A free weather and climate science center in the Boulder foothills, with hands-on exhibits and a trail. The venue names its own quietest times, weekdays 9 to 9:50 am and 2 to 3:30 pm, and two quiet spots inside.
Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm; weekends and holidays 9 am to 4 pm. Open 363 days a year: closed one day in spring and one in fall for maintenance (the fall date isn't posted). Check ucar.edu/alerts for surprise closures.
“While we don’t have a designated quiet time, the quietest times to visit are on weekdays in the morning from 9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. MT, and again in the afternoon from 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. MT.”
“School programs will often take place Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. MT and public tours happen on Wednesday and Friday from 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. MT. During these times, the exhibits may be loud and more crowded. Weekends and holidays also tend to be more crowded.”
Our note The calm windows are short. Plan the visit around one of them: a weekday right at 9, or 2 to 3:30 in the afternoon.
Our note Sat Nov 7 is Super Science Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm, free. The venue calls it “typically a loud and crowded event” and has a quiet room that day (ask at the Welcome Table for a private one). If your kid does better with fewer people, pick a different day.
Our note The venue doesn't list sensory kits or headphones. Bring your own.
Three things to know
Free. No tickets, no reservations, and free parking in the lot on the northeast side of the building.
The venue's own story names two quiet spots: the NSF NCAR Library (closed on weekends) and a quiet space near Classroom 135. Ask at the front desk.
From the lot you walk up a hill and some stairs. For a step-free way in, the ramped driveway goes straight to the front doors; it's for ADA drop-off and parking (three spots), and general drop-off is in the main lot.
More: Sensory Guide, stories, food, restrooms, the trail
Named by the venue on its accessibility page and in its own stories. Its exhibit-by-exhibit Sensory Guide comes by email.
Louder or busier, in the venue's words
Super Science Saturday, Sat Nov 7, 10 am to 4 pm (“typically a loud and crowded event”; “We have a quiet room available”)not stated
School programs (Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 10 am to noon) and public tours (Wed and Fri, noon to 1 pm) (“the exhibits may be loud and more crowded”)not stated
The theater movie (“There might be parts of the movie that are loud.”)not stated
The cafeteria (“The cafeteria might be noisy.”)not stated
Quieter
NSF NCAR Library (closed on weekends), named in the venue's own storyquiet zone
Quiet space near Classroom 135, named in the same storyquiet zone
Sensory Guide: the venue rates each hands-on exhibit for “sound, sight, touch, movement, and complexity.” It isn't posted online; email spp@ucar.edu and ask for it.
The venue has its own picture stories for a tour and a school visit (English PDFs, linked on its accessibility page). The tour story walks through the lobby, the quiet areas, the theater, the cafeteria and the Weather Trail.
Food: the Mesa Lab Café serves lunch Monday to Thursday, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. You can bring your own food to the Café or the patio. Outside those hours there's no food on site, so pack snacks for a Friday or weekend visit.
Restrooms are on both floors. A single-stall accessible restroom with a changing table is on the north end of the 2nd floor. The elevator is at the end of the weather hall.
No coat check. A coat rack sits behind the stairs by the Weather Stories exhibit; nobody watches it.
Free walk-in tours run Wednesday and Friday at noon, the times the exhibits get louder.
The Weather Trail outside goes uphill and downhill and can be rocky or muddy. The venue's story says to watch for rattlesnakes, and winds off the foothills can be strong.
Two wheelchairs to borrow at the front desk on weekdays. On weekends, or when the front desk is empty, go to the security window behind it.
Questions: 303-497-2401 or spp@ucar.edu.
What the venue doesn't say
not stated sensory kits or headphones
not stated which exhibits are loud (that's in the emailed Sensory Guide)
not stated where first aid is
not stated a stroller rule
not stated where the Super Science Saturday quiet room is
not stated the fall maintenance closure date
not stated whether it opens on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day
Free, no tickets. You walk up a hill and some stairs from the lot to the front doors, or use the ramped driveway if you need a step-free way in. Inside are hands-on weather and climate exhibits on two floors, a small theater, and a café that serves lunch Monday to Thursday only. School groups and the noon tours make it louder on weekday mornings and at noon on Wednesday and Friday. Scientists work in the building, so people use inside voices. Change anything.
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?
Yes. Every tool and this page exist in Spanish, and the printed page comes out in the language you choose. Use the language switch at the top.
Do I need an account?
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.
