Accessibility

Three different accessible parking spaces are located in the main parking lot on the north side, in the underground parking garage (enter at the northwest corner of the lot), and on the east side of the Museum just outside the Giant Screen Theater.

Barrier-free doors with push-button entry are located at the Museum’s main entrance. Elevators are located throughout the building and an after-hours, surface-level elevator is available outside the Giant Screen Theater after 5:30 p.m.

Canes and Wheelchairs

Canes and wheelchairs may be checked out at no charge from the Information Desk on a first-come, first-served basis.

Wheelchair seating in the Giant Screen Theater accommodates six wheelchairs, first come, first served. Access to the theater during Museum hours is on Level 3 near Prehistoric Journey. Please wait by the sign for an usher to assist you. Wheelchair seating is also available in Gates Planetarium. Enter through the main doors of the Planetarium.

Restrooms

All-gender restrooms are available on every level of the Museum and changing tables are in most restrooms. Did you know about the Caregivers’ Room? It is inside the all-gender restroom in Gems and Minerals on Level 1, furnished with an armchair, sink, and electrical outlet.

Service Animals

Service animals are allowed throughout the Museum. Service animals are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. Pets and emotional support animals are not considered service animals and are not allowed. 

The Museum offers free general admission to Colorado-based day programs (Specialized Day Habilitation Services) and recreational and activity programs for individuals who attend as part of a group (including Supported Community Centers), along with their aides.

Professional aides are admitted to the Museum, Giant Screen Theater, and Gates Planetarium for free, one aide per guest. Please make a reservation for a professional aide by calling Guest Services at 303.370.6000.

Closed captioning is available at no charge on a first come, first served basis for most shows in the Giant Screen Theater. Please request the device from an usher or at the box office at least 20 minutes before the show begins.

American Sign Language interpreters are available at no charge for Museum live programs and lectures. Please call Guest Services at 303.370.6000 or email [email protected] for questions and reservations. Please allow at least one week’s notice for any requests.

Elevator controls are marked in braille.

Braille maps may be checked out from the Information Desk with a valid ID.

Check with ushers about assisted listening devices, which include some audio descriptions, in the Giant Screen Theater and Gates Planetarium.

Resources for guests on the Autism spectrum and/or those with sensory sensitivities, the Museum has wiggle cushions and noise-reducing headphones, which may be checked out at no charge from the Information Desk, first come, first served.

For questions related to accessibility at the Museum, please contact [email protected].

The following descriptions will help you plan your visit. 

Gems and Minerals, Level 1

• See gems, gold, minerals, a sparkling crystal cave, and walk through a mine tunnel.
• Hear a description of the mine on the phone at the entrance and realistic mine sounds in the tunnel.
• Touch the rough rock walls as you walk through the mine tunnel.
• Touch and compare mineral specimens for weight and hardness.
• See and hear captioned videos that tell the story of the world’s largest rhodochrosite and aquamarine.

Insects, Level 1

• See butterflies, moths, and other insects from Colorado and around the world.
• Touch large models that tell the story of the life cycle of a butterfly.

Edge of the Wild, Level 2

• See beautiful dioramas showing Colorado’s large mammals in natural settings.
• Touch a bighorn sheep horn to count the rings and see how old it is.
• Touch skulls, bison fur, tracks, scat, antler velvet, jaws, and teeth.
• See captioned videos of animal behavior and wildlife management issues.
• Smell a deer’s musk scent.
• Touch the cushioned hooves of a bighorn sheep.
• Hear a bull elk bugling and bison, mountain lion, prairie dog, and mule deer calls.

Egyptian Mummies, Level 3

• See and hear a captioned video about CT-scanning the mummies.
• See what they found inside and learn about mummification in ancient Egypt.

Explore Colorado, Level 3

• Hear birds and other animal sounds.
• Touch life-size sculptures of a bobcat and river otter.
• See captioned natural history stories and play games on a touch-screen computer.
• Ample seating is available.

Prehistoric Journey, Level 3

• See the development of life on Earth, told with amazing fossils, from tiny trilobites to giant dinosaurs.
• See and hear a captioned video about the beginning of life on Earth.
• Touch real fossils and casts of footprints, bones, shells, plants, mammoth and mastodon teeth, skulls, fish shark skin, ammonites, and a stegosaurus brain.
• See captioned videos that show science in action and document unusual life forms.
• Hear realistic animal sounds as you walk through life-size prehistoric environments.

Special Exhibitions, Level 3

• The Phipps Special Exhibits Gallery and Anschutz Gallery host various temporary exhibitions throughout the year.