Entry No. 70 — the Denver file — filed under: history
Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls & Toys
The cutesy name undersells it: this is a serious collection of 20,000+ objects dating back to the 1680s, crammed into a small Lakewood building after the museum left its historic Capitol Hill cottage in 2020. The crown jewel is Miss Yokohama, one of only 58 Japanese Friendship Dolls sent to the U.S. in 1927, most of which are now lost. Antique dollhouses, working miniatures, and tin toys fill the rest. It's the kind of place even longtime locals didn't know existed.
The move: Slow-walk the miniature rooms together and pick which tiny house you'd move into, then track down Miss Yokohama and read up on how she survived nearly a century.
📍 Before you go The museum sits on a busy commercial stretch of Kipling St in Lakewood, on the east side just past a car wash — note that GPS often misroutes you to 8th Ave behind that car wash, so look for the traffic light near 8th Pl and turn east directly into the lot (there's overflow parking in back if the front fills). It's a small building, ADA accessible, with a gift shop, so a thorough visit runs short rather than all-day. Open only a few days a week, mostly weekends, and closed major holidays — confirm the day's schedule before driving out. Pair it with a walk at Crown Hill Park a few miles north up Kipling, or food and shops at Belmar over toward Wadsworth.
- 📍 Lakewood
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 830 Kipling St, Lakewood, CO 80215 (just east of the Kipling St & 8th Pl stoplight)
Hours: Fri & Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 1-4pm; last entry 3pm. ~$5 adult. Closed major holidays.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: dmmdt.org · Yelp · Westword
last checked: 2026-06-07