A Guide to Denver Museums

There are so many museums in the Denver metropolitan area that it’s sometimes difficult to choose which one to visit. Each is interesting and special, and worth exploring regardless of the focus; from firefighters to art and transportation, there are a lot of options. Here are a few highlights of the best museums in town based on their subject.

 

Best Overall Museum:

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science

2001 Colorado Blvd.
Denver, Colo. 80205
(303) 370-6366
www.dmns.org

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science has something for everyone. Whether your interests are in fossils and dinosaurs, ancient Egypt, or into infinity and beyond, the 500,000-square-foot museum has you covered. Temporary exhibitions throughout the year also call the museum home. When you throw in trips to the planetarium and IMAX theater, it’s difficult to pick a better museum in town, especially for families.

Best Art Museum:

The Denver Art Museum

100 W. 14th Avenue Parkway
Denver, Colo. 80204
(720) 865-5035
www.denverartmuseum.org

The Denver Art Museum is easily the best art museum in Denver, particularly after the opening of the 2006 Frederic C. Hamilton expansion by famed architect Daniel Libeskind. The 356,000-square-foot museum houses a superior collection of American Indian, Western American, modern and contemporary art. It’s easy to spend a day wandering the museum’s halls appreciating some of the finest art in Denver — a strong art community thanks to the many museums: the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Kirkland, and the Clyfford Still Museum (opening in the fall of 2011).

Best Historical Museum:

The Molly Brown House

1340 Pennsylvania Street
Denver, Colo. 80203
www.mollybrown.org

The Molly Brown House is tops of a heap of great historical museums in Denver, at least until the new Colorado History Museum opens in early 2012. The story of the Unsinkable Molly Brown, thanks in part to the success of the Titanic movie, is something everyone knows, so an immediate familiarity to the museum is already present. And because it’s centrally located in downtown Denver, several other historical opportunities — like the state capitol, Byers-Evans House, or the Black American West Museum — are also immediately available.

Best Other Museum:

The Forney Museum of Transportation

4303 Brighton Boulevard
Denver, Colo. 80216
(303) 297-1113
www.forneymuseum.org

The Forney Museum of Transportation is a great example of the many unique and interesting museums that Denver has to offer. The Forney houses a jaw-droppingly huge collection of antique automobiles, historic bicycles and motorcycles, as well as trains, tractors, and carriages. It is without a doubt an impressive collection amongst a throng of impressive Denver museums; Buffalo Bill’s grave, the Colorado Railroad Museum, Wings Over the Rockies, and the Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield are just a few of the others that prove that the Denver area definitely has a museum for everyone.

This story was originally posted on CBSDenver.com.