Colorado’s birthday is August 1, and in honor of that, History Colorado and its associated museums throughout the state will be free to the public, because we only turn 142 years old once, right?
If you’re looking for an excellent way to begin the celebration, at 10:15 a.m., you can grab some birthday cake with Gov. John Hickenlooper and Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne at History Colorado.
“We invite all Coloradans to learn about and celebrate our state’s rich history,” said Steve Turner, executive director of History Colorado in a press release. “Our hope for today, and every day, is that people across the state will visit and explore their community museum to understand Colorado’s stories of the past while uncovering opportunities to be a part of its future.”
Colorado Day will also be chock full of events like a live bluegrass concert, making Colorado-themed crafts, gold panning, cooking demonstrations, watching the Top Hogs trick pigs, vintage dance performances, creating chalk art, and possibly most importantly, hanging out with the Broncos and Colorado Avalanche’s respective mascots.
The fun doesn’t end there, and at 2 p.m. at the History Colorado Center, visitors can join three of the new State Historians Council members, Dr. Tom Noel, Dr. Nicki Gonzalez, and Dr. William Wei for some Colorado trivia and birthday ice cream.
Locations and times for free museum entry in Denver are listed below:
History Colorado Center: 1200 Broadway. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Center for Colorado Women's History at Byers-Evans House: 1310 Bannock St. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Several state parks will have free admission as well.
If you're looking for more of an outdoor feel to revel in the state's great history, on August 6th, Colorado Parks and Wildlife is offering free admission to all of its state parks. A full list of all 41 parks can be found here.
“Colorado Day is an opportunity to thank all of our residents and visitors for their continued support of Colorado’s state parks,” said Gary Thorson, assistant director for information and education for ColoradoParks and Wildlife in a press release. “We hope everyone takes advantage of this occasion to experience the wide variety of recreational opportunities that our 41 state parks have to offer. With over 14 million visitors to our state parks last year, we hope people use Colorado Day as a way to explore more of our state parks and the different experiences each can offer.”
