The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is ready to help you wrap up your summer with a month full of fun for everyone in your family! Check out their offerings for August:
TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS
Mazes & Brain Games experience
Free with general admission. Purchase tickets here!
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science special exhibits gallery explodes with mazes that propel you down paths of mystifying illusions and brain teasing puzzles in the “Mazes & Brain Games” experience. Through dozens of puzzles and mazes, you’ll discover surprises around every corner and new methods of problem solving through improvisation, trial and error, observation and testing, and logic and reasoning.
"Mazes & Brain Games” includes an exciting lineup of family-friendly adventures, 3-D puzzles and full-body games to nurture your creative genius through open-ended play. Test your perceptions in a feast of visual trickery inside the giant Maze of Illusions. Make music as you navigate your way through the Junior Explorer Music Maze. Get entangled and untangled in the Web Maze, wrap your head around the Puzzle Maze, put your finger on the pulse of the Finger Maze and get lost in a network of colors in the Color Maze.
“Mazes & Brain Games” is created by Minotaur Mazes, a company specializing in interactive maze exhibits.
Egypt: The Time of Pharaohs
Final weeks! Purchase tickets here.
The exhibition “Egypt: The Time of Pharaohs” transports you thousands of years into the past to explore ancient Egyptian culture and the land of pharaohs.
Experience the spheres of everyday life in one of the most storied and enduring civilizations in human history—the private, public and secret spaces—through hundreds of artifacts, stunning artwork and engaging interactives for insights into ancient Egypt’s long-lasting impact on our own modern cultures.
The exhibition has been produced as a joint venture between Lokschuppen Rosenheim, the University of Aberdeen Museums, the Roemer-und-Pelizaeus Museums Hildesheim and MuseumsPartner Austria, and is presented in Denver by Chevron.
GATES PLANETARIUM
Laser Fantasy shows
Opening August 5
Shows will be at 4:15 p.m. daily and most Friday nights at 5:30 p.m., 6:45 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
It’s back! For a limited time, laser shows presented by Laser Fantasy have returned to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. This cosmic concert series is an immersive experience for all of your senses. From Beyoncé to the Beatles, guests can rock out to their favorite artists as they take in a stunning and unique visual light show.
Visit DMNS.org for tickets.
Dark Universe
Click here for showtimes
Step into Gates Planetarium and watch “Dark Universe,” an immersive, dome-theater experience that keeps you wondering about the great beyond. Are we alone? Are there other planets? Are stars moving toward or away from us? Narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, this awe-inspiring film takes you on a journey through space to examine the last 100 years of discovery, the study of cosmology and the existence of multiple galaxies. Sit back and let your mind roam freely in the “Dark Universe.”
IN-PERSON EVENTS
SCFD Free Night
Wednesday, Aug. 17, 5-9 p.m., Register here
Join us on Wednesday, Aug. 17, for SCFD Free Night! Admission is free for everyone, and special guests from Denver’s own We Don’t Waste and Denver Urban Gardens will present food and gardening themed activities! Explore "Egypt: The Time of Pharaohs,” get lost in "Mazes & Brain Games," or check out a show in the Planetarium.
Digital Earth: Egypt
Thursday, Aug. 18, 7 p.m., Gates Planetarium, Register here
Fly to the pyramids at Giza as you experience an immersive trip to Egypt. Gates Planetarium's 360-degree imagery will transport you to the Sphinx, the Valley of the Kings and more. Erin Baxter, curator of anthropology, and Ka Chun Yu, curator of space science, will be your guides on this incredible journey through Egypt.
Photo Courtesy of Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Scientists in Action: Live from the International Space Station
Wednesday, Aug. 31. Time TBA
Created for grades 4-12, and all are welcome.
Blast off! Tune in for an exciting and live broadcast featuring a real-time Q&A about living aboard the International Space Station with a NASA Crew-4 Astronaut Kjell Lindgren. Learn what it’s like to live hundreds of miles away from Earth and what types of science are happening aboard the space station. Pre-recorded questions from students around the country will be answered live during this special event. Check dmns.org for more information regarding the program's start time. Plan to join this free program or watch it live from our Museum YouTube channel!
60 Minutes in Space
Wednesday, Aug. 31, 7 p.m., Ricketson Auditorium, no reservation required
Explore breaking space news with space scientists and hear the latest updates on missions exploring the solar system, rocket launches, astronomy, and more. This free event will also be live streamed on Zoom. Register for the virtual event here.
VIRTUAL EVENT
Indigenous Film: “Teachings of the Tree People”
Wednesday, Aug. 10, 7 p.m., Register here
Watch the film “Teachings of the Tree People” before the Aug. 10 virtual discussion. The film is available on-demand Aug. 8 beginning at noon through Aug. 11 at noon.
“Teachings of the Tree People,” from Director Katie Jennings, is a beautifully produced tribute to the life and work of Skokomish elder Gerald Bruce Miller (subiyay), a nationally prominent cultural leader and teacher who brought his talents home to lead a cultural renaissance in the Pacific Northwest. The film chronicles his youth; his young adulthood in Berkeley, Vietnam and New York City; and his adult years on the Skokomish Reservation in Shelton, Washington. A passionate student of the traditional Skokomish culture, Miller became the bearer of the language, oral history, art and spirituality of the tuwaduq (Twana) and Southern Coast Salish peoples. (IslandWood Productions, 2005, 58 min.) Distributed by New Day Films.
Please join us for a discussion with the film’s Co-producer Tracy Rector, moderated by Jeanne Rubin, the Film Festival Director at the International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management.
Presented in partnership with the International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management and the Denver American Indian Commission.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR SEPTEMBER EVENTS
Join us on our SCFD Free Days and Nights!
- SCFD Free Night
- Wednesday, Sept. 7, 5-9 p.m.
- SCFD Free Day
- Monday, Sept. 19, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Satisfy your science curiosity during our SCFD Free Days and Free Nights. See enormous dinosaur fossils that roamed the Earth millions of years ago, learn about the human body’s capabilities in “Expedition Health” and have a blast at our newest interactive experience “Mazes & Brain Games.” The entire museum is open for free, except for the temporary exhibitions and planetarium, which require an additional charge.
50th Year of Membership Celebration
Wednesday, Sept. 14, 6-9 p.m.
This year’s member open house is extra special as we celebrate 50 years of membership programming at your Museum.
To lean into our 1972 roots, we are celebrating disco style! Boogie on over to this ‘70s themed night of behind-the-scenes Avenir Collections Center tours, family-friendly activities, science demos, night-sky viewing, discounted shopping, visits with Mr. Bones, raffles with prizes and much more. Costumes are encouraged.
60 Minutes in Space
Wednesday, Sept. 28, 7 p.m., Ricketson Auditorium, no reservation required
Explore breaking space news with space scientists and hear the latest updates on missions exploring the solar system, rocket launches, astronomy and more.
About the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain Region’s leading resource for informal science education. Our mission is to be a catalyst and ignite the community’s passion for nature and science. The Museum offers a wide variety of engaging exhibitions, programs, activities, and scientific research to inspire public appreciation and understanding of the wonders of Colorado, Earth, and the universe. The Museum is located at 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO, 80205. Information: dmns.org or 303.370.6000. Many of the Museum’s educational programs and exhibits are made possible in part by the citizens of the seven-county metro area through the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District. The Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Connect with the Museum on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
