Free Things to Do in Denver: 14 Picks, With the Fine Print

The best free things to do in Denver are a guided tour of the gold-domed Colorado State Capitol, a ride on the 16th Street FreeRide, a wander through the Great Hall at Denver Union Station, and a walk around Washington Park or City Park. The big museums are a different story: the Denver Art Museum, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and Denver Botanic Gardens all charge adults on normal days, but each one offers free days, and the Denver Art Museum is free every day for anyone 18 and under.

Here is the one-line version to pass on: in Denver, the gold on the Capitol dome was a gift from miners, and the tour that takes you up to it costs nothing.

How we chose

Every pick below is free to enter or free on a published schedule, and every one is inside the City and County of Denver unless we say otherwise. We checked each place on its own official website, summarized free-day rules where they matter, and left out anything we could not confirm. Hours and policies change, so treat the times below as typical and check the official site before you go.

Is Denver Union Station free?

Yes, walking into Denver Union Station costs nothing: it is a working train station at 1701 Wynkoop Street in LoDo, and the Great Hall is open to the public outside a nightly cleaning window. According to Denver Union Station's FAQ, the Great Hall closes for cleaning every day from midnight to 5:30 a.m., and personal photos inside the hall need no permission.

The insider fact: the station's own history page says the first depot opened in 1881, the granite Beaux-Arts building opened in 1914, and the grand reopening came in 2014, exactly 100 years later. Grab a seat in the Great Hall, look up, and you are sitting in that centennial.

The free downtown bus: 16th Street FreeRide

The 16th Street FreeRide is a free RTD bus that runs the length of 16th Street in downtown Denver, from Union Station to Wade Blank Civic Center Station. RTD renamed it from the Free MallRide after the city dropped the “Mall” from 16th Street’s name, and RTD’s FreeRide page says you need no ticket and pay no fare. Buses run seven days a week, typically every 4 to 12 minutes depending on the time of day, and they are fully electric.

Colorado State Capitol: free tours up to the dome

The Colorado State Capitol at 200 East Colfax Avenue in Capitol Hill offers free guided tours that include the dome observation deck. Per the Colorado General Assembly’s tour page, free tours run on the hour Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., are limited to 30 people on a first-come, first-served basis, and start at the Visitor Information Desk on the first floor.

The dome is a 99-step climb above the third floor, stairs only, and you cannot visit it on a self-guided walk, so time your visit to a tour. The building itself is typically open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., except state holidays, and everyone goes through security.

Two facts to drop on your tour group, both from the Capitol’s visitor page: Colorado gold miners gave 200 ounces of gold in 1908 to gild the dome, and the rose onyx inside comes from near Beulah, Colorado, in a coloration that has never been found anywhere else in the world.

Denver Public Library Central Library

The Denver Public Library Central Library at 10 West 14th Avenue Parkway in the Golden Triangle is a free indoor stop with art on the walls. The library's art and architecture page says Michael Graves was the architect and that the building holds an Edward Ruscha mural of Colorado and the American West stretching 130 yards. The Special Collections and Archives, with what the library calls a nationally recognized collection on the history of the American West, is on site too.

Central Library is typically open Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and weekends 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; see the Central Library page. Any Colorado resident can get a free Denver Public Library card.

Civic Center Park

Civic Center Park, at 101 14th Avenue between the Capitol and the City and County Building, is free and typically open every day from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. The Civic Center Park visitor page says it has the most square feet of flower beds and the largest collection of public art in the city, and it draws more than a million visitors a year. Check the official calendar for free seasonal programming.

The Blue Bear at the Colorado Convention Center

The Blue Bear, officially titled I See What You Mean, is a 40-foot sculpture by Lawrence Argent peering into the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver, and looking at it costs nothing. The Convention Center’s public art page says the idea came from a newspaper photo of a bear looking in a window during a drought, and the blue came from the modeling clay Argent used for his presentation. Stand at the glass inside for the bear’s-eye view in reverse.

Is the Denver Art Museum free?

The Denver Art Museum is free every day for visitors 18 and under, but adults pay general admission except on free days. The museum's Free for Kids page confirms that general admission costs nothing for anyone 18 and under, every day the museum is open.

For adults, the museum’s Free Days page lists roughly monthly SCFD free days, funded by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District. The museum suggests reserving free-day tickets online in advance, though walk-in tickets are also offered, and special exhibitions are not included on free days. The museum is at 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway and is typically closed Wednesdays, with occasional exceptions; check the site.

Clyfford Still Museum: kids free, and pay-what-you-wish days

The Clyfford Still Museum at 1250 Bannock Street in the Golden Triangle is free for visitors 17 and under, and it adds two kinds of low-cost or free days for adults. Its Pay-What-You-Wish page describes pay-what-you-wish days, which the museum has scheduled on the first Friday of each month, when adults can pay as little as a penny; paying under $1 has to be done in person. The museum also hosts SCFD free days, and it says online registration opens about a week before each one, with walk-ins welcome.

Is the Denver Museum of Nature & Science free?

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science charges general admission on normal days, but its SCFD Free Days and Free Nights are free for general admission. The museum, at 2001 Colorado Boulevard in City Park, says on its Free Days page that you need no ticket for general admission on those days and can simply walk up. The Gates Planetarium, the Sturm Infinity Theater and temporary exhibitions still need a separate ticket.

Are Denver Botanic Gardens free?

Denver Botanic Gardens charges admission at its York Street gardens on normal days, but it runs a set of free days each year, and these sell out. The Gardens’ Free Days page is blunt: get tickets in advance, because there are no onsite tickets for sold-out days. Tickets release on the 1st of the month, three months at a time.

The insider tip: the York Street page says the first floor of the Freyer–Newman Center is free with no admission needed, any day the Gardens are open. The gardens sit at 1007 York Street, next to Cheesman Park.

Washington Park

Washington Park in south Denver is free and, like Denver’s other urban parks, typically open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. The city’s trails page lists a 2.5-mile Washington Park Outer Loop, plus shorter loops around Smith Lake (0.6 mile) and Grassmere Lake (0.8 mile). Walk the outer loop, then cut in to the flower beds. More on the neighborhood in our Washington Park guide.

City Park and Ferril Lake

City Park is free and home to the 0.9-mile Ferril Lake Loop and the 3.1-mile Mile High Loop, according to Denver’s trails page. In summer, the independent nonprofit City Park Jazz puts on 10 free jazz concerts in the park; check its site for the season’s schedule.

RiNo murals

The River North Art District (RiNo) is the place to walk for street art, and the streets cost nothing. The RiNo Art District mural map lists more than 100 murals. The district also hosts evening First Friday events, with individual venues setting their own hours; check the RiNo First Fridays page for the next one. See our RiNo guide.

First Friday on Santa Fe Drive

The Art District on Santa Fe holds its First Friday Art Walk all year, rain or shine, on the first Friday of each month from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., per the district’s First Friday page. Most galleries sit between 5th and 11th avenues, the district says there is free parking throughout the district and on side streets, and the 10th and Osage light rail station serves the area. Our pick for a no-spend evening: walk Santa Fe from 11th down to 5th and pop into whatever is open. More in our Art District on Santa Fe guide.

Just outside Denver: Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre

Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre is not inside Denver’s city limits: it is in Morrison, in the foothills west of the city, though it is owned and operated by the City and County of Denver. The Red Rocks FAQ says admission and parking are free for the park, the Visitor Center and the Trading Post, and the park is open from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset. On show days the amphitheatre usually closes to the public around 2 p.m., so go in the morning.

Save this: a free day in downtown Denver

This weekday route links five free stops on foot and the free bus, with the Capitol tour as the anchor.

1. Start at Denver Union Station in LoDo with a coffee you brought from home and a slow lap of the Great Hall.
2. Hop the 16th Street FreeRide from Union Station toward Civic Center Station.
3. Walk a couple of blocks to see the Blue Bear at the Colorado Convention Center.
4. Join a free Colorado State Capitol tour on the hour, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., and climb to the dome.
5. Cross Civic Center Park to the Denver Public Library Central Library and find the Ruscha mural.
6. If you are 18 or under, or it is an SCFD free day, finish next door at the Denver Art Museum.
7. On the first Friday of the month, end the night on Santa Fe Drive for the art walk.

For free festivals and seasonal events, check our Denver events calendar.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is free to do in Denver?

Free things to do in Denver include guided tours of the Colorado State Capitol, the 16th Street FreeRide bus, Denver Union Station’s Great Hall, Civic Center Park, the Blue Bear sculpture, Washington Park and City Park. The Denver Art Museum is also free every day for visitors 18 and under.

Is the Colorado State Capitol tour free?

Yes. Free guided tours of the Colorado State Capitol run on the hour Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., first-come, first-served, and include a 99-step climb to the dome observation area.

Does the Denver Museum of Nature & Science have free days?

Yes. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science offers SCFD Free Days and Free Nights, and no tickets are needed for general admission on those days. The Gates Planetarium, Sturm Infinity Theater and temporary exhibitions still need a separate ticket.

Are Denver Botanic Gardens free days hard to get?

Yes, they often sell out. Denver Botanic Gardens releases free-day tickets on the 1st of the month, three months at a time, and says no onsite tickets are available for sold-out days.

Is Red Rocks free to visit?

Yes. Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre says admission and parking are free for the park, Visitor Center and Trading Post. It is just outside Denver in Morrison, though the City and County of Denver owns it.

Is the Denver Art Museum free for adults?

Not usually. Adults pay general admission at the Denver Art Museum except on its roughly monthly SCFD free days, which do not include special exhibitions; visitors 18 and under are free every day.