3 4 Hamill House and Hotel de Paris museums, as well as exhibits and events at the newly renovated Georgetown Heritage Center . Venture 1,003 feet underground on a tour of Capital Prize Mine ; and break for afternoon tea at the Dusty Rose Tea Room or a brew at Guanella Pass Brewery (named for one of fall’s loveliest enclaves, which you can see along the Guanella Pass Scenic Byway ). The town’s main street also has antique, craft and coffee shops. Board the Georgetown Loop Railroad (6) for a narrow-gauge train ride to Silver Plume and back for views of the Clear Creek Valley and an optional walking tour that takes you 500 feet into an 1870s mine tunnel. Bread Bar (5) in Silver Plume, housed in an 1800s-era bakery, serves up cocktails named after famous local characters, like silver-boom queen Baby Doe Tabor (open Friday through Sunday). 6 5 EVENING Step into Colorado’s mini Western-style Las Vegas for some nightlife action in “the richest square mile on earth.” The canyon-cradled, former mining hamlets of Black Hawk and Central City (4) are just 1 mile apart and are lined with bustling, grand casinos as well as mom-and-pop gaming saloons and historic 19th-century storefronts (take note of the uniquely reconstructed Cornish-style retaining walls surrounding Black Hawk). More refined entertain-ment options reside at the Central City Opera House (3) , a 550-seat jewel-box theater built in 1878 by Welsh and Cor-nish miners that continues to draw international applause with classic to contemporary perfor-mances each summer. Visiting in the daytime? From Black Hawk, you can easily hop on the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway and head toward Estes Park , an amazingly kaleidoscopic journey in the fall. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: CENTRAL CITY OPERA HOUSE, MILES/ANDREA BUROLLA; CENTRAL CITY’S ANNUAL CREEPY CRAWL; GEORGETOWN LOOP RAILROAD, JIM DAVID; POWDER ADDICTIONS; BREAD BAR. WINTER FUN T Small but mighty Echo Mountain Resort in Idaho Springs is the closest ski area to Denver — and one of the few that offers night skiing. You can also book a backcountry-skiing excursion with Powder Addiction in Empire, who will whisk you to all of the best powder via snowcat and pro-vide all of the necessary safety gear and lunch. STAY & PLAY OPTIONS Black Hawk (page 191), Central City (page 193), Dumont , Empire , Georgetown (page 198), Idaho Springs (page 200), Lawson , Silver Plume QUICK TIP Black Hawk’s Casino Shuttle runs from the bottom of Main Street up to Gregory Street — making it easy to get around to all of the town’s sights and casinos. COLORADO.COM / 139
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2019: Page 139
