Cool Items at Boulder's Museums
Boulder’s museums are like portals to secret worlds — past, present and future. Go see these items to spark your curiosity, and keep exploring from there.
Caribou Ranch Digital Record Player
Learn about a 1970s recording studio in the hills behind Boulder where Elton John, Stevie Nicks, Joe Walsh, John Lennon and many other artists recorded albums. At the Museum of Boulder, you can put on headphones and play their songs on a digital record player, one of just many hands-on exhibits in the Boulder Experience room of the museum.
Where: Museum of Boulder
Today, Caribou Ranch is a designated nature area. The studio closed after a 1985 fire and hasn’t reopened, but the remaining ranchland is now protected land with popular hiking trails. It's about 35 minutes west of Boulder.
The Mahaffy Cache
Look back (wayyyy back) as you examine a collection of 13,000-year-old stone tools stumbled upon by a Boulder landscaper in 2008. The collection is called the Mahaffy Cache after Boulder resident Patrick Mahaffy, who called the University of Colorado's Anthropology department upon the discovery of the ancient tools in his yard.
Where: CU Museum of Natural History
Deluxe Talkgirl
Take a super-nerdy trip down memory lane and tinker with the Deluxe Talkgirl, a voice-changing cassette recorder from the 90s, at this lab dedicated to preserving vintage technology.
Where: Media Archaeology Lab
Sharkive Print
Boulder is home to an internationally recognized archive of lithographic prints by master printer and publisher Bud Shark. The Sharkive, as it’s called, includes this piece, “Last Rays” by Yvonne Jacquette. The Sharkive prints are light sensitive, so there is an ever-changing selection of items on exhibition. Call ahead (303-492-8300) to see what's on display during your visit.
Where: CU Art Museum
Boots from Everest's First Summiteer
View one of the most extensive collections of mountaineering artifacts in the country, including artifacts like boots from Edmund Hillary, who, along with Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay, became the first climbers confirmed to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1953. Bonus points if you're brave enough to take a peek at the preserved toe that's also part of Neptune's artifact collection.
Where: Neptune Mountaineering
More Ideas for You
Boulder Museums
The great indoors of Boulder's museums
Boulder's Historic Neighborhoods
Take a self-guided tour with this map
Visiting CU
There's so much to explore on the University of Colorado's campus