While your neighbors head to the high country, why not turn your sights south this winter — where perfect pandemic escapes await within a few hours’ drive from Denver.
Scenery? Gorgeous. Weather? Sunny and pleasant. Lodging? Many choices. Good food? Oh yeah, and a surprising variety. Social distancing? No problem. Beaches? Well, it won’t be bikini weather but there are lakes.
You can easily build your own itinerary for a winter getaway to southern Colorado and alleviate that cabin fever.
Check out the state’s newest wine trail in Fremont County, go on a fossil hunt, linger over brunch on the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk in Pueblo, get your Pueblo chile fix, soak up the majesty of the Spanish Peaks, visit an art car museum, camp where you can walk to a year-round golf course, or immerse yourself in the region’s history. Or all the above.
Time your drive south from Pueblo toward Trinidad so you can take in views of the scenic Spanish Peaks. (Sue McMillin, Special to The Denver Post)I suggest an early-morning departure so you can take in the grandeur of the Spanish Peaks as you approach Trinidad.
North of town, take exit 27 and head west on County Road 44 for about a half-mile to visit Ludlow, a coal-mining ghost town and site of the April 20, 1914 massacre of striking coal miners and their family members. An estimated 25 people were killed, including women and children. The United Mine Workers have erected a memorial at the site.
In Trinidad, you’ll find other memorials to miners, including a sculpture of a canary in a cage. Miners often carried the birds into mines with them because the birds succumbed to poisonous fumes quickly, a warning for miners to get out. The Southern Colorado Coal Mining Memorial & Museum has been closed during the pandemic, but you can walk around the outdoor monuments near Convent and Church streets.
Trinidad has several hotel and vacation rental options, but if you’re looking for something with a touch of local history, try the Tarabino Inn bed and breakfast in the El Corazon de Trinidad Historic District. The Visit Trinidad website is an invaluable tool for planning your visit and is usually pandemic-updated. It lists restaurants that have remained open or reopened and what services they offer, such as dine-in, take-out or curbside pickup. It also provides a guide to the town’s architecture, museums, and Space to Create a program, which is providing affordable housing to artists. Although the public galleries have not opened, artists are living in the prominent downtown complex.
While browsing the architecture, galleries, and shops downtown, be sure to drop into the renowned A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art. It is housed in the former Jamieson Dry Goods Store, which has its original pressed-tin ceilings and wood floors. Mitchell, an illustrator and artist, was born in Trinidad.
On your walking tour, take note of the Fox West Theatre, which was purchased by the city in 2018 and is undergoing renovation. The theater also produced a virtual show, “Fall Fanfare,” which you can find on its YouTube channel.
Another must-see stop is Art Cartopia, where you’ll find a collection of art cars. And just what is an art car? True to Trinidad’s quirkiness, the museum offers a roundabout explanation, but essentially says it’s not a float because a float is towed, not driven. Anyway, it’s zany and a visit just might bring you back for the annual Artocade – a parade of art cars.
