Access & Special Needs

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is a fully accessible space. Both the building and grounds are designed to facilitate the Museum experience for the mobility, hearing, vision, and learning impaired.

General Access Information

Elevators
Elevators are located in the north and south atria. Additional elevators are located in the Leprino Family Atrium. Elevator controls are marked in braille.

Emergency Procedures
The security staff is trained in emergency procedures and will assist visitors with disabilities in evacuating the building if necessary. The Security Desk is located near the main exit on Level 1.

Entrances
A barrier-free entrance to the Museum is located at the main (north) entrance. The doors are fully accessible with push-button entry. A ground level elevator on the east side of Phipps IMAX Theater is available after 5:30 p.m. and is push-button accessible as well.

Information Desk
Wheelchairs and canes are available at no charge at the desk on a first-come, first-served basis. Strollers are available for $1. An ID is required as a deposit.

Parking
There are a number of spaces for those with disabilities in the Main Parking Lot on the north side of the Museum, with an additional two spaces on the east side of the building near the Phipps IMAX Theater evening entrance. There are also multiple spaces in the Underground Parking Garage, located on the northwest side of the Museum. They are located on both levels, and some are van accessible.

Phones
Phones located next to the main exit are wheelchair accessible.

Professional Aides
If a visitor is accompanied by a professional aide, the aide is admitted to the Museum, Phipps IMAX Theater, and Gates Planetarium free of charge (one aide per visitor). To make a reservation for a professional aide, please call Reservations at 303.370.6000.

Rest Rooms
Rest rooms and drinking fountains are located throughout the Museum and are wheelchair accessible. A family rest room is located inside the entrance to Gems & Minerals on Level 1. Most rest rooms have baby changing stations.

Ricketson Auditorium
Ricketson Auditorium is fully accessible. Assisted listening devices are available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis. Let an usher know of your request 20 minutes prior to the start of an event.

Service Animals
Service animals are permitted throughout the Museum, Phipps IMAX Theater, Gates Planetarium, and Ricketson Auditorium.

Wheelchairs & Canes
Free wheelchairs and canes can be checked out from the Information Desk with a valid form of ID.

Exhibitions & Programs Access Information
There are a number of exhibitions in the Museum that contain components for the mobility, hearing, vision, and learning impaired. Browse through the list below to find out which exhibitions can make your visit more rewarding.

 

Accessible Exhibition Components

Gems & Minerals, Level 1

  • See gems, gold, minerals, a sparkling crystal cave, and walk through a mine tunnel
  • Hear a description of the mine on the phone at the entrance and realistic mine sounds in the tunnel
  • Touch the rough rock walls as you walk through the mine tunnel
  • Touch and compare mineral specimens for weight and hardness
  • See and hear captioned videos that tell the story of the Alma King, the world's largest gem-quality rhodochrosite crystal


Insects, Level 1

  • See butterflies, moths, and other insects from Colorado and around the world
  • Touch large models that tell the story of the life cycle of a butterfly


Edge of the Wild, Level 2

  • See beautiful dioramas showing Colorado's large mammals in natural settings
  • Touch a bighorn sheep horn to count the rings and see how old it is
  • Touch skulls, bison fur, tracks, scat, antler velvet, jaws, and teeth
  • See captioned videos of animal behavior and wildlife management issues
  • Smell a deer's musk scent
  • Touch the cushioned hooves of a bighorn sheep
  • Hear a bull elk bugling and bison, mountain lion, prairie dog, and mule deer calls

North American Indian Cultures, Level 2

  • See and hear a video of Native American speakers welcoming you to the exhibit in their native languages
  • See and hear a video of northwest and coast peoples singing during a totem pole raising ceremony
  • See a video of Navajo rug weaving
  • Touch and experience a real Navajo hogan

Egyptian Mummies, Level 3

  • See and hear a captioned video about CAT-scanning one of the mummies, a Museum collaboration with doctors at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
  • See what they found inside and learn about mummification in ancient Egypt

Explore Colorado, Level 3

  • Hear birds and other animal sounds
  • Touch life-size sculptures of a bobcat and river otter
  • See captioned natural history stories and play games on a touch-screen computer
  • Ample seating is available

Prehistoric Journey, Level 3

  • See the development of life on Earth, told with amazing fossils, from tiny trilobites to giant dinosaurs
  • See and hear a captioned video about the beginning of life on Earth
  • Touch real fossils and casts of footprints, bones, shells, plants, mammoth and mastodon teeth, skulls, fish shark skin, ammonites, and a stegosaurus brain (subject to Touch Cart availability)
  • See captioned videos that show science in action and document unusual life forms
  • Hear realistic animal sounds as you walk through life-size prehistoric environments

ASL Interpreters

American Sign Language interpreters are available free of charge for all Museum programs and exhibits. Five business days notice is strongly recommended because availability cannot be guaranteed.  Please call Cori Van Horn at 303.370.6405 or e-mail at [email protected].

Ricketson Auditorium

Ricketson Auditorium is fully accessible. Assisted listening devices are available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis. Let an usher know of your request 20 minutes prior to the start of the event.

Phipps IMAX® Theater Access Information

Phipps IMAX Theater is fully accessible, with wheelchair seating, closed captioning, and assisted listening devices available to visitors.

Wheelchair Seating
Phipps IMAX Theater can accommodate eight wheelchairs on a first-come, first-served basis. Wheelchair access to the theater during Museum hours is on Level 3 near the entrance to Prehistoric Journey. Please wait by the sign for an usher to assist you into the theater.

Evening Entry to Phipps IMAX Theater
In the evening, a fully accessible elevator is available beginning at 5:30 p.m. It is located directly to the right of the main IMAX entrance on the east (Colorado Boulevard) side of the building. Proceed to the IMAX lobby level via the elevator and an usher will escort you into the theater. Please note that access to the theater is available only if you are accompanied by an usher.

Closed Captioning
Films presented in the IMAX Theater are closed-captioned using the state-of-the-art Rear Window system. Please request closed captioning from an usher or box office attendant at least 20 minutes prior to show time. An ID is required as a deposit.

Assisted Listening Devices
Assisted Listening Devices are available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis for amplification and descriptive narrative for certain films. Please call 303.370.6000 to check if it is offered for a specific film. If so, request these devices from an usher or box office attendant at least 20 minutes before show time. An ID is required as a deposit.

Gates Planetarium Access Information

Gates Planetarium is fully accessible, with wheelchair seating, audio transcripts, and assisted listening devices available to visitors.

Wheelchair Seating
Wheelchair seating is available at the top of the theater as you enter Gates Planetarium. Four wheelchairs can be accommodated for each show on a first-come, first-served basis.

Assisted Listening Devices
Assisted Listening Devices are available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis for amplification. Request these devices from an usher or box office attendant at least 20 minutes before show time. An ID is required as a deposit.

Closed Captioning
Films presented in Gates Planetarium are closed-captioned using the state-of-the-art Rear Window system. Please request closed captioning from an usher or box office attendant at least 20 minutes prior to show time. An ID is required as a deposit.

For any specific questions pertaining to accessibility at DMNS please contact the DMNS Compliance Coordinator at: [email protected]


Section 504/ADA Grievance Procedure

2001 Colorado Blvd
Denver, CO 80205

303.370.6000
Open daily
9am - 5pm
Closed Christmas
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