Each year, the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) sponsors free days for Colorado residents. Check out this list and take advantage of Denver’s cultural attractions for FREE! For updates and even more free days, visit SCFD.org and click on the Free Days link.
Below, you’ll find a list of free days, addresses and hours for the following venues: Denver Art Museum, Denver Botanic Gardens, Botanic Gardens at Chatfield Farms, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and the Denver Zoo.
100 West 14th Avenue Pkwy, Denver, CO 80204
The Denver Art Museum — DAM is an art museum located in the Civic Center of Denver, Colorado. The museum is one of the largest art museums between the West Coast and Chicago. It is known for its collection of American Indian art, and its other collections of more than 70,000 diverse works from across the centuries and world.
Museum Hours:
- Monday – Thursday 10 a.m.to 5 p.m.
- Friday – 10 a.m.to 8 p.m.
- Saturday – 10 a.m.to 5 p.m.
Free Days:
- January 5
- February 2
- March 2
- April 6
- May 4
- June 1
- July 6
- August 3
- September 7
- October 5
- November 2
- December 7
Denver Botanic Gardens
1007 York Street
Denver, CO 80206
The Denver Botanic Gardens is a public botanical garden located in the Cheesman Park neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. The 23-acre park contains a conservatory, a variety of theme gardens and a sunken amphitheater, which hosts various concerts in the summer.
- Winter Hours: Oct. 1 – May 11 | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily
- Summer Hours: May 12 – Sept. 30 | 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. daily
Free Days:
Monday, Jan. 21 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day)
Monday, Feb. 18 (President’s Day)
Friday, March 22 (World Water Day)
Sunday, April 14
Tuesday, June 4*
Wednesday, July 10*
Tuesday, Sept. 3*
Monday, Nov. 11 (Veteran’s Day)
*Free until 9 p.m. otherwise free until 5 p.m.
Botanic Gardens at Chatfield Farms
8500 W Deer Creek Canyon Road
Littleton, CO 80128
Chatfield Farms is a 700-acre native plant refuge and working farm located along the banks of Deer Creek in southern Jefferson County.
Hours: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily – Last entry is 4:30 p.m.
Free Days:
Tuesday, Jan. 8
Tuesday, Feb. 5
Tuesday, March 5
Tuesday, April 2
Tuesday, June 4*
Tuesday, July 2*
Tuesday, Aug. 6*
Tuesday, Nov. 5
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
2001 Colorado Blvd.
Denver, CO 80205
Museum Admission is free on the dates listed below. To add a temporary exhibit, IMAX or Planetarium show, purchase tickets at the Museum on the Free Day; upgrade rates apply. Reservations and amenities (lunchroom, coat and lunch storage, bus drop off, etc.) for school groups are not available on SCFD Community Free Days.
Free Days:
- Monday, January 7
- Sunday, January 27
- Monday, February 11
- Wednesday, April 3* (5pm-10pm)
- Sunday, April 28
- Sunday, June 2
- Tuesday, July 2* (5pm-10pm)
- Monday, August 26
- Sunday, September 29
- Monday, October 14
- Sunday, November 17
- Sunday, December 8
Denver Zoo
2300 Steele St.
Denver, CO 80205
The Denver Zoo is an 80-acre facility located in City Park of Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1896, it is owned by the City and County of Denver and funded in part by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District. It is the most popular paid attraction in the Denver metropolitan area.
Free Days:
- Thursday, January 10
- Friday, January 18
- Saturday, January 19
- Sunday, February 3
- Monday, February 4
- Monday, November 4
- Friday, November 8
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Zoo is on winter hours (on all of the FREE Days), which means they’re open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Denver’s City Park (on 23rd Ave. between Colorado Blvd. & York St.) The grounds officially shut down at 5 p.m., so be sure you’re through the gates by 4 p.m.
