Golden Area Attractions
Take a look! Golden has TEN - count them - ten museums, a record for a town of 7.9 square miles with 17 thousand people. Covering an entire museum spectrum, they include history, geology, fossils, art, railroads, quilts, living History Park, and mountaineering. There are also four gallery/shops featuring southwestern and western paintings, sculpture, and pottery with traditional and contemporary themes. Take your pick - if you can - or spend a few days to see them all.
American Mountaineering Center
Home of the Colorado Mountain Club and American Alpine Club Museum and Library
The library is the largest mountaineering library in the Western Hemisphere with more than 17 thousand volumes. The museum will contain artifacts, art, climbing gear, and maps that are a historical testimony of mountaineering since the late 19th century.
710 10th Street
(303) 279-3080
www.mountaincenter.org
Armory Building
The largest cobblestone building in the country, built in 1913 with 3,300 wagon loads of stream-worn boulders from Clear Creek and quartz from Golden Gate Canyon.
13th and Arapahoe Streets
(303) 270-3113
Astor House Museum Hotel Museum
Opened in 1867, the Astor House was known as the finest stone hotel west of the Mississippi. It offered rooms to lawmakers, laborers, miners, students, and families. Today, visitors are encouraged to wander around a "modern" 1890s kitchen that dished upwards of fifty meals twice a day, and peek at a rope bed that inspired the saying,"Sleep tight, and don't let the bedbugs bite!" Be sure to experience one of the best views in Golden from the balcony, complete with a telescope.
822 12th Street
(303) 278-3557
www.astorhousemuseum.org
Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum
The Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum opened its doors in February 2008 to be the first and only museum in the United States dedicated to the heroism, technology, culture and spirit of mountaineering. The museum brings visitors into the world of mountain and rock climbing and honors the achievements of mountaineers from America and around the world. Exhibits on climate, science, cultures and the humanities as they relate to mountains promise to make the visitor experience rich, exciting, and interactive. The museum is open Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.;
Thursdays, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
710 10th Street
www.bwamm.org
Buffalo Bill's Gravesite and Museum/Pahaska Teepee
The Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave offers visitors an intimate view of the Old West as experienced and promoted by Buffalo Bill. Exhibits exploring Buffalo Bill's life and times include Wild West show outfits and posters, Indian artifacts, and antique firearms. Temporary exhibits, changed every year, explore a variety of Western themes. Children and adults alike can try on cowboy outfits and get a picture while seated on "Stumpy," the Museum's fiberglass horse.
The complex on Lookout Mountain includes the Buffalo Bill Museum, Buffalo Bill's grave, and the Pahaska Tepee gift shop and snack bar.
987 1⁄2 Lookout Mountain Road
(303) 526-0747
www.buffalobill.org
Calvary Episcopal Church
Consecrated in 1867, by missionary Bishop George Randall, founder of the Colorado School of Mines, is the oldest continuously used Episcopal Church in Colorado, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Walk the grounds of the American gothic revival church to see the historic stained glass windows dating from 1872, and the Great Hall, consecrated in 2000. Tours of the interior of the historic church may be arranged by inquiring in the church office.
13th and Arapahoe Streets
(303) 279-2188
www.calvarygolden.net
Clear Creek History Park
Take a fresh look at the frontier at Clear Creek History Park. Many of the buildings you'll explore were once part of the 1878 Pearce Homestead, which were lovingly relocated to downtown Golden. Guests may take a seat in the one-room schoolhouse, smell heirloom herbs from the gardens, and find out how hard to was to cook pioneer recipes on a wood-fired stove. Visitors may also visit the bee hives, and of course, talk with the chickens. Clear Creek History Park offers something different every day. Open seasonally.
11th and Arapahoe Streets
(303) 278-3557
www.clearcreekhistorypark.org
Colorado Railroad Museum
Twelve acres of narrow and standard gauge locomotives, cars, and 50 thousand rare old photographs, papers and artifacts. The museum itself is a replica of an 1880-style masonry railroad depot. The gift shop has over a thousand railroad books, videotapes, posters, prints, jewelry, and other memorabilia. Open 9AM to 5PM (9AM to 6PM between June and August). Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.
17155 West 44th Avenue
(303) 279-4591, or (800) 365-6263
www.crrm.org
Colorado School of Mines
The first public institution of higher learning to open its doors in Colorado, was established in 1874 to serve the needs of the local mining industry. Today, the School has an international reputation for excellence in both engineering education and the applied sciences with special expertise in the development and stewardship of the Earth's resources. Mines has the highest admission standards of any public university in Colorado and among the highest of any public university in the U.S. The campus features beautifully renovated historical architecture as well as award-winning new buildings.
1500 Illinois St., Golden
(303) 273-3000
(800) 446-9488
www.mines.edu
Coors Brewery Tours
Come see and taste traditional brewing in the Rocky Mountains! Since 1873 Coors brewing has thrived on a legacy of quality, innovation and customer service. The newly upgraded experience includes a 30-minute self-paced tour highlighting our malting, brewing and packaging processes, sampling of Coors fine products in our hospitality lounge and shopping in the Coors & Co. gift shop. Product samples are limited in quantity and available only to those 21 years and older with valid ID. Non-alcoholic beverages are also available. Guests under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult. Tours are free. Tour hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mountain Time daily, Thursday – Monday. (Sunday hours are 12p.m. to 4 p.m.) Closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Major Holidays.
13th & Ford Streets, Golden
(303) 277-BEER - Tour Info
(866) 812-2337
www.coors.com
Dinosaur Ridge
World-renowned geological and paleontological outdoor museum. It contains more than a hundred dinosaur tracks discovered in 1937. Bones were first discovered in 1877, igniting the dinosaur rush to the West. You can take your own tours with fifteen interpretive signs and guided tours on open days.
State Highway 26 (between C-470 and Highway 93)
(303) 697-DINO (3466)
www.dinoridge.org
Foothills Art Center
Award-winning art exhibits in a historic setting. Located in the heart of downtown Golden, the galleries are situated in a gorgeous Neo-Gothic Victorian church, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Exhibits showcase artists of regional, national and international renown, featuring traditional and contemporary artwork. Art classes are available for people of all ages and abilities, and the gift shop offers high quality, affordable works by Colorado artists, including jewelry, ceramics, glass, paintings and much more. Open seven days a week.
Mon - Sat: 10AM to 5PM; Sun: 1PM - 5PM
809 15th Street
15th and Washington Avenue
(303) 279-3922
www.foothillsartcenter.org
Geology Museum
The Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum offers free admission to extraordinary exhibits including Minerals from Colorado, Colorado Mining Heritage, Mining Artifacts, Gold & Silver Display, Gemstones, Mineral Properties & Earth History, special Radioactive exhibits, World Minerals and Fossils. A favorite for many visitors is the representation of a uranium mine, complete with driller and crystal pocket.
Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat: 9AM - 4PM
Tue, Thu: 10AM - 4PM
Sun: Closed until late Aug
Colorado School of Mines, 13th and Maple St., Golden
(303) 273-3823
(303) 273-3815 Tours Hot Line
www.mines.edu/academic/geology/museum
Heritage Square
Enjoy an opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city with a unique family fun exprience offering an array of shops, Colorado's best Apline Slide, old time photos, miniature golf, go-karts and amusement rides. Rides operate weekends in the Spring and Fall: daily Memorial Day – Labor Day. The Heritage Square Music Hall features a wonderful family dinner theater, melodrama style, and a Children's Theatre. Located in the beautiful foothills of Golden, one mile south of 6th Avenue on Hwy 40, or take I-70 to Exit 259 and north one mile.
18301 W. Colfax Ave (Hwy 40)
Open year round
(303) 279-2789
www.heritagesquare.info
Jefferson County Judicial and Administrative Building Facility
This Jeffersonian style architecture, the center of Jefferson County government, has a five-story glass atrium soaring 130 feet into Colorado’s crisp air. Completed in 1993 with a staggering total of 531 thousand square feet, this building is home to over 800 employees.
100 Jefferson Parkway
(303) 279-6511
www.jeffco.us
Lariat Loop Heritage Alliance Facility
On this 40-mile route you can retrace the motoring adventures of the early days of the automobile, 1900-1920, and still experience the thrill of foothills touring. Colorado's first gateways to the mountains still have sharp curves, winding roads, spectacular views, and waysides. A favorite for more than 90 years, the Lariat Loop Scenic & Historic Byway will introduce you to more than 150 million years of Colorado history and prehistory.
(720) 971-9649
www.lariatloop.org
Click here to view a video on the Lariat Loop
Lookout Mountain Nature Center and Preserve
Lookout Mountain Nature Center and Preserve 910 Colorow Road Golden, CO. 80401 Discover the Lookout Mountain Nature Center...where nature's riches abound and where curiosity and exploration are always rewarded. Connect with nature at this 110 acre park. Inside experience exhibits that depict migrating birds and reveal secrets of the ponderosa pine forest. Visit the Discovery Corner and Observation Room. Outside stroll trails winding through forest and meadow, picnic beneath towering pine trees or join a naturalist-guided program.
(720)497-7600
http://jeffco.us/openspace/openspace_T56_R14.htm
Miners Alley Playhouse - The Affordable Special Event
Miners Alley Playhouse celebrates its sixth anniversary in Golden, being nominated for The Best Season by a Theatre Company by Denver drama critics, and The Henry Awards, MAP's reputation has spread throughout the Denver metro area. From topical dramas, to world premieres, to the finest of international comedies, Miners Alley Playhouse strives to offer a spectrum of productions that will appeal to everyone. Enjoy our visual art gallery featuring some of the regions most talented artists set in our beautiful lobby with our full service bar. Keep an eye out for special events throughout the year including Acoustic Alley concerts presented throughout the year. Engage in the challenge and the thrill of theatre by getting involved in a production or taking one of our wonderful acting classes. And come see our shows…bring a friend…become a member…support the arts in your own backyard. The arts survive through the support and sponsorship of the community. We encourage you to support your local theatre company. Miners Alley Playhouse - 1224 Washington Ave. (13th & Washington)
303-935-3044
www.minersalley.com
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
You can learn more about renewable energy research at NREL's distinctive Visitor's Center, just off I-70 in Golden. In addition to exhibits and other educational opportunities, the Visitor's Center features energy-saving technologies such as a Trombe wall for comfortable efficient heating. NREL is a national laboratory of the US Department of Energy.
1617 Cole Boulevard
(303) 384-6565
www.nrel.gov
Phoenix Gold Mine
In the heart of the historic Idaho Springs mining district, experience mining history with a seasoned Colorado hard rock miner. Personalized tour, dig your own rich gold ore sample, pan for gold in a beautiful mountain stream. A safe way to see a working underground mine. Open daily 10AM to 6PM (summer months), and 10AM to 5PM (winter months).
(303) 567-0422
www.phoenixmine.com
Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater
A natural amphitheater overlooking a breathtaking 200 mile panoramic view. Concerts, Easter Services, and Graduation ceremonies claim this incredible wonder each year.
Morrison/Red Rocks exit off I-70 West
(303) 697-4939
Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum
Come explore the world of quilts at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum. RMQM is dedicated to the preservation of quilts, and the continuation of the art of both traditional and contemporary quiltmaking. we present ten quilt exhibits a year, each with a unique and different style, history and theme. Our Quilt Market is a great place to find quilts and related gifts.
Mon - Sat: 10AM - 4PM
1213 Washington Avenue
(303) 277-0377
www.rmqm.org
Territorial Capitol Building
Built in 1861 by W. A. H. Loveland (Loveland Pass), this building housed the Colorado Territorial legislative sessions from 1862 to 1867. Currently houses office space and a restaurant cabaret.
12th Street and Washington Avenue
(303) 279-3113
Twelfth Street Historic District
National Register of Historic Places. These homes are representative of the type of homes built by Colorado's pioneer entrepreneur. Walking tour markers identify homes.
Washington Avenue to Maple Street
(303) 279-3113
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