After years of anticipation, the Colorado History Museum–now called the History Colorado Center– has finally opened its doors.

The museum, which moved from a cramped and oddly shaped building on the 1300 block of Broadway to its new location at 1200 Broadway, boasts a beautifully designed, LEED certified, spacious building as its new home. Where the old museum had comparatively little to offer because of the small footprint of the previous building, the new History Colorado Center has many entertaining and educational exhibits for visitors of all ages.
Permanent exhibits include a huge map of Colorado, interactive “time machines,” a virtual ski jump, and Destination Colorado. Destination Colorado was a personal favorite (and a hit with the kids); visitors take a step back in time to the Colorado plains-town of Keota, where they have the chance to enroll in the high school, take a ride in a Ford Model T, play with toys of the era, and collect eggs to swap at the General Store.
A very charming temporary exhibit was LEGO-rado, a lego display that touted scenes of a past, present, geographical, and outlandish future Colorado. The exhibit offered the opportunity to talk to one of the LEGO builders, and even included a LEGO work station for young creative minds to build their own masterpieces. I attended the exhibit on the last day of the LEGO exhibition. It will be replaced by a (hopefully equally amusing) exhibit called Denver A to Z, set to open in November.
Just blocks from the capitol building and Civic Center Park, the History Colorado Center is a wonderful addition to a day in downtown Denver. For residents new and old, it presents a fun way to learn a little bit more about the great state that we live in. Tickets to the museum are reasonably priced, and there are many parking options nearby, including the Civic Center Cultural Complex garage, and street parking (metered or 2-hour.)
For more information about the museum, ticketing, parking, or current exhibits, visit historycoloradocenter.org.
Gretchen Rosenberg is a Denver real estate broker with The Kentwood Company at Cherry Creek.  In her spare time, Gretchen enjoys exploring the fun places Denver has to offer local residents.  To view Denver real estate information, go to www.GretchenRosenberg.com.