I visited the Chamberlin Observatory about two weeks ago for the first time, and it was such a neat…read moreexperience! It's tucked away in a super dark park near DU. It actually looked closed when I first pulled up, but that's just to keep the light pollution down. The Tour: The night kicked off with a fascinating presentation by Dr. John Everette. He walked us through the entire evolution of the field. From what it was like to be an astronomer in the 1930s, manually tracking and hand drawing every observation. All the way up to the cutting edge technology used today. It was so neat to see how the profession has transformed while the passion for the stars has stayed the same. The volunteers were sincerely excited to share this history and were so open to everyone's questions. The Inside Scoop on Tours: If you want to see the big 1894 Alvan Clark telescope, there are two ways to do it: - Public Nights: These are the $4 ticketed events with the presentation (what I did). You need to book these months in advance on the Denver Astronomical Society website. - Open Houses: Once a month, they have a Star Party on the lawn. The lawn is FREE, but you can pay a $2 donation to head inside the building and look through the giant telescope without a reservation. Overall: The clouds moved in by the time our talk was over. So I didn't get to look through the lens this time but the education and the energy of the staff made it 100% worth it. I'm already planning my next trip back!

Routinely they have an open house to share knowledge about the sun, moon, stars, orbital patterns…read moreand other astronomical interests. You get to go up inside the observatory and see the telescope. If it's not cloudy you can see the stars even. We went down to the basement to see the massive pier that the telescope actually sits on. Lots of science and history. Great docent led tours. Fascinating stuff. Loved it all.

Such a wonderful museum! I opted for the self guided tour but they also offer guided tours. The…read morestaff is very knowledgeable and eager to answer any questions you may have. They tell you a couple of times, but the house is HOT in the summer. The house is over 100 years old and doesn't have AC and they don't open the windows. Keep this in mind when purchasing tickets. Also because this house is over 100 years old it isn't very accessible. Doorways are narrow and the stairs are steep. With all that being said Margaret "Molly" Brown's house was beautiful. Her story is even better. If you don't know who she was outside of being a Titanic survivor then you're missing out on a lot of history. This museum deserves a spot on your itinerary.

We were expecting a cool Victorian-era mansion with all the furnishings and decorations that go…read morewith it. From the outside it certainly fit the bill. The people working there were also very nice, but the interior didn't live up to the exterior. Rather than being an interesting house with the appropriate decor, it was more than anything a somewhat disheveled temple to the sufferance movement and Molly Brown's not unimportant part in it. The walls and even the furniture were covered with posters, boxes, and non-contemporaneous objects concerning her works. It was not what we had been expecting, as we'd thought it would be more of house displaying the arts, furnishings and overall elegance of the time.

My last full day visiting the Denver area and I was looking to something kind of quick to do. I…read morethought this museum would fit the bill, so I came! The best part is that it has FREE Admission!! I parked out in the lot just off E. Alameda Pkwy near the front of the Aurora Municipal Center. I was kind of stumped as to where to enter the museum. I walked past the cool sculpture called "Light Of Dawn" by Rafe Ropek. If you keep walking on that sidewalk, you will find the entrance is at the far end of the building right near the gate/fence. I really wanted to see the 1913 Street Car Trolley! It is in a room all by itself. It has been immaculately restored! I like the vintage ads inside! There's lots of information about transportation, too! You can learn how Aurora started out and grew! There was a Buckingham Square Mall that opened in 1971. It had two Palace Guard mascots named Buck and Ham. It was demolished in 2007. It was rebuilt into what is now Gardens On Havana shopping center. I was fascinated to learn that there in a Mission Viejo neighborhood in Aurora. It was modeled after the Mission Viejo in Orange County, CA! In the exhibit of "Growing Home Aurora", there's an extensive collection of memorabilia! I found out that Niagara Bottling, LLC has a plant in Aurora! I wandered through the "Mosaic of Cultures: Aurora's Mexican Community" area. For history's sake, I should have eaten at La Cueva. It is featured in this area. The founders of the restaurant immigrated to the U.S. in the 1950's. There's an exhibit called "Tatanka: The Spirit of the Land" that has lots of beautiful Bison paintings by Arturo Garcia. On my way out, I picked up A Guide to Aurora, too! It lists landmarks and historic sites with pictures. It was great to learn about Aurora!

I've lived here for most of my life and never knew this place existed and I was at the municipal…read morecenter for Pokemon so often. The museum is free and there's a lot thats being discussed to increase visibility. The staff are so friendly and knowledgeable. They have such a diverse knowledge about the history of Aurora and some of Colorado so feel free to ask questions. I learned a lot about Aurora. It gets such a bad rep and is most well known for tragedies. I never knew there was such history about this city. The hit of the museum and a must see is the trolley. I wish Denver had kept the trolley running so it made it special like in San Francisco. What a wonderful piece of Colorado history at the museum. You can also walk and sit in the trolley as well. Take the time to read the ads.

I really enjoyed our visit with my kids on our last day in CO. The area is small but really the…read moreattraction here is the butterflies. It was so relaxing just to walk in and see all of them flying around. I also love that you can input data for the butterflies with stickers to help track them. My only suggestion would be to have more people walking around to monitor since I saw a few little kids try and hurt the butterflies, simply due to the kids being so young and not understanding how to be careful. I enjoyed the gift shop and the staff were very friendly. A lovely place to visit in the area!

The Butterfly Pavilion is always a hit for our family…read more My toddler loves going and staring at all the bugs in the front room. I think we are in there for about 30 minutes. Then we make our way to the tropical butterfly room. Where we spend 10 minutes at most because when we get there. He wants a snack but I know he knows the play area is next. It keeps my toddler busy for hours. And he leaves happy. Surprisingly a fun place for a toddler. I never knew he would be so interested in the bugs but he loves it. And asks to go back fairly often. I recommend it for sure. Especially for young children. You can end your time in the play area. They do close for about 15 minutes each day for a deep clean. I forget the time. Overall, a great place to go.

Wow! ...This place is amazing!...we were dropped off by Uber... so you must walk up the hill to the…read moretop ... if you drive you can park much closer... They have shuttles in some areas to help .... & it's kind of a steep hill to the top... after the walk, they're stairs... and after that you need to climb rows to find your seat... But it was SO Worth It... amazing artist... The main reason we were here is to see Mercy Me...... & worshipping the Lord.... The Stars are out... Five different Christian's artists... What a wonderful experience...

Amazing acoustics Wide stairs in the sitting area so people…read morecan get by. At the corners every few steps people can lay out and watch picnic style. They let you bring a lot of stuff in. No middle isle down the bleachers. No signs to show your row - SUPER frustrating. You need binoculars and a flashlight and even then its a long search. Stairs stairs stairs. With a bad back. More railing is needed by the bleachers! And getting up there, the stairs are so many, you almost give up. Maybe in co you don't have to have handicap access?

I really hate leaving 1 star reviews but I had to…read more We tried multiple times to get tickets since the event sold out so fast. When we finally did, we were really excited to go. Unfortunately, the experience getting there and being packed in shoulder to shoulder with people was not fun at all. I tried to stay positive, but it ended up being long lines, parking chaos, and overall disappointment. Parking has always been limited, so plan to arrive at least 30 minutes early to circle for a spot. The lines felt like TSA at the airport, which really took away from the experience. As for the event itself, it was mostly moving lights and some carved pumpkins lined up in a row. A few of the larger sculptures were cool, but beyond that, there wasn't much that felt new or exciting. For their 10-year anniversary, I expected something more impressive. Sadly, we won't be going back next year or recommending it to others. If you want a fun, spooky event that's actually worth it, go to Magic of the Jack O' Lanterns instead. That one never disappoints.

A creative event, however there are some things that need to be addressed. The main con about this…read moreevent is that it can get extremely overcrowded. So much in fact that you are walking toe to toe behind others. Reminds me of the stuffy lines at amusement parks. This does take away from the event when you want to walk slower and enjoy the scenery, but you can't because the entire line is moving along. Second, this event is only for a few days in October. If it were spread out throughout the entire month of October, I believe it would help diffuse those claustrophobic lines. Other then those two issues, the lights and Halloween scenery is lovely. I won't say much to not ruin any surprises, but there is nice amount of things to see. My favorite event at the Botanic Gardens is the Christmas one because of the synchronized light show. The Halloween one is second place. It would be cool if they added Halloween music and synchronized light shows. There are some spots to buy food and snacks. Many items get sold out quickly, so be sure to buy yours as fast as you can. Lots of little children at this event and they seem to enjoy it just as much as the adults. Parking garages available and it's free, however parking is limited. We found a spot after circling around for 30 minutes. Denver is a busy city, so that's expected.

So cute! I love this quaint theater, where I visited for the first time to see The Suffragette's…read moreMurder with some friends. It was a fun play (LOVE a mystery) with other upcoming ones promoted in the lobby. Maybe it was this particular production that attracted a mostly older crowd. That was part of the charm for me. Anyways, there were a few parts of the set I couldn't really see, but it didn't detract too much. Would come here again for something else!

How cool is this theatre?…read more The rows are inclined enough so you can see over the person in front of you and there is no bad spot in the house. The shows are great and really make you feel immersed.

On a recent solo date (#dateswithkate) in cold and snowy Denver, I ventured down to the American…read moreMuseum of Western Art! Located across from the Brown Palace Hotel, this museum is a little bit of a hidden gem, in that the historic building blends into its' nearby hotel. Parking is a bit tricky, in that it's only offered via meter or nearby garage. Be prepared for a bit of a walk or pay a few bucks. The museum itself is larger than it appears, in that it offers 4 floors of artwork, sculptures, statues, historic home space filled with artwork and western history dating from the 1800's - 1940. VERY cool! Each floor is an "exhibit", adding to the overall story of the west and how the west seen through the eyes of many artists and their interpretation. Walls are divided into little sections filled with both small and large sized art. With my "telephone" in tow, I made my way through the museum in reverse - starting on the 4th floor. The telephone-like object provided a thorough breakdown of the artwork, and provided context for the different artists, the year and their historic significance! Each room off the elevator featured a historic look into history, with traditional rooms featuring some notable art pieces - which was a cool way to see this converted house to museum come to life. Staff are very friendly, welcoming and provide guided tours throughout the week, offer their two cents on the varied pieces and even protect the artwork. Multiple security guards were on each floor, reminding guests not to take photos, videos or get too close! I very much enjoyed my solo experience and would highly recommend a visit - as it's worth it! *** MAJOR PERK: I'll shout from the rooftops that the library is the best kept secret for all things cool and FREE tickets to the museum (along with many others!) through the local library. I reserved mine online, allowing free entry to explore on a self-guided tour!

We stumbled across this museum during a stay at a nearby hotel. $5 entry and well worth it. We…read morespent an hour walking around looking at the paintings. It's several floors and they have stairs and an elevator. A lot of the painting are just mind blowing especially on floor 2. They are from the 1800's. They offer a phone type device that will tell you about what you are looking at. Really great for context. There is no photography and there are guards to make sure nothing is defaced. Check the hours of the museum, they are not open every day. The nice lady at the front desk was delightful.