The University of Colorado Museum of Natural History sits in the Henderson Building on the CU campus in Boulder and charges no admission. It has five exhibition galleries on natural and human history. Exhibits listed on the museum’s site on Oct. 4 include A Family Tradition, on Acoma pottery, CU and the Lewis family; Shaped by Colorado: 150 Years of Research and Creativity at CU Boulder; and Hoof Beats: How Horses Shaped Human History.
Groups can visit on their own at no charge, but the museum requires a reservation for self-guided group visits. Staff-led options are priced per person: $3 for a guided program for school groups, $5 for a hands-on workshop, $6 for a guided program and workshop booked together, and $5 for a gallery tour for private groups. The minimum booking is $20. The museum asks groups to reserve at least two weeks ahead and says to ask about fee discounts when you book.
A note for homeschool families: Not stated. The museum’s school and group pages do not mention homeschool groups, and they do not list a minimum group size or a grade range. The only threshold listed is the $20 minimum booking, which works out to seven students at the $3 guided rate. Call or email the education office to confirm whether your co-op books at the school-group rate or the private-group rate. A single family can simply walk in during open hours for free.
Know before you go
- Address: Henderson Building, 15th and Broadway, Boulder, CO 80309 (on campus between 15th and 16th streets, just east of Broadway)
- Cost: Free admission. Self-guided group visits are free. Guided programs $3 per person, workshops $5, both together $6, private group gallery tours $5; $20 minimum booking.
- Ages: Not listed
- How to book: contact the Museum Education Office at 303-492-1033 or museumed@colorado.edu at least two weeks ahead. Reservations are required for both guided and self-guided group visits. Details are on the museum’s field trips page.
- Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and until 7 p.m. on Thursdays, according to the museum’s visit page. Confirm hours before you go.
- Parking: the museum points visitors to the paid Euclid Parking Garage on campus
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