CSU Spur is a Colorado State University offering that connects with PreK-12 students, elevates research, and provides services to the community. It’s an educational destination in Denver, free and open to the public year-round. It’s a field trip destination for students, a place for families to spend an inspiring afternoon, a place for professionals to find the perfect inspiration and a spot to meet, and a place to engage learners of all ages.

CSU Spur is here to bring all the amazing research, science, and ideas in higher education to the public. There is something for everyone!

CSU Spur’s K-12 programs inspire youth to tackle real-world problems through hands-on, experiential education. Rotating programs connect children to scientists, researchers, veterinary experts, and faculty through live demonstrations, hands-on experiments, and interactive experiences. CSU Spur also offers a growing array of virtual programming to connect learners to scientists, researchers, and experts across Colorado.

All CSU Spur education programs are FREE to school groups, field trips, after-school programs, summer camps, and individuals and families looking for a more “self-guided” experience. Bus reimbursement is available for qualifying schools.

Visit the school programs page to learn more and make a reservation.

Yes! Whether you’re throwing a large reception, hosting a conference, or just need a space to whiteboard some ideas with colleagues, CSU Spur has a space for you. Check out all available spaces for rent, including room capacity, available technology, and associated costs. When you are ready to book, please submit an event space request.

No, you do not need a reservation to visit CSU Spur. CSU Spur is free and open to the public year-round for all individuals, families, and small groups.

Reservations are required for large school groups. Educators can bring groups of up to 20 students to Spur for a self-guided tour any time during open hours, but please be mindful that if you are planning a self-guided field trip without a reservation, some program areas may be closed for registered groups. More information about reservations for school groups can be found on the school programs page.

While CSU Spur is a non-degree-granting campus, CSU and CSU Online offer undergraduate, graduate, and certificate-level courses hosted at CSU Spur. CSU Spur also hosts lifelong learning opportunities, cooking classes, and K-12 programming. And CSU Spur Start is a new program offering Denver-based students an opportunity to complete the first year of their CSU education at the CSU Spur campus before transferring to CSU Fort Collins as a sophomore.

Humane Colorado operates the veterinary hospital inside CSU Spur. They can be reached at 303-722-5800 or [email protected].

CSU Spur is committed to creating welcoming and accessible environments for all guests. The following services are available at CSU Spur:

  • Eight ADA parking spaces are available in the main parking lot north of the Vida building. Closer parking arrangements can be made in advance of your visit by contacting CSU Spur at 970-297-4321 or [email protected].
  • Accessible seating is available in common areas and incorporated into room configurations for events. In the theater, seating is provided at the bottom of the bleachers in lecture configuration. In conference rooms, there is space at the end of the table, or chairs may be removed.
  • Assisted listening devices are available upon request for events in classrooms and the Confluence Theater. Please provide five (5) working days’ notice to utilize these devices.
  • Lactation rooms/mothers’ spaces are on the second floor of Vida and on the second and third floors of Hydro. A code to access the rooms can be obtained from the front desk.
  • Restrooms are accessible. Family restrooms are located on every floor.
  • A limited number of wheelchairs are available upon request for guest use. The wheelchairs may not leave CSU Spur. Guests may request a wheelchair at the front desk.
  • A sensory room is located on the first floor of the Hydro building, and sensory backpacks are available for checkout from each building’s front desk.
  • All three buildings have elevator access.

CSU Spur can provide referrals upon request to resources in the local community, such as high-quality transcription, ASL interpreters, and translation services.

The restoration of the South Platte River, which flows adjacent to the CSU Spur campus, is a key component of the National Western Center campus.

The Backyard at Hydro showcases watersheds of Colorado through its landscaping, and the outdoor space connects to the South Platte River, allowing students to take river samples as part of their educational experience. The river activation plan is underway and may include bike and walking paths, native landscaping, artwork, and educational components.

The National Western Center formed when several partners came together to make sure that the National Western Stock Show event stayed in Denver. To make this happen, the City & County of Denver proposed redeveloping the Stock Show site into a year-round destination and bringing in a variety of partners to make that happen.

As Colorado’s land-grant institution, CSU was founded to ensure that university-generated knowledge was shared for the public good. CSU joined the National Western Center project as the educational anchor — to enhance educational access to the public, share educational opportunities more broadly, and inspire the next generation — and gained support from the Colorado legislature to build three buildings focused on public access to education and research on pressing world issues.

Colorado State University System, City and County of Denver, Western Stock Show Association, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and History Colorado are the five founding partners of the National Western Center redevelopment. These five organizations started working together in 2013 to reimagine what the National Western Center could become, how to create a site that supported the Stock Show long-term, and how it could become a year-round destination.

CSU is a natural fit with the National Western Center due to its long history with the National Western Stock Show, as well as its educational expertise and innovation in the areas of water, food, health, veterinary medicine, and sustainability.

In 2015, the Colorado legislature provided $200 million in state funding for CSU to build three facilities at the National Western Center: Vida, Terra, and Hydro. Another $50 million was allocated for the construction of complementary and support facilities on the CSU campus in Fort Collins: the Health Education Outreach Center, Translational Medicine Institute, and Equine Vet Teaching Hospital.

CSU is actively seeking strategic partnerships for the CSU Spur campus. Community is core to CSU Spur, which is committed to educational access and meaningful community engagement. CSU has committed to an Anchor Institution framework at CSU Spur and is working with schools and nonprofits in the surrounding communities to provide academic and economic opportunities through the CSU Spur campus.

CSU Spur has a long-standing commitment to the neighborhoods and organizations in the areas surrounding its campus and is committed to being a good neighbor. The University has developed more than 15 partnerships with local organizations and schools and has taken the approach of getting to know – and listening to – the community, supporting the multitude of assets in the community.

Denver Water and Humane Colorado have become major programmatic partners within the CSU buildings, and Together We Grow, the North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN), and the Salazar Center for North American Conservation are headquartered at CSU Spur. Partners are added regularly to CSU Spur’s efforts, as well as the larger National Western Center redevelopment.

The CSU Spur Scholarship reflects the commitment that CSU has to the neighboring communities of Globeville and Elyria-Swansea, as any first-time student from the 80216 zip code is eligible for the need-based scholarship of up to $10,000 ($2,500/year) for four years to any of the CSU System colleges: CSU Fort Collins, CSU Pueblo, or CSU Global.

No. As a public institution, CSU cannot compete with outside entities. All of the services provided at CSU Spur will be delivered in collaboration with professional and/or nonprofit groups.

National Western Stock Show: The annual event that brings together agricultural interests and ~700,000 attendees from around the world. The event has happened in Denver since 1906, and when the event organizers were considering moving it away from Denver due to aging facilities, the city got together with Stock Show, CSU System, History Colorado, and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to reimagine the space and create a plan for the National Western Center to keep the Stock Show on the historic site for the next 100 years, while also creating a year-round Denver destination.

National Western Center: The redevelopment project is a 250-acre site called the National Western Center; it hosts the National Western Stock Show each year and will be a year-round destination for concerts, conferences, farmers markets, and more. The National Western Center staff will program the events on the campus (~2.2 million square feet of space), except for CSU Spur’s three buildings.

CSU Spur: The educational anchor within the National Western Center destination; CSU Spur is a non-degree-granting campus focused on bringing experiential education to the public in its three buildings. CSU Spur focuses on research and innovation and puts everything “on display” to inspire the next generation to learn about food, water, and health, and consider career pathways in those fields.

Sign up for the CSU Spur newsletter, follow @CSUSpur on social media, and visit us in person!

To learn more about the larger National Western Center campus, view the NWC master plan or visit the NWC website.

Please email [email protected] with any questions or feedback about the CSU Spur campus.