Entry No. 63 — the Denver file — filed under: art
Spectra Art Space
A women-run gallery on a nondescript stretch of South Broadway that builds two completely different walk-through immersive worlds a year — hand-made, full of hidden compartments and 'secrets around every corner,' with none of the corporate gloss of Meow Wolf. There's also a monthly-rotating gallery wall up front for local artists. The current builds rotate (recent ones have leaned eco-themed and 'Spookadelia' spooky), so what you walk into shifts with the season. From the sidewalk it reads as a closed storefront; inside it's a hand-built universe.
The story
From the sidewalk at 1836 South Broadway, you’d be forgiven for assuming the venue is closed. But step past the front gallery wall—where founder Sadie Young showcases rotating, accessible work by local artists—and part the curtain in the back. What lies behind is an unvarnished, hand-built universe constructed by local Colorado artists rather than corporate boardrooms. Young took over the lease in 2015 after an earlier cannabis-gallery concept sputtered out, rebranding the space in 2017 before stumbling onto a game-changer in October 2019: a DIY, low-budget Halloween walkthrough called Spookadelia.
That original haunted installation turned the gallery into Denver’s scrappy, anti-corporate foil to Meow Wolf. Working alongside her husband Alex Clifford and lead artist Douglas A. Schenk (DAS), Young locked in a rhythm of two distinct world-builds per year. Summers bring Novo Ita, an eco-focused solar-punk realm built with real plants, AR spirit guides, and botanical lore. Autumns flip to Spookadelia, a dive through Jungian dreamscapes and psychedelic kitsch. Every room, passageway, and back-patio structure is loaded with tactile wooden compartments, hidden doors, and physical puzzles.
What it's like
Arrive at the quiet storefront on SoBo's antique strip, where street parking is generally easy to snag on Broadway or the adjacent side blocks. A staff member hands you a paper slip detailing the world's lore alongside instructions for an optional augmented-reality scavenger hunt—so bring a fully charged smartphone. You’ll spend about an hour to ninety minutes pushing through indoor nooks and the backyard space, solving physical lock-and-key puzzles and hunting hidden doors. It’s significantly smaller and less congested than commercial mega-immersives, but entries are strictly timed and ticketed, and the gallery closes on Tuesdays for private events, so book your slot online before heading over.
The move: Buy timed tickets to whatever immersive installation is currently up, then take your time hunting the hidden tactile puzzles and AR bits together — it's interactive enough to break the ice and weird enough to keep you talking after.
📍 Before you go It sits at 1836 S Broadway on the SoBo strip south of Baker, the stretch lined with vintage and antique shops — easy to walk right past, since the unassuming storefront reads as closed from the sidewalk; the immersive world is all inside, so trust the address and go in. Free street parking is usually findable along Broadway and the side streets. The big walk-through installations are timed and ticketed and only change a couple of times a year, so book a slot ahead and check which build is currently up (eco- and spooky-themed runs have rotated through) — hours shift seasonally, so confirm before heading over. Pair it with browsing the antique row or grabbing food and drinks nearby on South Broadway.
- 📍 Baker / South Broadway (technically Overland/SoBo at 1836 S Broadway)
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1836 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80210 (South Broadway / SoBo)
Hours: Roughly Mon 11a-9p, closed Tue, Wed-Thu 11a-9p, Fri-Sat 11a-10p, Sun 11a-9p; immersive installations are timed/ticketed and rotate (~two new builds per year), so confirm the current show and entry times on spectraartspace.com before going.
Pair it with
- HORRID — Pair Spectra's hand-built walkthroughs with HORRID two blocks down S. Acoma for a full dose of independent horror art and oddities.
- Fifty-Two 80s: A Totally Awesome Shop — Combine Spectra's interactive art worlds with a stop at this 900-square-foot shop packed with over 6,000 vintage pop-culture relics.
- The Oddemporium — Walk four blocks up Antique Row from Spectra to swap tactile art puzzles for floor-to-ceiling medical oddities and antique taxidermy.
- The Sexploratorium — Follow up your interactive gallery trip with a stop at Denver's only hands-on sex-education museum right on South Broadway.
Good to know
How often do the immersive exhibits change?
Spectra builds two completely original immersive installations per year, typically rotating between an eco-botanical solar-punk world (Novo Ita) in the summer and a psychedelic horror theme (Spookadelia) starting in the fall.
Do I need a smartphone for the visit?
You don't strictly need one to appreciate the physical art and tactile puzzles, but bringing at least one charged smartphone per group is required if you want to run the augmented-reality scavenger hunt and scan lore QR codes.
Is Spectra Art Space family-friendly and accessible?
Yes, the exhibits are designed for all ages and over 90% ADA accessible across the indoor rooms and outdoor yard, though a few elevated playhouse structures are only viewable from the ground.
Do I need to buy tickets in advance?
Yes, entry to the walkthrough installations is timed and ticketed, and entry slots regularly sell out, so booking ahead on spectraartspace.com is essential.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Westword · 303magazine.com · Reddit
last checked: 2026-06-07