Museum sights in Rocky Mountains
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Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
This recently re-done $28-million art museum and 400-seat theatre opened in the 1936. The museum's collection is surprisingly sophisticated with some terrific Latin American art and photography, and a great series, in the original, pebbled marble wing, by local artist Eric Bransby on the history of navigation. But these are just some of the 23,000 pieces in its permanent collection
There are Mexican clay figures, Native American basketry and quilts, wood-cut prints from social justice artist Leopoldo Mendez, terrific abstract work from local artists such as Vance Kirkland and Floyd Tunson. Its biggest and most famous work is Richard Diebenkorn's Urbana No. 4, an abstract…
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Edwin Carter Museum
An award-winning museum that sheds light on a pioneer lured west by the Pike's Peak Gold Rush in 1858-9. He reached the blue river valley in 1860. An original environmentalist he noticed the impact of mining on wildlife early on, documenting genetic deformities (such as two-headed animals) he suspected were linked to leaching toxins.
He must have seen the handwriting on the wall because he became a taxidermist to preserve the wildlife he encountered in the area. At its height he had a collection of 3000 pieces, and displayed them in his house, which is now a museum. The 12ft ceilings, an anomaly in his day, were there to display his collection. What you'll see here is the…
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Colorado Ski Museum
This humble but surprisingly informative museum takes you from the invention of skiing in the Norwegian military in 1767 to the Colorado ski pioneers who, in 1887, rode 10ft to 14ft wood-skis they made themselves. You can see these vintage skis and boots (and snowboards for that matter) among the well-curated exhibits.
There's a room dedicated to the Tenth Mountain Division, a high alpine WWII unit who trained in these mountains, as well as the fledgling Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.
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Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art
A historic brick house divided into three galleries filled with evocative modern art. Mixed-media exhibits can include such whimsy as neon installations and life-sized cards, while strange fashion concepts are displayed in the costume and wardrobe gallery upstairs. All exhibitions are temporary and rotate every three months. Admission is free when the farmers market blooms out the front on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
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Denver Firefighters Museum
Fire Station No 1 was built in 1909 and in 1978 was turned into a museum that explores the history of firefighting in Denver. See the old steam equipment, slide down a pole and get kitted out in some firefighting gear. The upstairs section is the old quarters where the firefighters slept.
The galleries include a dedicated children’s section with interactive displays based on fire-safety education. Great for kids and fascinating for adults.
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Aspen Volunteer Fire Department Museum
This gleaming new firehouse has a three-story wing devoted to shedding light on what is still largely a volunteer force, a force first organized in 1881. There's a timeline mural on the wall and a fantastic restored fire wagon from late 19th century. From the second and third floors you can peer down onto the current fleet. A 15-minute spin around the museum satisfies the little boy within and without.
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Children's Museum
If you've got kids, check out the Children’s Museum, full of excellent interactive exhibits. A particularly well-regarded section is the kid-sized grocery store, where your little consumerists can push a shopping cart of their very own while learning about food and health. In the ARTS a la Carte section kids can get creative with crafts that they can take home – all use recycled materials.
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Forney Transportation Museum
This fascinating museum exhibits antique vehicles of all types – cars, motorbikes, bicycles, tricycles, railway engines and rolling stock, fire engines, airplanes and more. Even if you’re not an automotive aficionado, the shifting industrial design over the years is interesting. Among many highlights is Amelia Earhart’s 1923 Kissel Speedstar in stunning canary yellow.
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Aspen Art Museum
No permanent collection here, just edgy, innovative contemporary exhibitions featuring paintings, mixed media, sculpture, video installations and photography by artists such as Mamma Anderssen, Mark Manders and Susan Phiipszmark. Art lovers will not leave disappointed. Visit in August and you can experience its annual artCRUSH event, an art auction and wine-tasting extravaganza.
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Boulder History Museum
History buffs will want to breeze through this simple but informative museum, home to a substantial collection of old photos and documents that offer glimpses into Boulder's past. It also hosts special exhibitions on such subjects as the 'History of Flight in Colorado,' 'Influential Women in Boulder's Past' and, gulp, 'Pocketbook Anthropology: The History of Handbags.'
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Ouray County Historical Museum
In a town so well endowed with history, a visit to the local museum is rewarding. Three floors of exhibits feature the local mining history, a bizarre-looking retro-futurist dentist's surgery, old tools and furniture, and a spooky collection of china dolls. The building was once a hospital. It's also the venue for meetings and events for the local historical society.
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Colorado Sports Hall of Fame
This temple to Colorado's sporting prowess is in the INVESCO Field at Mile High Stadium. It has exhibits on the Broncos and themes grouped under such purple headings as 'endurance' and 'sacrifice.' It's nothing to go out of your way for, but a good way to kill time before an event at the stadium.
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Pioneers Museum
Colorado Springs' municipal museum is set in the old El Paso County Courthouse, built in 1903. Their collection and exhibition of some 60,000 pieces sum up the region's history. Particularly good is the Native American collection, which features hundreds of items from the Ute, Cheyenne and Arapaho nations.
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Barney Ford Museum
Barney Ford was an escaped slave who became a prominent entrepeneur and Colorado civil-rights pioneer, and made two stops in Breckenridge over the course of his incredibly rich, tragic and triumphant life. The museum is set in his old home, which he built behind the boarding house. It's a can't-miss site.
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Money Museum
Yes, museums dedicated to coin collecting do exist. Or maybe it's museum (singular). We're not sure. But this museum, operated by the American Numismatic Association has gold coins from the early 19th century, Early commemorative coins from the turn of the 20th century and a few vintage greenbacks too.
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Black American West Museum & Heritage Center
This excellent museum is dedicated to 'telling history how it was'. It provides an intriguing look at the contributions of African Americans (from cowboys to rodeo riders) during the pioneer era – according to museum statistics, one in three Colorado cowboys were African American.
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Summit Ski Museum
A relatively new addition to town, this small museum celebrates the first ski town in Colorado - that would be Breck - and the first century of Summit County skiing. There's a documentary video, vintage skis and gear, and the obligatory exhibit on the 10th Mountain Division.
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Colorado History Museum
The excellent Colorado History Museum was closed at the time of research in preparation for its move to the corner of 12th and Broadway, due to to be completed in 2011. The museum provides excellent interactive displays on the state's development.
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World Figure Skating Museum & Hall of Fame
Fans of figure skating should stop by this museum where you can glimpse snippets of past greats. You'll see their skates, outfits and stills and video footage of some of the greatest routines ever performed.
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Museum of the Rockies
Montana State University's museum is the most entertaining in Montana and shouldn't be missed, with stellar dinosaur exhibits, early Native American art and laser planetarium shows.
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Moraine Park Museum
Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1923 and once the park's proud visitors lodge, this building has been renovated in recent years to host exhibits on geology, glaciers and wildlife.
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Frontier Days Old West Museum
For a peek into the pioneer past, visit the lively Frontier Days Old West Museum at I-25 exit 12. It is chock-full of rodeo memorabilia – from saddles to trophies.
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Chapin Mesa Museum
A good first stop, with detailed dioramas and exhibits pertaining to the park. When park headquarters are closed on weekends, staff at the museum provide information.
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Denver Museum of Nature & Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 3.5 miles east of Downtown, has an IMAX theater, the Gates Planetarium and absorbing exhibits for all ages.
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Smokejumper Visitor Center
Located seven miles west of downtown is this active base for the heroic men and women who parachute into forests to combat raging wildfires. Its visitor center has thought-provoking audio and visual displays that do a great job illustrating the life of the Western firefighter.
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