These Towns in Colorado Have the Best Main Streets
Main Streets foster the lost art of the stroll. Too many cities are ceding their home-grown businesses, green spaces, and public parks to the design of corporate sprawl. The age of social media and the accessibility of photography has awoken America to its lost picturesque assets. Do not worry: the Centennial State has everyone covered. It is time to escape to Colorful Colorado’s unmatchable small towns, where each Main Street has its own story to get lost in.
Crested Butte
Welcome to Elk Avenue. Crested Butte’s main street defies every expectation set by cookie-cutter main streets across the US. Do not expect to find many chain stores or restaurants. Fall in love with the idiosyncratic commercial sights of Crested Butte that punctuate the crisp mountain air. Let the outdoors spark adrenaline with the help of Wheelies and Waves Adventure Company. Wheelies and Waves rents out bicycles, kayaks, and tubes for aquatic excitement. Crested Butte Nordic is the center of Nordic-style outdoor sports in America. Enjoy free ice skating, top-notch skiing, and breathtaking snow-shoe trails.
Trinidad
Corazon de Trinidad fills the hearts of travelers who are weary of the typical. It is the official name of the downtown area’s creative district, which includes Main Street and Commercial Street. The area is also considered a certified Colorado Creative District. Trinidad’s First National Bank building is decorated with a blue and red light-up sign one might find on a classic movie theater. The town is three hours south of Denver and just barely north of the New Mexico border. The historic gardens that overlook the Mountain Route of the Santa Fe Trail are a feast for the eyes.
Telluride
Telluride is a well-known ski town in the San Juan mountains. Saunter hand in hand with a loved one down Colorado Avenue, with the god-like Ajax Peak watching from on high. Trade views with Ajax by embarking on a 12-minute gondola ride between Telluride and Mountain Village. The gondola is always free and runs from 6:30 am to midnight, with hours extended to 2 am on winter weekends. For the adventurous, Alta is a ghost town that can be explored via a half-mile, out-and-back trail. Telluride Town Park is spilling over with amenities and is frequently the locus of special events put on by the town.
Niwot
Niwot is a historic small town that is only a short drive from Boulder. The town was established in 1875, and Niwot residents have luxuriated in their lovely spot in the Front Range mountains ever since. Explore Franklin Street, Niwot’s main street, where one-of-a-kind shops, restaurants, and experiences await. Visitors can rest their weary feet on a piece of art thanks to Niwot’s Left Hand Chair Project artist series. Many who have been inspired by the town’s unparalleled natural beauty have dedicated their lives to making art in Niwot.
Littleton
Travel just south of Denver to experience a town that wields over 130 years of history. Littleton has an elegant main drag along Main Street West from Santa Fe Drive to Rio Grande Street. The best way to explore downtown Littleton is a town-organized art walk that runs from 6 pm to 9 pm every first Friday of the month. Theatergoers can plan a trip to Littleton around the Town Hall Arts Center’s staging of Raisin, based on Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. The performing arts space was once Littleton’s town hall and has providing live entertainment to Coloradans for over 30 years.
Silverton
If a drive along the vividly gorgeous Million Dollar Highway is not enough, pull off into the wonderous town of Silverton for a spell. Tourists can be forgiven for feeling transported back into the days of the Wild West. The Victorian architecture along Greene Street has been integrated into the town’s contemporary plans with every generation. Visitors can sleep in history at the Grand Imperial Hotel, built in 1883. Do not leave town without sampling a Mexican funnel cake from the Rocky Mountain Funnel Cake Factory. Stop into Avalanche Brewing Company for a taste of their Main Squeeze Blood Orange Pale Ale.
Breckenridge
Enjoy the woosh of the water that feeds Breckenridge at easy speeds on the Blue River Bikeway. The town’s Main Street and historic district has over 200 historic buildings that have been preserved from its mining boomtown era when the Victorian aesthetic encapsulated the hopes and dreams of every citizen. Stop into the Welcome Center to book a tour of Breckenridge. The Breckenridge Ski Resort has five mountain peaks, 2,908 acres of skiing, and 187 trails to explore. Bring a camera to Sapphire Point Overlook before skipping town. The view is famous for grabbing attention on social media.
Colorado’s Main Streets are beautiful because dedicated people keep them that way. Spread kindness while traveling by picking up found trash. Report sightings of invasive plant and insect species to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department. Consider supporting the Arapaho and Cheyenne nations as they were forced out of Colorado following several acts of aggressive expansion, such as the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864.
