We had family in town in October, so we decided to check out the new U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum here in Colorado Springs. I had heard it was really state of the art. It definitely lived up to that reputation!
Getting Started at the Olympic Musem
We reserved timed tickets a few weeks before going. When we arrived, we were greeted outside by a friendly staff person. She took our temperature and gave us badges to wear and a stylus to use on the interactive touch screens.
Once inside, a staff person escorted us to a bank of computers where we could enter our names and email addresses and choose our favorite summer and winter Olympic sports. I was surprised to see a few like skateboarding, rock climbing, and surfing. Those were supposed to be added to the 2020 Olympics which was postponed because of the pandemic.
Our badges had RFID chips inside that caused computer screens to display our names when we approached. If we found something to be interesting, we could touch a button to save the information in our “digital locker.” When we got home, we each had an email with a link to our digital lockers. We could see the information we’d saved and the results of any hands-on activities we had done.
A staff person then explained to us that the museum is kind of like Ikea. We’d take an elevator in family groups up to the third floor and then spiral back down to the entrance. You descend on gradual ramps, not stairs, which makes it accessible to people with wheelchairs and strollers.
Things to See at the US Olympic and Paralympic Museum
- Hall of Fame athlete touch screens with pictures, information, and video clips of people like Muhammad Ali.
- A 40 foot LED mural on a wall in the foyer’s atrium that changes pictures.
- A display of every unique and artistic Olympic torch used since 1936 with touch screens to show you information about the artist, year, country that hosted, and videos of that torch being run in to light the cauldron.
- How cleats have evolved over time.
- Physical therapy equipment.
- All the Wheaties boxes that featured Olympic Athletes.
- Gear from real Games: track shoes, wheelchairs, ice skates, hockey pucks, snowboards, bobsleds, uniforms, and ice skating costumes are just a few examples.
- A 360 degree movie where you feel like you’re in the Parade of Nations.
- A gallery of Olympic-themed art.
- The real Miracle on Ice hockey scoreboard from 1980 when the U.S. beat the Soviet Union 4-3. My kids had seen the movie, so that was a fun item for them to see.
- Gold, silver, and bronze medals from the various Games over the years. Just like the torches, each was different, and it was fun to see the creativity in designs.
- A 10-minute, inspiring movie with highlights of various Team U.S.A. Olympic and Paralympic moments.
- A 3-minute medal ceremony film that is motion-activated after you leave the theater.
- The museum shop where even the mannequins were state of the art: they ran in place.
Things to Learn About
- The history of the Games, dating back to 776 BC in ancient Greece.
- How the Games are intertwined with history, politics, and culture (the Cold War, when Jesse Owens competed in racist Germany, when terrorists killed 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics, LGTBQ athletes, and civil rights issues)
- Various sports- some you may have never heard about (Did you know there used to be an event where people saw how far they could float in 60 seconds without using their arms or legs to propel them after diving into water? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plunge_for_distance).
- Scientific advancements that help athletes perform better and heal more quickly after injuries.
- How athlete’s lives have been affected by doping (either their own drug use or that of a competitor who took a higher place than them).
- The training the athletes go through.
- Inspiring stories of athletes’ personal setbacks but going on to victory and other poignant and memorable moments.
Things to Do
- Run a 30 meter straight away while a projection of an athlete of your choice, like Jesse Owens or a paralympic athlete, races along the wall next to you.
- Shoot an electronic arrow with a “bow.” Sensors tell where your arrow would have hit.
- Ski a course on a screen by steering ski poles in the ground that pivot.
- Steer a skeleton sled by leaning left and right with your chest on it while watching a video of the course.
- Save balls from entering a net by putting your hands up into whatever zone lights up on a screen.
- Sled hockey simulation.
- Ask athletes on two computer screens a question. They pre-recorded athletes answering 40 questions- even ones that middle school boys might dream up, like “What’s your favorite song?” You speak your question into a microphone, and artificial intelligence causes a video clip to come up with the athlete answering. It’s like you’re having a conversation with the athlete on the screen.
- Strike a pose of your choosing to be photographed and stylized to look like a LeRoy Neiman painting in the art gallery.
- Fill out a worksheet while touring that the museum provides with a clipboard if you’re with a school or homeschool group.
Helpful Tips
Our entire visit took exactly 2 hours. The staff person we talked to said the average visit is 1 hour and 41 minutes. If you have people in your party who like to reminisce about memorable moments in Olympic games of the past, you may want more time.
There is a Cafe, but we didn’t check it out.
Parking is $1.25/hour on the street or $15/day in the lot. We were able to park directly in front of the building. You can download the ParkMobile app to pay using Apple Pay or a credit card. You can watch how much time is left on your meter while still inside the museum and add money to it using the app.
Our Overall Impressions
We felt like the museum was an impressive building with amazing technology and interesting artifacts. The kids especially enjoyed the hands-on activities. They weren’t interested in interacting with every informational touch screen to learn about various athletes they’d never heard of or moments in history they weren’t alive for. They liked the movies and seeing the torches and medals.
We thought it was pricey for a short experience, but I understand why it cost that much now that I have seen how much impressive technology they have put into it. One touch screen was on clear glass that you could see through like a window. But if you held your palm in front of the glass, it would come to life with video footage. It reminded me of something out of a sci-fi movie. Please let your teacher friends know they had a teacher appreciation day in October where teachers could get in free with their i.d. badge.
It is a big building, considering they are displaying small items like medals, shoes, helmets, etc., but it’s laid out really well and doesn’t feel cavernous. It’s nice to spiral down the levels with enough space to not feel claustrophobic. I think adults who have watched the Olympics their whole lives could easily spend 2-3 hours here and enjoy the experience. If you have children, you’ll need to assess how easily-bored they get in order to predict whether they would enjoy it, too.
Here is a great overview video from their website:
For more information and to plan your visit, please go to the Museum’s website.
