Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
permanent collection is justifiably famous. This isn't an old, stodgy art museum, and the
best part of a visit is diving into the interactive exhibits - kids love this place.
The landmark $110-million Frederic C Hamilton wing, designed by Daniel Libeskind,
is quite simply awesome. Whether you see it as expanding crystals, juxtaposed mountains
or just architectural indulgence, it's an angular modern masterpiece. If you think the place
looks weird from the outside, look inside: shapes shift with each turn thanks to a combina-
tion of design and uncanny natural-light tricks.
Clyfford Still Museum
MUSEUM
( 720-354-4880;
www.clyffordstillmuseum.org
;
1250 Bannock St; adult/child $10/3; 10am-5pm, to 8pm Fri)
Dedicated exclusively to the work and legacy of 20th-century American abstract expres-
sionist Clyfford Still, this fascinating museum's collection includes over 2400 works by
the powerful and narcissistic master of bold. In his will, Still insisted that his body of
work only be exhibited in a singular space, so Denver built him a museum.
History Colorado Center
MUSEUM
( 303-447-8679;
www.historycoloradocenter.org
; 1200 Broadway; adult/student/child $10/8/8; 10am-5pm Mon-
Sat, noon-5pm Sun; )
Discover Colorado's frontier roots and high-tech modern triumphs at
this sharp, smart and charming museum. There are plenty of interactive exhibits, including
a Jules Verne-esque 'Time Machine' that you push across a giant map of Colorado to ex-
plore seminal moments in the Centennial State's history.
BUILDING
Colorado State Capitol
( 303-866-2604;
www.colorado.gov/capitoltour
;
200 E Colfax Ave; 7:30am-5pm Mon-Fri, tours 10am-3pm
Mon-Fri; 0, 0L, 2, 3L, 6, 7, 10, 12, 15, 16, 16L, 83L RTD)
Sitting commandingly atop Capitol
Hill, this stately neoclassical government building looks out across the grand Civic Center
Park. The ornate interior befits such a grand building, and visitors can join free tours that
depart every 45 minutes.
Construction began in the 1890s from locally quarried rose onyx (Beulah red marble)
and in 1908, to celebrate the Colorado gold rush, the superb dome was covered in 200
ounces of gold leaf. The 13th step sits exactly a mile above sea level.
