Denver Opens Museum Doors: Night at the Museums During Denver Arts Week Offers Free Entrance to 18 Museums

DENVER, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Denver's borrowing an idea from Paris to turn 18 of the city's museums into a great Saturday family night during the fourth annual Denver Arts Week (Nov. 5-13, 2010).

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101027/DC89760)

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20101027/DC89760)

On Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010, the Mile High City will again stage Night at the Museums, an event where 18 participating museums will stay open late from 5 to 10 p.m., all offering free admission.  Patrons can hop from museum to museum on free shuttle buses that will run a loop circuit.  

The idea for Night at the Museums comes from a similar event held every year in Paris and across France called La Nuit des Musees.

Families can browse some art at the Denver Art Museum, tour the home of "Unsinkable" Molly Brown, take a lantern tour of old railroad cars and automobiles at the Forney Transportation Museum, walk through one of the largest dinosaur exhibits in the nation at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, learn how beer is made at Coors Brewery, and finish the night strolling by the romantically statues of British sculptor Henry Moore in the Denver Botanic Gardens.  All for free.

It's part of Denver Arts Week (DAW), Nov. 5-13, 2010, a nine-day celebration of all things art.  Now in its fourth year, DAW also offers First Friday art gallery walks the night prior on Nov. 5, 2010, where more than 100 art galleries in eight neighborhood arts district staying open late with food, music and fun.  Denver's on Stage, focusing on the performing arts, includes specials on opera, theater and dance.

Participants in Night at the Museums include:

• The Black American West Museum will offer re-enactments, entertainment and exhibits about African American cowboys, miners, pioneers and Buffalo soldiers.
• The Denver Art Museum will have all their regular exhibits open for free.  The King Tut exhibition will be available at a special price: two adult tickets and two audio guides for only $52.80, Nov. 5-13.
• The Denver Botanic Gardens will offer Moore by Moonlight & Orchids. Lighting makes this a special evening to experience the Henry Moore outdoor sculpture gallery and amazing orchids, with live performances by 3rd Law Dance Theater.  
• The Denver Museum of Nature & Science will offer Amazon Voyage: Vicious Fishes & Other Riches with storytelling, live animals, demonstrations, dance, music and more in this interactive bilingual exhibition.  
• The Forney Museum of Transportation will have lantern-light tours of 200 years of transportation.    
• The Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art will offer Mad Men and Mod Women, with the  Bovine Metropolis Theater bringing art to life, Mad Men style.  
• The Molly Brown House Museum will offer free tours of the historic home of "Unsinkable Molly Brown."  (Stop by early to get free timed entrance tickets starting at 4:30 p.m.)
• The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver will have interactive art projects, special docent-led tours and beautiful downtown views from the rooftop café.
• The Children's Museum of Denver will offer performances, art projects and lots of hands-on creativity.
• The Byers-Evans house Museum has a unique Twentieth Century American art collection featuring paintings, silver, pottery and furniture.
• The Cell, will offer free admission to their  Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere: Understanding the Threat of Terrorism exhibit.

Golden & Littleton Now Participating as Well

New in 2010, Night at the Museums is expanding to the nearby towns of Golden and Littleton, Colo.  Participating museums include:

• The Littleton Museum will offer an evening in an 1860s cabin and the 1880s farmhouse, complete with hot cider, games and conversation with historic site interpreters.
• Golden's first Night at the Museums showcases five attractions.  
  • The American Mountaineering Museum  is the first and only museum in the U.S. dedicated to the heroism, technology, culture and spirit of mountaineering with exhibits about mountain climbing from the Colorado Rockies to Mount Everest.
  • The Astor House will offer an experience of what life in Golden was like in the early 1900s.
  • Clear Creek History Park will have lantern tours of a late 1800s mountain ranch, complete with gardens, a working blacksmith shop, schoolhouse and chicken coop.
  • Coors Brewery will offer tours of the world's largest single site brewery and visitors over 21 will be able to enjoy free samples in the Coors Hospitality Lounge.
  • The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum's mission showcases quilt-making traditions and has exhibits on the evolution of the art and craft of quilting.

For complete information, times and schedules visit:  www.DenverArtsWeek.com.

Denver Deals

With artwork sales, membership discounts, and free admission at select venues – Denver Arts Week is an incredible time to experience art in every form for a fraction of the price.  Bringing a guest?  Sign up for the special Denver 2 for 1 TIX eblast delivering Denver Arts Week specials via e-mail each week.  To sign up, visit: http://www.denver.org/events/2for1tix.

Facebook Scavenger Hunt: HOW IT WORKS

Experience DAW in a curious new way this year. The Denver Arts Week Scavenger Hunt offers the chance to attend this citywide celebration's coolest events and be entered to win big prizes, including the grand prize of Southwest Airlines airfare – a great opportunity to bring family or friends to Denver to explore First Fridays, the nation's second largest performing arts complex, and a myriad of year-round art offerings.  Additional prizes include gift certificates to some of Denver's best restaurants and hotels and tickets to hot attractions and events.

• Check out the list of Denver Arts Week activities listed on the "Scavenger Hunt" tab at www.facebook.com/visitdenver
• Get a photo of at least six of the listed activities during Denver Arts Week
• Post pictures to VISIT DENVER's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/visitdenver. Note: Participants must "Like" VISIT DENVER's page in order to post a photo.  Be sure to include the name and location of the task completed in the caption. Example: "Here I am, dancing with The Dancers! (No. 5)."

Once participants have completed six activities, they are automatically be entered to win dozens of great prizes. *Note: Participants can only win once. VISIT DENVER will contact each winner individually.

For high-resolution photos, please click the below link:

PIN-Code: JD6S9

https://denver.mt-ap.net/pindownload/login.do?pin=JD6S9

About VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau

Celebrating more than 100 years of promoting the Mile High City, VISIT DENVER is a nonprofit trade association that contracts with the City of Denver to market Denver as a convention and leisure destination, increasing economic development in the city, creating jobs and generating taxes.  Tourism is the second-largest industry in Denver, generating $2.8 billion in annual spending in 2009, while supporting nearly 50,000 jobs. For more information on Denver, call 800-2-DENVER or visit Denver's official website at VISITDENVER.com.

SOURCE VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau