Two floors of big paintings, with soundscapes playing in the largest galleries through Feb 14. The museum lends free noise-dampening headphones and turns the sound off for an hour twice a month. Here is the quiet way through, in its own words.
Clyfford Still Museum
1250 Bannock St, Denver 80204 · Tuesday to Sunday 10 am to 5 pm. Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Closes at 2 pm on Oct 28 and early on Dec 4 (time not stated).
“The Museum will offer quiet hours without soundscapes from 10-11 a.m. on the first Saturday” and “the third Wednesday of each month.”
“Due to the immersive soundscapes in Still in Sound (May 16, 2026-February 14, 2027), visitors who prefer a quieter environment may borrow complimentary noise-dampening headphones.”
Our note By the museum's stated rule the next quiet hours would be Sat Nov 7, Wed Nov 18, Sat Dec 5, Wed Dec 16, Sat Jan 2 and Wed Jan 20, 10 to 11 am; not posted yet as dates.
Our note Sat Nov 7 is also the SCFD Free Day and Free Night at the Museums, with Maker Mornings at 10:30, so we'd expect crowds after 11. The Wednesday mornings look like the calmest.
Our note Music in the Galleries (Sun Nov 8, Sun Dec 13) and Carolers in the Galleries (Sun Dec 20) add live sound on top of the soundscapes. We'd skip those afternoons.
Our note Where to get the headphones isn't stated. Large print, tactile books and wheelchairs come from the visitor experience desk, so we'd ask there.
Three things to know
Free noise-dampening headphones to borrow during Still in Sound (through Feb 14, 2027). Where to pick them up: not stated.
17 and under always free. Aides and caregivers with visitors with disabilities free. Adults $15 Colorado resident, $18 non-resident.
No food or drinks in the galleries, water bottles included. Free token lockers and a coat rack on the main level.
More: parking, the elevator, books to borrow, free days
Named by the museum; it publishes no noise scale
Louder, in the museum's words
Still in Sound soundscapes in the largest galleries (through Feb 14, 2027) (sounds “drifting through the Museum's galleries to create a holistic, immersive environment”)not stated
Interactive instruments: frame drum, kalimba, steel handpan (the exhibition is designed for “visceral, whole-body experiences”)not stated
Quieter
Benches on each floor; portable stools in the first galleryquiet zone
Open Studio cozy corner, gallery level (reopening date not stated)quiet zone
Buy tickets online before you go (csm.ticketapp.org). Online tickets get a 50% parking discount at several nearby lots.
ADA parking on level P2 of the Cultural Center garage (12th Ave between Broadway and Acoma) and in the lot across Bannock St. Metered street parking is free on Sundays.
Elevator next to the entrance lobby up to the second-floor galleries. Strollers welcome; a stroller and a wheelchair can be borrowed.
Free bilingual Family Activity Book at the information desk. Tactile books to borrow at the visitor experience desk.
Stand far enough back that you can't reach a painting with your arm out.
Caregivers may breastfeed or bottle feed anywhere, galleries included.
STILLness meditation in the galleries: Sat Nov 14 and Sat Dec 5, 9 to 10 am, before opening. Pre-registration required; socks in the galleries; 17 and under free.
Free and pay-what-you-wish days: Fri Nov 6, Sat Nov 7 (free 10 am to 10 pm), Thu Dec 3. January: not posted.
Staff are visitor experience (VX) staff at the reception and visitor experience desks. Phone 720-354-4880.
What the museum doesn't say
not stated a quiet room
not stated where to pick up the headphones, or if ID is needed
Buy tickets online, check in at the reception desk, then take the elevator up to the galleries. Through Feb 14 the largest galleries play soundscapes, and visitors can play a frame drum, kalimba and handpan. Quiet hours without soundscapes are 10 to 11 am on the first Saturday and third Wednesday of each month. No food or water bottles in the galleries; lockers are free. Benches on every floor. Change anything.
One tip from a dad who's been there
Go at 10 am on a third Wednesday, when the museum turns the soundscapes off for an hour. Ask for the free headphones when you check in, and put snacks in a locker before the galleries. Leaving early still counts as a museum day.
Common questions
What if my child won't look at the schedule or story?
That is common at first. Leave it where the moment happens, point to one picture at a time, and keep it low-pressure. Many kids warm up to it after a few calm tries, in their own time.
Can I make this in Spanish?
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No. There is no signup, and we don’t keep what you type; anything you save stays on your device. Make it, print it, done.
