. Then, I believe, they have a rotating exhibit. At the time was all about Skin. On humans and animals. It was fascinating. Then the best part was the music area. So much interaction! It was great! Definitely recommend. Will definitely be here again.

This place is great! I completely forgot about a Groupon I…read morehad purchased a while back and we were able to use it just in time. Even without it though, it's a great price for what you get! There is so much to do and explore here! The music section is definitely a favorite as you get to test out so many instruments! Everything was well maintained (minus one or two exhibits that weren't functioning at the time). The toddler area is great for the little ones to be separate. Personally, I was absolutely stoked for the shadow wall - it's just a fun/silly thing to do. When we ventured upstairs we didn't realize there was a theater until a staff member asked if we were there to see the show. Since we had to get going, I asked if I could peak in real quick to check it out and he was totally fine with it. It looks so cool! We will definitely be back to catch a show in the future.

What a fun outing! I've visited the railroad twice now, both in the fall, and the views are…read moreabsolutely beautiful. The tracks are unique and the conductor tells a light but informative history of the area on the return trip. I only wish more discounts were available as it gets pretty pricey with groups! Buy tickets online or in person. There are bathrooms onsite at the depot and at the stop as well.

Beautiful area place and thing to do with kids and or adults …read more My son loved it although the train broke that day and we had to be delayed by two Hours . But turns out okay after . Not worth going twice though

We have been to Colorado many times and this remains one of our very favorite things to do! You…read more just can't beat panning for gold in a river stream knowing that you are actually going to find flecks of gold and we have every time! It is so much fun! This year we did the tour of the cave and it was super super interesting me as well and my kids really loved it :-) I did too! Lastly, the chipmunks. You could literally just go for the chipmunks lol! They are so super friendly and so much fun! We cannot recommend this place highly enough!

i'm going out of my way to write this review because this was such a cool experience. I did the…read more"Mother Lode" combo, which includes the main main tour, plus an additional mine tour, which to reach it that requires a quarter mile hike up a trail, and gold panning (after several tries I only found one tiny gold flake, but I got something!). Definitely bring sunscreen for the second tour, as you will be sitting outside in the sun for a little bit. It's cool and refreshing inside the mines, and they're full of history, right down to the wooden shafts that still have numbers painted on them from the miners of 1800s. You will learn about mining history and how harrowing and challenging it was, and see the actual tools they used, and how techniques developed over time. You will see shafts and tunnels you cannot explore but remain from days of old that inspire the imagination. You will also hear some silly ghost stories, and even see how UV light illuminates the rocks and minerals in the mines. Interested in history, gold, geology, or mining? Even if you aren't, take this tour anyway! It's well worth it, and the guides do a great job.

This museum continues to amaze me. Longmont is a mid-sized city that feels like a small town. In…read morethis non-Denver sized city, this museum has had exhibits showing the works of Picasso, Ansel Adams and Red Grooms! They have had an exhibit on Washi: The Japanese Culture of Paper Making. They also have an annual Day of the Dead exhibit created by community members and local artists. There is a permanent exhibit called 'Front Range Rising' which discusses the history of Longmont. You can see many of these past exhibits in a virtual tour on their website! In addition to the exhibits, there are movies, classes, performances and walking tours. The classes and movies relate in some way to the art exhibits. For example, an exhibition called 'Build: Design & Create with LEGO' was connected with the short films created by the legendary designers Charles and Ray Eames. During the Picasso exhibit you were able to take a class to learn how to create a Picasso style portrait. A recent update as of July 2025 is that the galleries will be closed until Fall 2026 while the Longmont Museum has a major expansion of its building. There will be even more galleries and a larger children's area! While the galleries will be closed they are still planning to have events in the auditorium and courtyard. They will also continue their educational programs.

We hosted an event at the museum and highly recommend them as an event space. We had initially…read moreplanned to do the event in their outdoor space, but due to rain had to pivot to indoor. The museum worked with us last-minute to ensure we still had all the resources we needed. Ally, the event coordinator, did numerous walk-throughs with us, was there all night to ensure everything went smoothly, and worked with a great staff.

So much fun exploring and learning about Earth, the solar system, nature, and history! The…read morePlanetarium is a wonderful experience. Watching the presentations about the solar system makes you feel like you're right there, riding alongside the planets and floating through space. Walking through the museum, interacting with the exhibits, and learning from the stewards made the visit even more enjoyable. It was also awesome to see school groups and summer camps exploring the museum. I love that the kids have a designated place to sit and eat their lunches instead of having to use the café. There is so much to see and learn that you can easily spend hours here. It's a great way to spend the day, whether you're visiting with family, friends, or on your own. Happy Yelping!

Educational and interactive!…read more There's a large parking lot and an underground parking garage so plenty of spaces. You do need to purchase a ticket to enter so I suggest doing that ahead of time. It also gives you a timeframe to enter just so it spaces out the crowds. Did you know that there's a scavenger hunt for gnomes, I think they look more like elves though lol the list of where to find the gnomes can be found on the museums website. This was really fun because it kept me guessing on where to look next, and when we came up to exhibit that supposedly had the gnome, I got to look really close at all the details of that exhibit. There are three levels to the museum, the ground floor, the second level and the third floor. Each one is broken up into different categories. They also have a laser show going on with different songs or movies for the theme. You do need to reserve a spot online so make sure you check out the showtimes, each week is different. I went with a friend and we blocked out three hours for this. The laser show we chose was roughly 30 minutes so we ended the day with the laser show. So the museum itself only took 2 1/2 hours.