4 5 and silver-boom relics at the Hamill House and Hotel de Paris museums, as well as exhibits at the Georgetown Heritage Center . Venture 1,000 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 Brewing (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 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 (7) 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). 7 6 DAY 3 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 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. Another entertainment option is the Central City Opera House , a 1878 jewel-box theater built by Welsh and Cornish miners still drawing many in for performances each summer. History hounds will love the original Gold Rush maps and documents found in Black Hawk’s City Hall Annex . From Black Hawk, you can easily head over to Golden Gate Canyon State Park (4) or hop on the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway toward Estes Park , both kaleidoscopic journeys amid spring wild-flowers and fall foliage. 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 provide all of the necessary safety gear and lunch. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: GOLDEN GATE CANYON STATE PARK, COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE/DUSTIN DOSKOCIL; GEORGETOWN, TODD POWELL; BREAD BAR; ECHO MOUNTAIN RESORT; INDIAN HOT SPRINGS POOL, BETH SCHNEIDER. STAY & PLAY OPTIONS Black Hawk (page 193), Central City (page 194), Dumont , Empire , Georgetown (page 199), Idaho Springs (page 201), 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 / 141
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2020: Page 141
