CURTIS PARK. A look at the contributions made by black cowboys, lawyers, and other black professionals to American history. The museum offers interesting tidbits and amazing facts about African-American experiences.

GOLDEN. This is one of metro Denver's most popular attractions ­ with good reason ­ so saddle up the SUV and get yourself to Golden. In 1917, with some 20,000 mourners in attendance, Buffalo Bill was laid to rest atop Lookout Mountain, where he'd have a permanent view of his beloved mountains and plains. His longtime friend Johnny Baker started the museum a few years later, and today it houses some pretty fascinating stuff ­ photos and memorabilia from the Wild West Show years, Native American artifacts, period firearms and equipment, and interactive kid's exhibits. Giddyup!

DOWNTOWN. Clever use of photographs and artifacts brings the past to life at this museum. Fascinating exhibits like "Ancient Voices" and "Soldiers on Skis" detail, respectively, the lives of the region's Paleo-Indians and the experiences of the 10th Mountain Division. The museum's most unique feature is "Colorado TimeScape," a multi-media display that takes as its focus a 3-D topographical model of the state. As visitors listen to a narrative history, lasers alter the landscape, providing a vivid account of Colorado's past 10,000 years.

GOLDEN. Home to fifty models of old trains, the museum also houses the famed D&RG locomotive, the oldest working locomotive in Colorado.

DOWNTOWN. The Denver Art Museum is highly regarded for its collection of Native American art, which includes over 16,000 pieces from more than 100 tribes across the US. The seven-story contemporary building also houses impressive displays of Pre-Columbian and Central American art and textiles, a fascinating Asian collection, and a fine assortment of modern American and European paintings. The Architecture, Design and Graphics galleries are notable as well. In 2006, the Frederic C. Hamilton Building, a craggy structure of steel and glass designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, opened its doors across 13th Street from the original building. The building dramatically increases the museum's gallery and education space while redefining the Denver skyline.