Denver is rich with history and culture and busting with colorful personalities, an abundance of artwork, and tales from days gone by. It has attractions and educational opportunities for all ages and walks of life. Maybe you're interested in soaking up stories about the famous 1800s gold rush. Perhaps you'd like to spend a leisurely afternoon surrounded by the latest in contemporary art. And if you've always wanted to get to know the real Unsinkable Molly Brown, there's no better way to do so than exploring the house where she lived, right down the street from our beautiful Capitol building.

Whether it's a break from the business day, a change-of-pace visit with friends, or a culture infusion for you and your family, Denver has the ideal venue with a diverse selection of museums.

The Native Arts collection at the Denver Art Museum is unique among U.S. art museum exhibits. With a rotating display of objects, the museum's American Indian collection, totaling more than 16,000 objects, offers artistic works from more than 100 tribes across the country and Canada. When visiting this impressive museum, you can also take in the only Asian art collection in the Rocky Mountain region, and more than 4,500 modern and contemporary works that emphasize both internationally known and emerging artists. The museum's Frederic C. Hamilton Building, a geometric explosion of glass and titanium designed by Daniel Libeskind, also houses several varied collections. For information, call 720-865-5000 or visit www.denverartmuseum.org.

The mission of the most recent museum to come to Denver, the Museum of Contemporary Art, is to establish a world-class center that will educate and inspire artists, students and the public about new developments in the visual arts. MCA offers educational programs that invite you to see, experience and react. For information, call 303-298-7554 or visit www.mcartdenver.org.

For a great experience with the kids, don't miss The Children's Museum of Denver, where programs and playscapes are designed for newborns to 8-year-olds. These areas are created to engage children physically, while stimulating their minds and imaginations. From arts and crafts activities, theatre performances and special exhibits, to a daily story time, little ones and their adult companions won't want to leave this bright, happy place. For information, call 303-433-7444 or visit www.cmdenver.org.

Probably one of the most expansive museums in terms of educational rewards and interactive experiences is the impressive Denver Museum of Nature and Science. With its broad selection of IMAX films, gallery presentations, traveling exhibits and permanent installations, it offers something for everyone. Permanent exhibits include Gems & Minerals, Space Odyssey and the award-winning Prehistoric Journey, where you can travel back through time to the age of the dinosaur. For information, call 800-925-2250 or visit www.dmnh.org.

The following museums are a bit off the beaten path, but worth the short trip to find them. They are rich with diversity and culture that you won't want to miss. 

Visit the Black American West Museum & Heritage Center for stories that celebrate African Americans and their role in settling the American West. Located in the historic Dr. Justina Ford House, just five minutes from downtown Denver, the museum showcases unique and rare artifacts, documents and other memorabilia from black pioneers, and also houses a changing exhibition room. For information, call 303-292-2566.

The mission of the Mizel Museum is to present the continuum of the Jewish people within a multicultural context through the arts. Bridges of Understanding, a multicultural education program, includes ceremonies, festivals and rites of passage of African American, Asian Pacific, Hispanic/Latino, Jewish, Muslim, and Native American cultures. You'll see these cultures all come alive through artifacts, craft projects, hands-on art objects and related educational programs. The museum offers family and group tours. For information call 303-394-9993 or visit www.mizeilmuseum.org.

The only museum in the Rocky Mountain region dedicated to Latino history, art and culture is the Museo de las Americas, located near downtown. The purpose and mission of the Museo de las Americas is to cultivate understanding and appreciation for the accomplishments and culture of the Latino people of this area from ancient times to the present. Come view the ongoing exhibitions—Ancient Art of the Americas and Art of the People. For information, call 303-571-4401 or visit www.museo.org.

Nestled in the heart of the city, the Byers-Evans House Museum is a Denver landmark that reflects two of the city's influential families of the late 19th and early 20th century. William Byers, former editor of the Rocky Mountain News, built the structure in 1883. William Evans, president of the Denver Tramway Company, purchased the home in 1889 and resided there until his death in 1924. Guided tours offer you a well-documented and carefully restored glimpse of the lifestyle of the era. For admission prices and information, call 303-620-4933 or visit www.coloradohistory.org/be.

If antiquing is your passion, take a tour of the Trianon Art Gallery and Museum, also located downtown. Sorry, you can't buy the 18th-century furniture, jewelry, or priceless artifacts, but you might learn a thing or two and see some magnificent pieces while you're at it. For more information, call 303-623-0739.

Experience the home of the Heroine of the Titanic on your visit to the Molly Brown House Museum. Philanthropist, political activist, suffragist, society matron and historic preservationist, Molly Brown was one of Denver's most famous residents. Learn Margaret Tobin's rags-to-riches-to-heroine story, and how the effort to save this house resulted in the creation of Historic Denver, Inc., the city's leading preservation organization. Be sure to pick up a couple of trinkets at the Carriage House Gift Shop, which carries the area's only selection of Titanic memorabilia. For information, call 303-832-4092 or visit www.mollybrown.com.

The Kirkland Museum, established in 1996, shows a retrospective of Colorado's distinguished painter, Vance Kirkland (1904-1981). With a strong focus on the first three quarters of the 20th Century, the museum documents Colorado art history with more than 150 artists represented by more than 600 works. Come see the museum's nationally important display of 20th-century decorative arts, with more than 3,000 works on view—including Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau, Wierner werkstatte, De Stijl, Bauhaus, Art Deco, Modern and Pop Art. The Kirkland Museum, including Vance Kirkland's historic studio, is a National Trust Associate Site in the Historic Artists' Homes and Studios group—the only one in the eight-state Mountain/Plains region. Other artists in the group include Jackson Pollack and Lee Krasner, Thomas Hart Benton, Charles Burchfield, Grant Wood, N.C. Wyeth and Charles Demuth. For information, call 303-832-8576 or visit www.vancekirkland.org.