CATALYST
DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE & SCIENCE ONLINE MAGAZINE
What's on the Calendar? Things to Do This Month at the Museum
Come Down to Enjoy Chill Fall Vibes at the Museum during September
Allosaurus and Stegosaurus skeletons in the Prehistoric Journey Exhibition (Photo/ Rick Wicker)
This month, we have exciting programs and events at the Museum! Whether you're trying to dig for dinosaurs in the Discovery Zone, take relaxing walk through the Wildlife Halls or move your body to a Bad Bunny Laser Show in the planetarium — we have something for everyone!
Here are just a few of things you could do to fill your day the Museum this month:
Discovering Teen Rex
Fossil preparator Alex Polich exposes the fossil specimen in the Teen Rex Prep Lab at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. (Photo/ Rick Wicker)
Get up close with history in the making! Come see an extremely rare adolescent T. rex fossil — one of only a handful ever found worldwide. Also, get you can catch a glimpse of an incredible dinosaur bone that we found in the Museum parking lot!
This exhibition, free with general admission, is best when paired with the documentary "T. Rex 3D," which is now showing on our giant screen Infinity Theater.
Read more: Museum Makes Another Incredible Dinosaur Discovery — This Time Underneath Our Parking Lot!
Upcoming In-Person Events
Dive into hands-on learning and unforgettable experiences with in-person events at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. (Photo/ Mio Sison III)
Trust in Science: The Future of Vaccines (Film + Panel Discussion)
Sept. 10 | 6:30 p.m.
Discover one of humanity’s greatest triumphs – the eradication of smallpox, the only human disease eliminated through science and global cooperation. Join us for the premiere of filmmaker Neil Halloran’s new documentary, The Plea, which chronicles this remarkable achievement. After the screening, engage directly with the filmmaker and a distinguished panel of doctors and public health officials in a town-hall style discussion as part of our Trust in Science event series. Get tickets, today!
Daybreak Discoveries: Uncover Madagascar Fossils with Dr. David Krause
Sept. 23 | 8:50 a.m.
This Daybreak Discoveries lecture is led by Dr. David Krause, Ph.D. Dr. Krause, a paleontologist at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, has done field work in Madagascar since 1993. Madagascar, an island nation off of Africa, is rich in some of the world's most spectacular fossils: snaggle-toothed dinosaurs, pug-nosed crocodiles, basketball-sized frogs and mammals with swiss-cheese skulls. Dr. Krause will highlight some of his team's remarkable discoveries from the Late Cretaceous period but also focus on science-adjacent, humanitarian issues related to working with the people of Madagascar, which has included building schools, developing sustainable food sources and providing healthcare to children in his field areas. Get tickets, today!
60 Minutes in Space
Sept. 24 | 7 p.m.
Explore breaking space news with space scientists and hear the latest updates on missions exploring the solar system, rocket launches, cutting edge astronomy, and more. This evening's presentation is by Dr. Graham Lau, Ph.D., Research Scientist for Blue Marble Space Institute of Science. Please use the West Museum Evening Entrance. This is a free event and no reservation is required. Seating is first come, first serve.
SCFD Educators Night 2025
Sept. 30 | 6 p.m.
Educators, you're invited to enjoy a FREE night out at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science brought to you in part by the SCFD Collaborative. Check out a free Infinity Theater or planetarium show, take a behind the scenes tour, stop by our craft table and learn how SCFD-funded organizations can serve you and your students! Free light appetizers and a cash bar. Plus-ones highly encouraged. 21+ Adults only. Get tickets, today!
Daybreak Discoveries: The Unseen Paleobotanical War
Oct. 20 | 8:50 a.m.
This Daybreak Discoveries lecture is led by Dr. Gussie Maccracken who is a paleobotany curator at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. She specializes in paleobotany, the study of fossil plants, and their ecological interactions with insect herbivores. Dr. Maccracken will highlight how our world is shaped by an unseen war that has been waging for hundreds of millions of years. This is the war between plants and their insect adversaries, a war of chemicals. And, for better or worse, some of these chemicals are tightly interwoven into human societies, a part of our shared histories and everyday life. Get tickets, today!
Giant Screen Infinity Theater Movies
The giant screen Infinity Theater is now open at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. (Photo/ DMNS)
The giant screen Infinity Theater has reopened! Don't go home from the Museum without catching a captivating nature and science documentary on the giant screen.
Planetarium Space and Laser Shows
They’re back! Laser shows, presented by Laser Fantasy, have returned to the Gates Planetarium. (Photo/ Denver Museum of Nature & Science)
They’re back and more dazzling than ever! Laser shows, presented by Laser Fantasy, have returned to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and are a perfect match for your summer vibe! Catch your favorite artists in an immersive, mind-blowing light show combined into a full cosmic concert for all your senses.
Check here for showtimes and schedule updates.
Other planetarium shows now available:
- Great Solar System Adventure
- Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity
- Black Holes (En Español)
- One World One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure
- Destination Solar System
SCFD Free Days and Nights
Satisfy your science curiosity during our SCFD Free Days and Free Nights. See enormous fossils of dinosaurs that roamed the Earth millions of years ago or learn about the human body’s capabilities in “Expedition Health.” The entire Museum is open for free, except for the temporary exhibitions, planetarium and Infinity Theater which require an additional charge. Learn more about our free days, here.
- Monday, August 25, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Nature Play
Nature Play is a four-acre interactive experience you can now visit just outside the Museum in City Park. (Photo/ Sarah Poetzschke)
Your day trip to the Museum will not be complete without a stop at Nature Play, a four-acre interactive play experience where people of all ages can explore, climb and learn about Colorado's incredible wildlife and ecosystems. You'll know you've arrived when you see the iconic, climbable 20-foot-tall ram.
Read more: The Story Behind Nature Play’s Public Art Installations
Arriving Here
Most guests will enter the Denver Museum of Nature & Science through the north entrance. (Photo/ Rick Wicker)
While there's just too many cool things to do at the Museum any time you visit, it makes sense to take a second to plan your arrival. For those getting here by car, please note that the East Wing in under construction and so parking is a bit more limited than normal.
Pro tip: Get to the Museum early to find parking on the ground level. The parking garage will be closed between Sept. 8-21 for maintenance.
Learn more: East Wing Project
During this month, it's highly encouraged to take public transportation or walk and bike to the Museum! Here's a video to show how pedestrians and those using public transportation can get the Museum from Colorado Blvd. while the East Wing construction continues.
The only problem with visiting the Museum is that once you do it — you’ll probably want to do it again! A Denver Museum of Nature & Science membership gives you unlimited free general admission for an entire year, so you can explore more, discover more and make even more unforgettable memories.
Become a Museum member here!
