Globeology 3D 

The Wildlife Experience Museum proved it knows how to keep up with the Joneses this year, with the May opening of Globeology, a new 30,000-square-foot permanent interactive exhibit that provides a virtual trip around the natural world. Along the way, visitors will encounter lifelike animatronic wildlife from eight unique and diverse biomes, including rainforest, temperate forest, tundra, desert, Asian highlands, savanna and coral reef, while learning facts through educational touch screens and trivia games.

The gigantic exhibit, two years in the making, was designed with families in mind and provides an across-the-board sense of wonder at every turn through displays that incorporate everything from a seventeen-foot waterfall to a realistic re-creation of the Aurora Borealis or the inside of a cave. If you’re cutting out travel this summer, Globeology provides the perfect opportunity to pile the kids in the car and head south for an afternoon excursion around the globe. While you’re there, you can take in the concurrent wildlife art exhibits, the Wild Colorado display, kids’ activity areas and other attractions.

The Wildlife Experience, at 10035 South Peoria Street in Parker, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Mondays; admission ranges from $6 to $9 or $8 to $13 for a combo that includes entry to the Extreme Screen theater. For information, go to www.thewildlifeexperience.org or call 720-488-3300. — By Susan Froyd

Price: $9-$13 with 3D upgrade, museum/Extreme Screen theater combination tickets also available