Rachel Petty first met the members of her Girl Scout troop at school.

Five years later, the 9-year-old was one of thousands celebrating the opening of the Denver DreamLab, a brand new effort by the Girl Scouts of America to improve accessibility to the 111-year-old organization. 

The Denver DreamLab at 63 N. Quebec St. is the first of three similar locations nationwide designed to elevate the Girl Scout experience, especially among those who are new or unfamiliar with the organization.

Girl Scouts of Colorado receives $2.8 million donation

The new physical location gives Girl Scouts a designated place to gather, said Girl Scouts of Colorado CEO Leanna Clark.

“Girl Scouts happens at the troop level, so girls are meeting in church basements and libraries, which is great. But those are harder to find and they’re not designed for our girls,” she said. “This space is designed for and by girls to be exactly what we need to deliver Girl Scout programming.” 

Denver’s DreamLab has a number of amenities. There is a bouldering wall, a podcast studio, a faux camp fire with a tent and a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) space. 

The allure of a rock wall is hard to ignore, and Petty is excited about it, but she said she was having trouble choosing between the rock wall, boutique store and the STEM area.

The STEM area does have one significant advantage over the boutique and rock wall: Slime making. 

While the slime excited Petty, she also looked forward to what the DreamLab will mean in the future.

“I’m very excited because it’ll give girls an opportunity to just be themselves, even the girls who aren’t in the Girl Scouts,” she said. 

Petty, a member of Colorado Springs Troop 47180, said she’d “probably” try to get some of her friends to go to the DreamLab. 

The Girl Scouts chose Colorado as the first DreamLab location due to the various ways troops in the state were thinking about bringing in new scouts.

DreamLabs in New Jersey and Louisiana will open during the summer, with five more opening nationwide. More will come to Colorado eventually, Clark said. 

“(DreamLabs are) physical places for girls to come and experience everything that has to do with Girl Scouts. So, trying new things and making friends, learning and exploring in a safe environment,” Clark said.

The Denver DreamLab’s opening was punctuated with Gov. Jared Polis declaring the day “Girl Scout Dream Day.” It also opened in the midst of Women’s History Month, and four days after International Women’s Day. 

Clark encouraged families living nearby to drop in and check out the DreamLab, but also consider asking their girls to join. The physical location of the Girl Scout’s DreamLab offers great opportunities for community engagement, Clark said. 

“We want to be a member of the community and a good neighbor,” Clark said. “We’re going to do family fun days once a month and we’re open to families and all other kids stopping in at that time.”

Sunday was the last day to buy Girl Scout cookies, and there was a stand in front of the DreamLab.