Denver Zoo

Lions and tigers and bears – and so much more, on lovely grounds make the Denver Zoo one of the most popular zoos in America. Go eyeball-to-eyeball with a gorilla in Primate Panorama or an Amur tiger at The Edge. Predator Ridge recreates the plains of Africa with a pride of lions, while Tropical Discovery is a rainforest teeming with crocodiles and Gila monsters.

Museums

Denver Art Museum recently celebrated the reopening of the Martin Building (formerly known as the North Building). First opened in 1971, the fortress-like structure was designed by Italian architect Gio Ponti and Denver-based James Sudler Associates. The building has been fully renovated with expanded gallery space, plus stunning views of the city skyline and Rocky Mountains. The building showcases Asian art, Indigenous arts of North America, Northwest Coast and Alaska Native, European and American art before 1900, Latin American and art of the ancient Americas, photography, textile art and fashion, and Western American art collections. The museum's other striking building resembles a titanium crystal with peaks and shards designed by Daniel Libeskind.

From stunning prehistoric fossils to an exploration of outer space, The Denver Museum of Nature & Science never fails to astound and amaze with realistic visions of the past, present and future. The Gates Planetarium is one of the most sophisticated planetariums in the country, giving visitors unparalleled insight into the workings of the cosmos, and the Phipps IMAX Theater features brilliantly filmed IMAX entertainment.

Denver Botanic Gardens

Denver Botanic Gardens, a 23-acre oasis in the middle of the city, has 45 different gardens (some 33,000 plants), as well as one of the nation's top 10 conservatories. Relax in the Japanese Garden, climb through the Rock Alpine Garden and explore the new Mordecai Children's Garden. The Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory is the largest single structure tropical conservatory in the U.S., including banyan tree roots and cloud forest orchids.

Colorado Sports Hall of Fame

Come see the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, a free museum honoring Colorado sports legends. Open most Thurs.-Sat. from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Also, visit Empower Field at Mile High. Tours begin each half-hour and are 75 minutes in length. This is your chance to see the 'back of the house" where the Broncos play.

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Source: Denver.org