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Highest-rated specialty museums in Colorado by visitors

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Radu Bercan // Shutterstock
Radu Bercan // Shutterstock
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In 1683, Elias Ashmole, an Oxford graduate and true polymath, founded the Ashmolean, the modern world's first public museum. Stocked with his private collection of artifacts, curios, and special scientific equipment, the goal of the museum was to create a center for practical research and the advancement of knowledge. This, Ashmole felt, was a goal "very necessary to humaine life, health [and] the conveniences thereof."

According to figures from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, there are more than 35,000 museums in the United States today. Their collections encompass everything from modern art, like at the MoMA in New York City, to mustard, like at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin, and everything in between.

Museums are anchors of our communities. The American Alliance of Museums reports that museums support more than 725,000 jobs and contribute upwards of $50 billion to the U.S. economy each year. Three-quarters of Americans agree that museums are an important part of our civil society and have an important role in promoting knowledge and civic engagement.

Beyond their educational and economic significance, museums are just plain fun. Whether you have a developed interest in natural history or just want to learn a little bit more about funerary history (the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston), there's sure to be a museum that strikes your interest. There's simply nothing else quite like spending an afternoon learning about famous figures, arts and crafts, military history, or what else you fancy.

Here, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated specialty museums in Colorado on Tripadvisor as of Aug. 13, 2025. Keep reading to see what unique museums are in your home state. Then, make sure to plan a visit. With many museums facing funding cuts due to the current administration's efforts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services, who's to say how much longer these treasure troves will be available to us?

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#30. Durango Wildlife Museum and Fish Hatchery

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#30. Durango Wildlife Museum and Fish Hatchery

- Rating: 4.5/5 (196 reviews)
- City: Durango
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#28. Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum

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#28. Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum

- Rating: 4.8/5 (211 reviews)
- City: Pueblo
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#27. Colorado Model Railroad Museum

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#27. Colorado Model Railroad Museum

- Rating: 4.9/5 (278 reviews)
- City: Greeley
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#25. Michael Garman Museum & Gallery

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#25. Michael Garman Museum & Gallery

- Rating: 4.5/5 (151 reviews)
- City: not available
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#22. Stanley Home Museum and Education Center

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#22. Stanley Home Museum and Education Center

- Rating: 5.0/5 (68 reviews)
- City: Estes Park
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#20. Museum of Western Colorado: Dinosaur Journey Museum

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#20. Museum of Western Colorado: Dinosaur Journey Museum

- Rating: 4.2/5 (257 reviews)
- City: Fruita
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#19. Museum of Colorado Prisons

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#19. Museum of Colorado Prisons

- Rating: 4.3/5 (425 reviews)
- City: Canon City
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#18. Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center

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#18. Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center

- Rating: 4.4/5 (326 reviews)
- City: Woodland Park
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#15. Mines Museum of Earth Science

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#15. Mines Museum of Earth Science

- Rating: 4.7/5 (306 reviews)
- City: Golden
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#13. Miramont Castle Museum

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#13. Miramont Castle Museum

- Rating: 4.0/5 (464 reviews)
- City: Manitou Springs El Paso County
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#10. U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum

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#10. U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum

- Rating: 4.7/5 (375 reviews)
- City: not available
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#7. The Kirkland at the Denver Art Museum

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#7. The Kirkland at the Denver Art Museum

- Rating: 4.8/5 (410 reviews)
- City: Denver
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#5. Forney Museum of Transportation

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#5. Forney Museum of Transportation

- Rating: 4.5/5 (562 reviews)
- City: Denver
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#4. Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum

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#4. Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum

- Rating: 4.3/5 (785 reviews)
- City: Denver
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#3. Meow Wolf's Convergence Station

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#3. Meow Wolf's Convergence Station

- Rating: 4.0/5 (519 reviews)
- City: Denver
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#2. Argo Mill and Tunnel

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#2. Argo Mill and Tunnel

- Rating: 4.7/5 (1,778 reviews)
- City: not available
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#1. Molly Brown House Museum

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#1. Molly Brown House Museum

- Rating: 4.4/5 (1,527 reviews)
- City: Denver
- Read more on Tripadvisor

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Madison Troyer, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 51 states.

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