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.
Sensory supports. A Sensory Guide, two named quiet spots and the quietest hours, in its own words.
Hours
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 (announced ahead). 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.”
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.
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.
The venue doesn't list sensory kits or headphones. Bring your own.
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 (staffed Monday 9 to 11:30 am, Tuesday to Friday 9 am to 3 pm) or, at other times, at the security window behind it.
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.
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, a school visit and Super Science Saturday (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, not on holidays. On weekends, bring your own or call 303-497-2401 on a weekday to ask.
