Locals Love Leadville / SPONSORED CONTENT landscape slides by and capture amazing photos of fourteeners. Wildflower and fall-foliage excur-sions are particularly magical. 5 AFFORDABLE LODGING LETS YOU DO MORE & STAY LONGER. Mid-week lodging rates are particularly low, and from cozy inns and historic hotels to modern motels and out-of-the-way campgrounds , there are places to stay in Leadville and Twin Lakes to accommodate every desire and budget. Plus, close proximity to popular ski destinations like Vail (about 40 miles away), Beaver Creek (about 55 miles away) and Breckenridge (about 40 miles away) make the area an ideal home base for summer and winter adventures. 6 LEADVILLE WAS THE CENTER OF THE WILD WEST. Once one of Colorado’s most lawless mining boomtowns, Leadville overflowed with fortune-seeking miners, infamous outlaws and brawny mountain men. Horace Tabor, known as the Silver King, and his second wife Baby Doe, along with gun-slinging dentist Doc Holliday are just a few frontier characters who contributed to the town’s history — and their legends live on in Leadville and Twin Lakes’ well-preserved historical sights and its eight museums. View replicas of underground mines and impressive collections of minerals at the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum , then get an idea of how people lived in Leadville during the silver-min-ing boom at the Healy House Mu-seum . Or stroll Leadville’s National Historic Landmark District , which includes 70 square blocks lined with Victorian-era buildings, most of which were built between 1880 and 1905. 7 LEADVILLE & TWIN LAKES RESIDENTS KEEP THINGS LOCAL. Many of the area’s Victorian buildings house locally owned shops offering everything from rare antiques and frontier clothing to homemade fudge and souvenirs. Visit Harperrose Studios , a mountain-style gallery with dozens of local and regional artists’ works. Meanwhile, one-of-a-kind eateries offer comforting, home-style grub. Snag a table at the Twin Lakes Inn and Saloon , where dishes like elk meatloaf and American buffalo broil will satisfy your appetite, or snowshoe to the Tennessee Pass Cookhouse to fill your belly with delights like Colorado rack of lamb and stuffed rainbow trout (reservations required). Treeline Kitchen has an inviting menu, outdoor firepit and a roof to view epic sunsets. Stop into Periodic Brewing , the nation’s highest craft brewery, to try the Hope Pass IPA or the Sugarloaf Amber Ale. 8 YOUR GOLF BALL WILL FLY FARTHER. Thinner air at higher elevations enables golf balls to fly farther. And at 9,680 feet, Mt. Massive Golf Course is the highest golf course in North America, offering golfers the chance to tee off on greens surrounded by beautiful ranchland and forests with towering peaks on the horizon. 9 THE FISH ARE ALWAYS BITING. Thanks to a wealth of pristine waters Lake County is an angler’s dream. The Arkansas River, with its Gold Medal waters designation, is known as one of the best wild brown habitats in Colorado, and anglers are known to pluck 10-to 14-inch catches out of its waters. Other prime fishing spots include Hayden Reservoir, Twin and Turquoise Lakes and Crystal Lakes. Traveling with the family? Don’t miss the Leadville National Fish Hatchery , built in 1889. leadvilletwinlakes.com 855-488-1222 Boom Days burro race Leadville Railroad Visit the heart of the Rocky Mountains Smithsonian of the Rockies 866-386-3936 LeadvilleRailroad.com 120 W. 9th, Leadville MiningHallOfFame.org | 719-496-1229 59
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