The Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Denver

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is a prominent natural history and science museum in Denver. Established in 1900, it serves as a major resource for informal science education in the Rocky Mountain region. The museum offers a diverse range of exhibitions, programs, and activities that explore the natural history of Colorado, Earth, and the universe, inviting visitors to engage with scientific topics in a hands-on and immersive way.

Spanning 716,000 square feet, the museum houses a collection of over one million objects, including natural history and anthropological materials, as well as extensive archival and library resources. This impressive collection has grown from the early efforts of Edwin Carter, a pioneer naturalist whose passion for the study of Colorado’s wildlife laid the foundation for the museum's development. Today, the museum is recognized as the largest natural history museum in the Western United States.

Located in City Park, the museum boasts scenic views of Denver and the Rocky Mountains, enhancing the visitor experience. In 2022, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science welcomed over 1.15 million visitors, making it the eighth most-visited museum in the United States and the fourth most-visited nature and science museum in the country.

The museum's programming is centered around six core competencies: anthropology, geology, health science, paleontology, space science, and zoology. It offers a wide array of educational opportunities, including exhibitions, films at the Infinity Theater, lectures, classes, and special programs. Each year, the museum attracts more than 300,000 students and teachers through school group visits and also supports science outreach and distance learning initiatives. Additionally, it provides professional development workshops for educators, further extending its impact on science education in the region.