Mesa Verde Museum

Mesa Verde Museum

NPS

 

The Mesa Verde Museum is one of the oldest in the National Park Service. Constructed between 1922-25, it replaced a log cabin that had exhibited cultural items since 1917.

The musem was built using Cliff House Sandstone, the same stone used by the Ancestral Pueblo people to construct nearby Spruce Tree House and other cliff dwellings, in an architectural style known as Modified Pueblo Revival, which was inspired by the architecture of Mesa Verde's descendant communities. Today, the Museum is part of the Mesa Verde Administrative District National Historic Landmark.

Mesa Verde National Park is currently in the process of a multi-year collaborative project to comprehensively redesign the museum exhibits. Read more about this project at Museum Renovations.

 

Location

The museum is located on Chapin Mesa, 20 miles from the park entrance.

Exhibits

Galleries of cultural objects including Ancestral Pueblo ceramics, mugs, jewlery, and sandals provide insight into what life was like at Mesa Verde.

Special Programs

The park film, "Footsteps of Our Ancestors," is shown in the museum's theater on the hour and half hour.

Other Available Facilities

• Bookstore, water, restrooms, snack bar, gift shop, and post office are located near the museum.
• View Spruce Tree House, the third-largest and-best preserved cliff dwelling, from overlooks nearby.

Museum Hours

For current hours of operation, please visit Hours of Operation.

The museum is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Year's Day.