7 Main Streets Where Colorado Comes Alive
Colorado, a state in the western US, is a great travel destination for its array of different landscapes, such as the imposing Rocky Mountain range and its impressive four national parks. It is a treasured destination for people who love skiing and snowboarding, as the state is home to multiple world-renowned resorts and enormous snowy peaks. Culturally, Colorado is also unique, as it is deeply connected to Native American history and early American exploration, especially the infamous Gold Rush. The state is known for its vibrant cities and small towns, with unique attractions and thriving live music and craft beer scenes. These are the seven Main Streets where Colorado truly comes to life.
Golden
A mid-sized city of around 20,000 residents, Golden is only around 12 miles from the capital city of Denver. It also sits near the base of Lookout Mountain, a noteworthy peak of the Rockies where the infamous Buffalo Bill Cody is buried. Golden is also known for being the former territorial capital of Colorado, and for being the birthplace of a delicious sour candy you might recognize, the Jolly Rancher. It is a great place for both outdoor activities and spending time in its exciting downtown strip, which runs mainly along 12th Street.
One such great outdoor recreation wonderland is Golden Gate Canyon State Park, which offers multiple camping locations, some with amenities like restrooms and RV hookups, and others more like backpacking sites. The park also has over 30 miles of multi-use trails, all of which lead to stunning scenic locations.
If you would rather visit an indoor attraction, a trip to Golden is not complete without a trip to the Coors Brewery Tour, where you can go on a guided exploration of the well-known brewery, enjoy beer tastings, and visit the gift shop to buy some merchandise. For a slightly more kid-friendly activity, the Colorado Railroad Museum is always a hit. They offer plenty of educational exhibits, many of which are interactive, and of course, train rides!
Manitou Springs
Located at the foot of Pikes Peak, a massive Rocky Mountain summit 14 feet high, which is very popular amongst mountain climbers and adventurous hikers with lots of experience, is Manitou Springs. The town is also known for its namesake natural mineral-rich springs, which are so accessible that the downtown area actually has scattered natural spring water fountains the public can drink from, including two on the town's main drag, Manitou Avenue.
Despite being a popular tourist attraction, Manitou Springs has only 4,000 residents year-round, maintaining a charming small-town feel. Its main street, the aforementioned Manitou Avenue, is a quaint area with historic architecture, namely from the late 1800s and early 1900s, and lots of local businesses, many of which focus on art.
Some of those include galleries like Manitou Art Center and Green Horse Gallery, both of which are on Manitou Avenue. The former has three galleries and is also home to a creator space where patrons can get hands-on and make their own unique pieces, and the latter focuses on local artists, displaying and selling a variety of wares, including pottery and fine crafts. If art is not your thing, Manitou Springs is a great place to find something to eat as well. Check out the highly rated Manitou Brewing Company right downtown, and be sure to enjoy a locally crafted beer with your dinner for the full Colorado experience.
Estes Park
Sitting at the eastern edge of Rocky Mountain National Park is the small town of Estes Park, which is only home to 5,000 permanent residents but gets a lot of tourist traffic annually. Many people come to visit the renowned national park. It is an excellent place to go hiking, especially on popular trails like the Bear Lake Loop, which actually leads you to multiple lakes, and the Alberta Falls trail, which goes to a gorgeous waterfall. The park is also known for its horseback riding and fishing opportunities and for its incredible Trail Ridge Road. This scenic drive is the highest-altitude paved road in the country, and offers breathtaking views, especially at night if you like stargazing.
People might come to Estes Park for the national park, but they often stay for the town. The downtown area, mostly concentrated around the bustling main streets of Moraine Avenue and Elkhorn Avenue, where cute mountain town shops and restaurants line the streets and give Estes Park a fun, quaint feeling that really draws you in. Some popular spots to visit include Big Horn Restaurant, which has been a breakfast staple in town since the early 1970s, and Cascades Restaurant and Lounge, a fine dining establishment with incredible waterfall views from its outdoor patio. The latter also happens to be located within another must-see attraction in Estes Park, the Stanley Hotel, which is famous for being featured in the cult classic horror film The Shining, written by none other than Stephen King.
Telluride
A tiny town with just under 3,000 residents, Telluride sits at a high altitude within the San Juan Mountains. The Telluride Ski Resort is a world-renowned resort popular with people who enjoy all types of winter sports, including skiing, of course, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and even sleigh rides. The town traditionally experiences a pretty long winter, from December to March at least, and is known to get very heavy snowfall due to its mountain location, perfect for all of the aforementioned snow sports.
Downtown Telluride is also very unique. It was originally a mining town in the 1800s, and many of those original buildings remain intact today, mostly concentrated along the town's main street, Colorado Avenue. There are very few chain restaurants or shops there, only local boutiques, cafes, and entertainment venues. Two of the latter are some of the town's most interesting attractions: the Ah Haa School for the Arts, which displays locally curated and crafted exhibits and offers educational courses for all ages, and the Sheridan Opera House, which was once a vaudeville theater in the early 1900s. It now hosts live music, theatrical performances, and other modern acts.
Breckenridge
Another small ski resort town, Breckenridge, is located in the Rockies, just over an hour west of Denver. Like its predecessor on this list, this mountain town sits at a very high altitude of over 9,000 feet. It was also a mining town originally, and it maintains much of its original Gold Rush Era architecture, making its downtown, concentrated around Main Street, very charming and with a historic feel. Its namesake resort, Breckenridge Ski Resort, has five huge peaks, over 180 runs, and terrain for every skill level from those learning to experts in snow sports.
Needless to say, many of the attractions here are outdoors, like hiking up to the Sapphire Peak Overlook in the fall for some truly awe-inspiring views, or enjoying winter sports. However, plenty of indoor entertainment can be found year-round on Breckenridge's Main Street. Some popular places include the Breckenridge Distillery, known as "the world's highest distillery," offering tours, tastings and a storefront to purchase some delicious beverages. Another spot, this one for food, is Downstairs at Eric's, right on Main Street, which has over seven thousand overwhelmingly positive reviews online. It is a sports bar with a huge tap list, large portions and reasonable prices.
Crested Butte
The little village of Crested Butte is named after the mountain of the same title since it sits at the base of the peak. Like many others on the list today, this town is a ski resort town, nestled in the Elk Mountains range. It was also once a mining town, and maintains that historic early 1800s charm, much like Breckenridge and Telluride. Still, it is unique for its vibrant wildflowers in the spring and summer, and is known as the "Wildflower Capital of Colorado."
Crested Butte is well known for its stunning mountain landscapes and for being a great place to ski, but it is also a popular mountain biking destination. It boasts over 700 miles of biking trails, with a couple of the popular ones being Doctor Park, noteworthy for its downhill slopes that make it challenging and engaging, and the Teocalli Trail, which has incredible views at the top of its steep incline.
Of course, Crested Butte has a beautiful little main street called Elk Avenue, where its brightly colored buildings and historic imagery attract residents and visitors alike, causing the area to stay busy and vibrant all year round. There are plenty of attractions there, and a couple of local favorites are Eldo Brewery, for experiencing the town's hopping bar scene, and Crested Butte Fine Art Gallery, to dive into this mining town's thriving creative arts district. These places and more can be found on Elk Avenue.
Steamboat Springs
A slightly larger town than others on this list, with 13,000residents, Steamboat Springs lies in northwestern Colorado and is popular with tourists for its picturesque Old World charm. Its main street, Lincoln Avenue, is truly dreamy with plenty of walkability and entertainment lining the sidewalks. The town is also known for its trademark hot springs, which are easily accessible right downtown in the Old Town Hot Springs recreation center, conveniently located on Lincoln Avenue. This incredible place has a water park with temperature-controlled spring water, a climbing wall, and even a fitness center, and offers multiple types of visitor passes, including daily and yearly.
Downtown Steamboat Springs also offers an amazing botanical city park, called Yampa River Botanic Park, which offers walking trails, gorgeous scenery, and even weekly free concerts in the summer. If you like art, this town has a quality place for that too, at the Steamboat Art Museum, which is in a historic former bank, and has many exhibits, mainly focusing on local artists from the town and greater Colorado. If you are a ski enthusiast, Steamboat Ski Resort is perfect for that, and is billed as a family-friendly resort with trails for all experience levels.
Colorado is the perfect place to visit if you love winter sports. It is packed with many charming small towns that boast ski resorts, stunning mountain peaks and slopes, and cute little main streets with plenty to do and places to stay. Telluride, Crested Butte, or Breckenridge would be perfect places if you are looking for a historic main drag through a quaint mining town. If you prefer more big attractions over old village vibes, Golden or Steamboat Springs would be excellent vacation choices. No matter what you are looking for, Colorado's small towns and lovely main streets have it all and then some.
