 Denver Museum of Nature & Science | |
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| Established | December 6, 1900 (124 years ago) |
|---|---|
| Location | Denver,Colorado |
| Type | Natural History |
| Visitors | 1,151,000 (2022)[1] |
| President | George Sparks |
| Website | www |
TheDenver Museum of Nature & Science is a municipalnatural history andsciencemuseum inDenver,Colorado. It is a resource for informalscience education in the Rocky Mountain region. A variety of exhibitions, programs, and activities help museum visitors learn about the natural history of Colorado, Earth, and the universe. The 716,000-square-foot (66,519 m2) building houses more than one million objects in its collections including natural history and anthropological materials, as well as archival and library resources.
The museum is an independent,nonprofit institution with approximately 450 full-time and part-time staff, more than 67 volunteers, and a 67-member board of trustees. It is accredited by theAmerican Alliance of Museums[2] and is aSmithsonian Institution affiliate.
In 1967, the museum received 1,151,000 visitors, ranking eighteenth in theList of most-visited museums in the United States. It was the fourth-most-visited U.S. museum of nature and science.[3] The museum's official online magazine is calledCatalyst.[4]
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The museum provides programming in six main areas. The exhibitions, Infinity Theater films, lectures, classes, and programs pertain to one or more of the following core subjects:anthropology,geology,anatomy,paleontology,astronomy, andzoology. More than 300,000 students and teachers visit the museum with school groups each year. In addition, the museum has science outreach programs and distance–learning opportunities for families, schools and surrounding communities. The museum also offers ongoing professional training workshops for teachers.[5]
In 1868,Edwin Carter moved into a tiny cabin in Breckenridge, Colorado, to pursue his passion, the scientific study of the birds and mammals of the Rocky Mountains. Almost single-handedly, Carter assembled one of the most complete collections of Colorado fauna then in existence.[6]
Word of Carter's collection spread and, in 1892, a group of prominent Denver citizens declared their interest in moving his collection to the capital city for all to see. Carter offered to sell the entire collection for $10,000. The founders also secured a collection of butterflies and moths, and a collection of crystallized gold.[7]
Together, these three collections formed the nucleus of what would become the Colorado Museum of Natural History, officially incorporated on December 6, 1900. After years of preparation and construction, the Colorado Museum of Natural History finally opened to the public on July 1, 1908.[8]John F. Campion, the first president of the board, said in his dedication address, "A museum of natural history is never finished". The first director was hired and quickly recruited staff to build more exhibits and create public programs. By 1918, another wing had opened and research efforts were well underway.
In 1927, a team led by the Colorado Museum discovered two stone projectile points embedded in an extinct species of bison, in Folsom, New Mexico. TheseFolsom points demonstrated that humans had lived in North America more than 10,000 years ago, hundreds of years earlier than previously believed.[9]
The city of Denver increased its funding for the museum, leading to a name change to Denver Museum of Natural History in 1948.[10] The name was changed again in 2000 to the present Denver Museum of Nature and Science, reflecting the institution's wider focus.[11]
The museum is partially funded by theScientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), which was created by area voters in 1988.[12] It has also attracted large donations from benefactors, such as Morgridge Family Foundation led by philanthropistCarrie Morgridge, which gave $8 million to the museum in 2010, described as being the largest single gift since its founding.[13]
On July 9, 2025, the museum reported that they had acore sample dug up from the parking lot, in order to assess the possibility of utilizinggeothermal heating. To the surprise of the museum staff, the sample contained a fragment of a dinosaur fossil 763 feet (233 meters) below the surface.[14][15] Though unable to identify the species, the staff believe it to be avertebra of aherbivorousornithopod.[16][17] The institution's geology curator wanted to dig up the parking lot to excavate it, but was not allowed to.[18]
I would love to dig a 763-foot (233-meter) hole in the parking lot to excavate that dinosaur, the rest of it. But I don’t think that’s going to fly because we really need parking... Unfortunately, we can’t excavate our entire parking lot. Parking is really important at the museum and in all cultural (centers )... But the bonus here is that people can now park right on top of a dinosaur.
— James Hagadorn, curator of geology
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Expedition Health
Expedition Health teaches visitors about the human body, including the science of taste.[19] It opened on March 30, 2009, replacing the former Hall of Life.
Space Odyssey
Space Odyssey, which opened in 2003 and underwent a refurbishment in 2020, is about the Universe and our place in it. One major highlight of the exhibit is a full-scale replica of aMars Exploration Rover, which was formerly found outside the exhibit from around 2004 to around 2016 or 2017.
Prehistoric Journey
Prehistoric Journey, which opened in 1995, traces the evolution of life on Earth. Displays include skeletons and skulls of prehistoric animals (synapsids,dinosaurs and others):Dimetrodon,Eryops,Allosaurus,Stegosaurus,Diplodocus,Edmontosaurus,Maiasaura,Megacerops,Archaeotherium,Hyaenodon,Merycoidodon,Stenomylus,Merycochoerus,Moropus,Dinohyus,Hesperotestudo,Gomphotherium,Synthetoceras andTeleoceras, a sea lily reef diorama from 435 million years ago, a cast/replica skull of the ancient placoderm fish,Dunkleosteus, and a collection oftrilobites.[20]
Some fossil bone of a dinosaur in this exhibition was found in 2025 at a depth of 763 feet under the parking lot of the museum, while drilling test for geothermal energy sources.[21]
Wildlife Halls
TheWildlife Halls are animaldioramas showing scenes of daily life of many different animals, one of the largest collections of its type in North America. The Wildlife Halls in the museum are:
Level 3 Wildlife Halls:
Birds of the Americas
Explore Colorado (also known asExplore Colorado: From Plains to Peaks)
Northern and Rare Birds (also known asBirds of North America)
South America (also known asSketches of South America)
Botswana, Africa (also known asAfrica-Botswana: Sharing a Fragile Land andBotswana: Safari to Wild Africa)
Level 2 Wildlife Halls:
Bears and Sea Mammals (also known asInto the Wild: Bears and Sea Mammals andNorth America's Bears and Northern Sea Mammals)
| Species and locations represented in North America's Bears | |
|---|---|
| Aleutian Islands,Alaska | Brown bear |
| Yakutat, Alaska | Glacier bear |
| Gribbell Island,British Columbia | Spirit bear |
| Alaska | Barren ground grizzly |
| Archuleta County, Colorado | Grizzly bear |
| Yellowstone National Park,Wyoming | Black bear |
| Species and locations represented in Northern Sea Mammals | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diomede Islands,Bering Strait | Walrus | Bearded seal | Ringed seal | Spotted seal |
| Pribilof Islands,Alaska | Northern fur seal | |||
| Monterey County, California | California sea lion | Steller sea lion | ||
| Alaska | Polar bear | Ribbon seal |
Edge of the Wild
North American Wildlife (also known asNorth America's Wild Places andScenes of Change)
| Species and locations represented in North America's Wild Places | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve,Alaska | Canada lynx | |||
| Yellowstone National Park,Wyoming | American marten | Red squirrel | Golden-mantled ground squirrel | Clark's nutcracker |
| Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska | Mountain goat | Gyrfalcon, largest of the falcons | ||
| Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska | Gray wolf | |||
| Denali National Park, Alaska | Dall's sheep | |||
| Ellesmere Island | Muskox | Gray wolves (white variety called "Arctic") | ||
| Cassiar Mountains,British Columbia | Stone's sheep | Hoary marmot | ||
| Prudhoe Bay, Alaska | Caribou | Willow ptarmigan in winter-white plumage | ||
| San Miguel County, Colorado | American mink | Steller's jays | ||
| Denali National Park, Alaska | Wolverine |
Australia and South Pacific Islands (also known asAustralia and South Pacific)
Out of all of the dioramas in the museum listed here, only one, Western Brazil,[22] which depicted wildlife on the Brazilian savanna, was removed for not being scientifically accurate, because it included animals that didn't naturally interact with each other in the wild.[23] However, at least three pieces of evidence that prove that the diorama did exist can be found in the museum: one being a cropped image of the screenshot of the diorama's brocket deer from the museum's 1961 annual report in Edge of the Wild, and the other two being the scarlet macaw and blue-fronted parrot found in the glass case at South America's entry wall.
Insects & Butterflies
Insects & Butterflies is a wildlife exhibit on the first floor that's separated into four displays:Pinning Down Insects, which classifies the different groups of arthropods and features the twelve common orders of insects;Deceits & Defenses, which shows different insects that have their own ways of defending themselves, as well as including a miniature diorama depicting a foothills shrubland with many hidden insects;Colorado Lepidoptera, which features 171 species of butterflies and moths found in Colorado including theColorado hairstreak, Colorado's state insect; andForm Follows Function, which shows the life cycle of amourning cloak butterfly, a small collection of rainforest butterflies, and two species ofMorpho butterflies next to a model of scales from one of the wings of a bluemorpho.
Egyptian Mummies
Egyptian Mummies contains two mummies, along with several coffins and other various antiquities from ancientEgypt. In both 1991 and 2016, the mummies were subjected to CT scans at Children's Hospital in Aurora, Colorado.[24][25] Also on display is a miniature temple, based on one from the time of King Ramses II.
Coors Gems & Minerals
Coors Gems & Minerals is a hall where visitors can examine many colorful crystals and minerals found both locally and globally. It features a re-created mine based on the Sweet Home mine, where theAlma King, the largest specimen ofrhodochrosite exhibited near the entrance, was originally found on August 21, 1992. It is also home to the museum's oldest exhibit: crystallized leaf gold, which was donated in 1900, the same year the museum was founded.
Konovalenko Gem Carvings
The museum features the only public collection of gem carvings by the Ukrainian-born Soviet artistVasily Konovalenko outside of Moscow,[26] located on the third floor within the South American Wildlife Hall.
Crane Hall of North American Indian Cultures
TheCrane Hall of North American Indian Cultures is currently closed for renovations
Ancient Denver
Ancient Denver, a series of paintings by local artists that depict the Denver area from 300 million years ago to the present.[27]
In addition to the exhibit halls, skeletons ofTyrannosaurus rex, a pair ofThalassomedon and afin whale, as well as a replica of the Chief Kyan totem pole, can be found in the rotunda. A display that shows howescalators work is also found at one of the two up escalators on the first floor.
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The museum features temporary exhibits from other museums. Temporary exhibits tend to be at the museum for a period of around six months. Exhibitions the museum have featured in that past include
Gates Planetarium is a 125-seat planetarium that features unidirectional, semi-reclining stadium seating, 16.4 surround-sound system featuringAmbisonic, a 3-D spatial sound system, and a perforated metal dome, 56 ft (17 m) in diameter and tilted 25 degrees. The current planetarium replaces an older, dome-style planetarium.[41]
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The Infinity Theater on the second floor of the museum was built as the Phipps Auditorium in 1940, and was used for lectures, concerts, and films until 1980. Renovated and reopened in 1983 as the Phipps IMAX Theater, it seats 440 people and now shows large-format films daily.
In July 2022, the Phipps IMAX Theater was closed for renovations[42] for sound, visual, and lobby. The theater is now open as of February 2023 and gave it the new name of "Infinity Theater".[43] It is now a state of the art theater suitable for all types of visual enjoyment.
In 2014, a $70 million addition was added to the museum containing the Morgridge Family Exploration Center and the Avenir Collections Center.[44]
The Morgridge Family Exploration Center constitutes three above-ground levels that encourage visitors to learn about science and the natural world. The center includes Exploration Studios, a new temporary exhibition gallery, an atrium space, a completely redeveloped Discovery Zone for early learners, and the outdoor, Boettcher Plaza with unique public art.
The Avenir Collections Center, part of a $70 million expansion in 2007, is a climate-controlled facility devoted to housing for nearly 1.5 million artifacts and specimens. The facility includes 63,000 square feet (5,900 m2) in two underground levels, and holds specimens such as bison from the 1870s, passenger pigeons, the last grizzly bear to be killed in Colorado in 1979, androadkill brought in by the public. The data from these specimens is placed in online databases, and linked to public databases, like BioPortal.[45][46]
The museum contains a number of hidden secrets that visitors may search for. On the Denver Museum website, there are four different downloadable scavenger hunts available, ranging from State Parks to "Museum Treasures".[47] Kent Pendleton, one of the museum's diorama painters, painted eight elves in his work, hidden throughout the museum. Guests are encouraged to search for the elves with one of the printable scavenger hunts.[48][49]
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... The Denver Museum of Nature and Science has received an $8 million gift, the largest donation in its 109-year history ...
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