CSU Spur is a free public campus in Denver with three buildings that work as science spaces you can walk through. Vida covers animal and human health, with equine-assisted services, live animal surgeries and horses walking on underwater treadmills. Terra covers food and agriculture, with rooftop greenhouses, a teaching kitchen and vertical gardens. Hydro covers water, with a Denver Water quality lab, an interactive stream table, a makerspace and a backyard with picnic seating where groups can eat lunch.
Admission is free, and CSU Spur says its field trips cost nothing for students or chaperones. Guided field trips run Tuesday through Friday, February through December, for groups of 15 to 120 students, with programs for preschool through high school that average 2 to 3.5 hours. As of Oct. 4, CSU Spur says fall 2026 guided programming is full, with a waitlist open. Its education team starts scheduling spring field trips in early December.
A note for homeschool families: CSU Spur addresses homeschoolers directly. It does not book field trips for homeschool groups with fewer than 15 students, and it says guided homeschool group experiences are offered in the afternoon, from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Smaller co-ops and single families have two other options. You can visit on your own during open hours: CSU Spur says a group of up to 20 students may self-guide without a reservation, though areas such as the stream table, virtual reality classroom and greenhouse may be in use by scheduled groups, and it asks self-guiding groups to email ahead. Or you can come to one of the two homeschool days it holds each year, in spring and fall. The fall one is the CSU Spur Homeschool Day on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
Know before you go
- Address: 4777 National Western Drive, Denver, CO 80216
- Cost: Free admission and free field trips. All parking is paid.
- Ages: guided programs are listed for preschool through 12th grade. The virtual reality classroom is for ages 9 and up. One adult chaperone is required for every 10 students, including self-guided groups.
- How to book: guided field trips are requested through the school programs page, which currently links to the fall waitlist and a sign-up to be notified when new dates open. Self-guided visits need no reservation, but groups are asked to email the school programs team first.
- Hours: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., plus 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the second Saturday of each month. Closed Sundays and other Saturdays. See the visit page.
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