Fort Collins Museum of Discovery is a museum located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The museum has many hands-on exhibits including the five senses, dinosaurs, and space. There are 19 galleries that change and show new items every year.
The main building of the museum opened in September 1995 at its present location on North College Avenue and features five wings full of interactive displays for children to learn about science, art, history, human systems, and the natural world (from mammals to mountains).
The building also contains a small cafe and gift shop featuring mostly local artists’ work. In July 2004 an expansion was completed bringing the current exhibit space to over 100,000 square feet. This area includes six temporary exhibit galleries as well as a gallery dedicated solely to traveling exhibits. In addition to the main building, outdoor gardens, picnic areas, and an amphitheater are available for use during museum hours.
Museum membership is $55 per individual or $65 per family per year. Members have free admission to the Museum’s current exhibitions, discounts in the Museum Store, invitations to Member-only events and previews of new exhibitions as well as other benefits throughout a member’s year. You can also get your child’s name on a brick for a one-time charge of $120 which goes towards the museum’s programs benefiting children in need.
Museum of Discovery was recently awarded first place in its category by The Colorado Society for Health Systems. CSH is a non-profit organization that promotes improvement efforts in Colorado’s health care system. Museum of Discovery won ‘Best Overall Cultural Tourism Program’ which recognizes creative efforts to attract diverse communities through culturally specific outreach, activities, and events.
In October 2007 an expansion opened adding six new galleries with interactive science displays geared towards topics like space exploration, weather, electricity, how animals move, and discover their five senses.
A planetarium/spaceship theater called “KnowledgeWorks” features multimedia shows about planets and stars using telescopes from around the world. KnowledgeWorks offers future programs for the public and also features a “live star show” for groups.
The newest addition to the Museum of Discovery is MTBA, or Mountain Bike America. With wide-open trails on the Poudre River Trail System just north of town, Fort Collins has become one of the premier destinations in North America for mountain biking.
The new MTBA exhibit at the Museum includes interactive displays that explain how bikes work, how gear works, different types of bikes as well as tell some stories about local area biking history. It opened June 1st, 2009, and there were no admission fees to enter during its inaugural weekend.
The museum is located on the main street in Fort Collins. It is a place where parents can take their children to learn about science. They invite students to come to view the science exhibits.
There are many hands-on opportunities for students of all ages at this museum such as having an astronaut suit that they have to try out to see what it feels like being in space or even making your own music video. The Museum houses several special events throughout the year such as different community festivals and learning programs.
Children also get a chance to meet some of their favorite characters from books or movies including Star Wars’ Jedi Master Yoda who will be making an appearance in the local area during the summer of 2009. The museum also has a gift shop and another section inside that allows for children to make their own creations with different arts and crafts activities.
They can do things like trying their hands at pottery, make their own dinosaur models, or discover how groups have used plastic as a material in many different ways throughout history.
https://www.google.com/maps?cid=8046977890329494778