This Colorado Town Has The Most Walkable Downtown
Somewhere halfway between Denver and Santa Fe, Trinidad has a downtown forged by historical landmarks like the Trinidad History Museum, which takes up an entire city block, a thriving arts scene supported by galleries such as Corazon Gallery, and green spaces on the banks of the Purgatoire River like City Park. Trinidad has managed to incorporate an appealing blend into its downtown area. But do not worry. Even though Trinidad is rooted at the edge of the Rocky Mountains, you don’t need hiking boots to get around. The top spots to visit in town are all within walking distance of each other.
Downtown Green Spaces
The Purgatoire River winds through Trinidad, and you can wind along with it on the Purgatoire Riverwalk. The 3.7-mile paved trail follows mostly flat terrain along the banks of the river to the Jay Cimino Downtown Park.
The park is located on Modica Drive and is fully equipped with a playground, picnic areas, a water fountain, and ball courts. It also hosts the Trinidad Community Farmers Market each year between June and September. As well as a marketplace selling fresh produce and handmade items, the vendors also sell artisan foods and drinks, which are perfect for grabbing on the go before you leave the market and head down North Convent Street and turn on downtown Trinidad’s Main Street.
El Corazón de Trinidad Historic District
Once you are on Main Street, step into Trinidad’s past and visit the Trinidad History Museum in the El Corazón de Trinidad Historic District. The museum’s complex spans an entire block on Main Street and contains two historic homes, heritage gardens, and the Santa Fe Trail Museum.
The Bacca House was built in 1873 and inhabited by some of Trinidad’s earliest settlers in the 1930s, and is furnished with textiles, furnishings, and photographs reminiscent of that period. The Bloom Mansion was built in 1882 and is a Victorian-era mansion that incorporates Second Empire architecture into its design, which has been preserved to this day.
The Baca-Bloom Heritage Garden is on the grounds outside these two homes. It is planted with Victorian roses, cacti, and native grasses. Also on site is the Santa Fe Trail Museum, which houses a collection of buckskin coats, old photographs, and historic artefacts related to the Santa Fe Trail.
Arts and Museums on Main Street
Main Street is not only convenient for viewing Trinidad’s preserved architecture and learning about its history, but it is also a convenient location for soaking up the arts. The Corazon Gallery displays the works of more than a dozen artists whose works range from painting, photography, jewelry, and sculpture.
The A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art is across the street from the Corazon Gallery. The museum celebrates the works and life of Trinidad-native Arthur Roy Mitchell. The museum showcases a collection of over 350 of Mitchell’s paintings, illustrations, and sketches. Other displays include exhibits on Spanish folk art and Native American artwork.
Further down Main Street, the Miners Museum teaches visitors how mining shaped southeast Colorado through history and art. The museum houses a painting collection remembering the Ludlow Massacre as well as two sculptures outside, which commemorate the memories of miners who were active in the region between 1860 and 1947. One of the sculptures depicts a canary in a cage, and the other one depicts miners at work.
Downtown Dining
No downtown would be complete without ample places to get something to eat or drink after you have seen all the sights. For coffee and light snacks, Perkatory Coffee House specializes in freshly brewed espresso drinks sourced from locally roasted coffee in Colorado. They also have an ever-expanding array of sweet and savory baked goods, burritos, and soups.
For a filling lunch to fuel you up after you have done a round of Trinidad’s most popular spots, pull up a chair at Trinidad Smokehouse and feast on classic barbecue favorites such as ribs, steaks, tacos, and fried pickles. To wind down at night, the Hive is always expertly crafting cocktails utilized with locally made spirits and house-made syrups.
Nearby Towns
While you are in southeast Colorado, you might as well take it as an opportunity to venture out to other neighboring towns. Across the border in New Mexico, 18.7 miles south of Trinidad, the town of Raton has a compact downtown of its own. The Raton Museum displays exhibits related to ranching, coal mining, railroads, and pioneer life in New Mexico, as well as works by New Mexico artists.
Walsenburg, which is 34.97 miles northwest of Trinidad, has its own mining heritage, which is celebrated at the Walsenburg Mining Museum. The museum’s exhibits tell the stories of the tension between miners and operators, highlighting stories of over 100 mining camps. The museum even has its own sculpture memorial of a miner at the front of the building.
If you are in Trinidad, then you must travel 50.88 miles west to Colorado’s oldest town, San Luis, which was settled in 1851. The town is perhaps most famous for the Shrine of the Stations of the Cross, a series of bronze sculptures that depict a different moment of the final hours of Jesus Christ’s life, which culminates in a chapel at the top of a mesa above town.
Colorado's Best Downtown
Trinidad’s downtown shifts seamlessly between historical buildings, arts galleries, and places to eat and drink within blocks of its downtown. On the same street, you can view the Bacca House, inhabited by some of the first settlers in town, view an expansive collection of art from Trinidad-native, Arthur Roy Mitchell, and sample culinary delights at the Trinidad Smokehouse. It is no easy feat for a downtown area to pull this off, yet somehow, Trinidad manages to do it.
