66 MARCH 26-APRIL 1, 2026 westword.com WESTWORD | FOOD & DRINK | MUSIC & VENUES | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | SHOPPING & SERVICES | SPORTS & RECREATION | CONTENTS | Best Dino Discovery Denver Museum of Nature & Science 2001 Colorado Boulevard dmns.org Last summer, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science announced that it had found a di- nosaur fossil … 763 feet below the surface of its own parking lot. The partial bone fossil researchers unearthed is similar to the ver- tebrae of a Thescelosaurus, a plant-eating dinosaur that lived during the Cretaceous Period 67 million years ago. The fossil is the deepest and oldest dinosaur fossil ever found within Denver city limits, according to the DMNS. Why was the museum digging that deep? It was for a geothermal test drilling project to assess the viability of transition- ing from natural gas to geothermal energy. Best Place to Be Humbled and Inspired U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum 200 South Sierra Madre Street, Colorado Springs usopm.org While the Winter Games have ended, Olym- pic City, USA, keeps the fl ame alive. Colo- rado Springs recently took on the fl ashy title, though the country’s Olympic committee and several sports’ National Governing Bodies have been headquartered there for decades. It’s a fi tting location for the nation’s only U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum, which spot- lights many of the greatest athletes in Ameri- can history. Race Jesse Owens and other gold medalists on a digital running track, compare your leap to Bob Beamon’s record-breaking long jump, and marvel at many fascinating displays, including rare complete collections of Olympic medals and torches. Best Art Museum Collaboration Clyfford Still Museum 1250 Bannock Street clyffordstillmuseum.org The Clyfford Still Museum is known for preserving the legacy of one of abstract ex- pressionism’s most infl uential painters. With “Tell Clyfford, I Said ‘Hi,’” the museum ex- panded that mission by inviting youth from the Colville Confederated Tribes, ages three to fourteen, to co-curate an exhibition fea- turing artworks by their ancestors. Working with students from Nespelem School, Colville Head Start and Gathered Hearts Montessori, the exhibition links Still’s paintings of Colville ancestors and landscapes with contemporary perspectives from the same community. Some young curators even recognized relatives in the portraits, transforming a historic collec- tion into a living family archive. Best Colorado History Lesson History Colorado Tours & Treks 1200 Broadway historycolorado.org Expand your knowledge of our state’s his- tory with a day tour or an overnight trek offered by History Colorado. You can hop on a bus to check out the world foods of Aurora, or visit Denver breweries with Sam Bock, co-author of Brewed at Altitude: A Beer Lover’s History of Colorado. The 2026 roster also includes “Night Skies of the Ancients: Mesa Verde,” a four-day trip to discover how the night sky infl uenced the architecture of the Ancient Puebloans. Best Castle on the Prairie Cherokee Ranch & Castle 6113 North Daniels Park Road, Sedalia cherokeeranch.org Built on land that once held two homesteads, the castle commissioned by Tweet Kimball is an event and an educational center. It was built in the style of a 15th-century castle, and holds a collection of rare books, antiques and world-class art. The historic ranch grounds focus on wildlife preservation and environ- mental research. Both the indoor and outdoor spaces host cultural and scientifi c events as well as teas, weddings, wine tastings and brunches — we’ll never be royals, but we can at least drive Cadillacs in our dreams for a day. Best Facility Expansion Cleo Parker Robinson Dance 2025 Washington Street cleoparkerdance.org Fifty-fi ve-year-old Denver dance institu- tion Cleo Parker Robinson Dance has op- erated out of the Historic Shorter AME Church in Five Points since 1987, sharing the space with other local arts organizations that needed it. In recent years, space was starting to get tight, so CPRD underwent a state-of-the-art expansion of its facility that preserves the historic church, adding on another building with additional dance classrooms, offi ces and a new theater. The icing on the cake: the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Center for the Healing Arts has a spe- cial focus on therapeutic offerings. Best Buyback of a Building Dairy Arts Center 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder thedairy.org The Dairy Arts Center fi nally reclaimed the building that artists transformed more than three decades ago. The former Watts- Hardy Dairy processing plant, converted into a multidisciplinary arts hub in the early 1990s, was sold to the City of Boul- der in 2000 after the nonprofi t struggled with mortgage payments. For 25 years, the city owned the property while the Dairy continued running its theaters, galleries, studios and the Boedecker Cinema. In Au- gust 2025, Boulder City Council approved an $11.69 million deal returning ownership to the organization, which paid $1.5 million at closing. For the 100-plus arts groups and 200,000 annual visitors who rely on the Dairy, the buyback secures one of Boulder’s most vital creative spaces for the long haul. Best Win for the Lesbians The Pearl 2195 California Street thepearldenver.com When it was announced that Dom Garcia and Ashlee Cassity would be the new own- ers of the cultural landmark formerly known as the Mercury Cafe, and that it would now be called The Pearl due to previous owners shutting down the Mercury Cafe not only in business but in name, people were worried the establishment would lose what made it special. But Garcia and Cassity have not only upheld the aesthetic and events that Merc regulars loved, but they’ve also trans- formed it back into a welcoming community space for people of all walks of life, especially lesbians — who were defi nitely in need of a fresh space to gather for sapphic celebration. Best Former Denver Hot Spot Revived in Englewood Mutiny Comics 3483 South Broadway, Englewood mutinycomics.com Mutiny Comics and Coffee (formerly Mutiny Information Cafe) is becoming the center of a cultural renaissance in Englewood after its move south down Broadway from Denver at the end of 2024. Although Denver residents miss the store’s presence in Baker, it’s still a popular gathering place for music, com- ics, books, coffee, pastries, burritos, and more underground culture awareness (and awesomeness) than a Gen Xer could pretend not to care about. Keep an eye on Mutiny’s website for events — there’s almost always something going on. Best Place to Take a Kid in Denver 16th Street 16th Street Mall, Denver the16thstreetmall.com Westword staff writer Hannah Metzger brought her six-year-old niece to virtu- ally every age-appropriate attraction in the Denver metro area last summer. After spending weeks of time and hundreds of dollars exploring, her favorite place was … 16th Street. The mini play struc- tures recently added along the street kept her captivated for hours, including the Aspen tree bird nest, beehive, metal drum platforms and cowboy fi sh. Plus, the touchscreens on every block offered fun video games and selfi e photo ops. The revitalized corridor is once again an ideal place for free family fun — without even mentioning the numerous shops and restaurants at your disposal. Best Piece of the Denver Pavilions The United Artist Cinema 500 16th Street Unit 310 denverpavilions.com/store/regal- theaters/ The Denver Pavilions is hopeful for a re- naissance under its new ownership, but it wouldn’t be the same if it ever lost the Regal United Artists cinema. Sure, the escalators inside don’t work, and people don’t go to the movies like they did. But Denver would notice if the gray cylinder anchoring the Pavilions no longer said “United Artists,” even though the sign is already broken. The people with child- hood memories of checking the movies showing and the continued on page 70 A RT S & E N T E RTA I N M E N T ILLUSTRATIONS BY GETT Y IMAGES
