CATALYST

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: 

The Secret World of Elephants

Now open!

Enter “The Secret World of Elephants” to discover the remarkable science behind nature’s most lovable giants. How do elephants “hear” with their feet? What animals are their closest-living relatives? How have elephants and humans coexisted for thousands of years? Through hands-on interactions, you will feel the low-frequency rumbles elephants use to communicate, explore how they reshape their environments and come face-to-face with some of their ancestors, including dwarf elephants. From the ancient Ice Age to today’s African savanna, get ready to be amazed by elephants’ fascinating history and incredible intelligence — and inspired to help protect their future. All exhibition content is bilingual in English and Spanish. Learn more here!

Read more: Understanding Nature’s Most Loveable Giants

Brick Planet: A magical journey made with LEGO® bricks (Opens Soon!)

“Brick Planet: A magical journey made with LEGO® bricks” takes you on an imaginative journey around the world through the lens of artist Sean Kenney’s sculptures built with LEGO® bricks. Explore our planet’s unique ecosystems, brought to life through colorful, playful environments where nature provides the building blocks for creative inspiration and scientific discovery. From towering polar bears and coral reefs to bustling cities and African savannas, you will feel a renewed sense of wonder for the rich balance of life that binds ecosystems and their inhabitants. Enjoy plenty of hands-on opportunities, from building LEGO® brick creations to sketching journals and playing a magnetized game. Free with Museum admission, the exhibition’s content is bilingual in English and Spanish. Learn more, here!

Discovering Teen Rex

Get up close with history in the making! Come see an extremely rare, totally complete triceratops fossil get uncovered in real-time. Also, get you can catch a glimpse of an incredible dinosaur bone that we found in the Museum parking lot and the famous Teen Rex fossil!

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 Scientists Discover a Complete Triceratops Skull

Upcoming In-Person Events

Halloween Family Overnight (Ages 5-Grade 8 with adult)

Oct. 24 | 6 p.m.

Spend an enchanting night experiencing the magic of the Museum with your whole family. Wear your costumes while participating in Halloween hands-on science, demonstrations, flashlight tours, games and a laser show in the Gates Planetarium. After a night of fun, sleep among the animals in our world-famous diorama halls. Ticket includes a pizza and salad dinner, evening snack and hot breakfast the next morning. It will be a ghostly good time for little monsters and mummies. Get your tickets!

60 Minutes in Space

Oct. 29 | 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. KaChun Yu, curator of space sciences. Please use the West Museum Entrance. No reservations required for this free event. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Spooktacular Start! A Not-So-Spooky Halloween 

Oct. 30 | 4:30 p.m.

Calling all little ghosts, giggling goblins and pint-sized pumpkins. Join us for a Halloween celebration made just for those who aren’t quite ready for Halloween Overnight. This not-so-spooky event is designed for tiny explorers to learn, play and celebrate Halloween with non-candy focused fun for kids five and younger. You're welcome to join this event for whatever time between 4:30 - 8 p.m. that works best for your little ones. We'll have games, activities, photo ops, and more. Space is limited—grab your spots now and get ready for a BOO-tiful time!

Tiny Tots: Inside the Orchestra

Nov. 1 | 9:30 a.m.

Join us for a magical journey where we'll use music to transform into animals, explore new worlds and embark on thrilling adventures — all through the power of imagination. Attendees are seated on the ground and encircled by our 30-plus piece orchestra. Music selection, program design and scripting are all geared to connect young children with music – physically, emotionally and developmentally. Named in Denver Westword’s “Best of Denver,” the experience is one-of-a-kind. Get your tickets, here!

The Great Space Escape

Nov. 1 | After hours

Put on your space boots and prepare for a crash course in constellations, cosmic curiosities and galactic guffaws. Museum educators José Zuniga and Mitch Slevc — your witty and well-informed hosts — will guide you through the unexpected history, science and humor of the night sky using our state-of-the-art planetarium screen. This isn’t your average stargazing session. It’s a fast-paced, laugh-filled journey across the universe, packed with cheeky constellations and astronomical surprises. The cash bar opens 30 minutes before showtime, so come early, grab a drink and fuel up for liftoff. Get your tickets!

Daybreak Discoveries: Spiders in Space: Launching Spiders to the International Space Station

Nov. 6 | 8:50 a.m.

Spiders have been sent to space on five different occasions. DMNS Curator of Invertebrate Zoology, Dr. Paula Cushing, has been involved with several of these experiments. Come hear why spiders were sent to space, whether and how these animals adapted to this very strange environment, and whether David Bowie and the Spiders from Mars had anything to do with it. Get your tickets!

Morning Yoga Series

Nov. 6 | 8:50 a.m.

Join us for a rejuvenating Morning Yoga Series at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. As weather allows, we’ll start off on the Sky Terrace for a chance to see the sun rise over City Park. This is a four-part yoga series that moves with the changing of seasons and will conclude with a sunrise session celebrating the Winter Solstice. You’re welcome to join one session or book all four. Get your tickets!

Giant Screen Infinity Theater Movies

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.

Check here for showtimes and schedule updates

Planetarium Space and Laser Shows

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 

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.

• Saturday evening, Nov. 8, 5 - 10 p.m. (Night at the Museums for Denver Arts Week)

Mark Your Calendar

Begins on Nov. 20

Step into a whimsical winter wonderland where a dazzling holiday adventure comes alive. This is the Museum like you’ve never seen it before as a piece of the familiar turns into the fantastical through an immersive journey of light, sound and surprise. Learn more here!