End of Summer Travel to Leadville and Lake County

As the summer winds down and before summer attractions close for the season, Lake County is inviting visitors to experience late summer fun at the Top of the Rockies.

Twin Lakes in October. Photo by Ark Valley Voice

Leadville and Twin Lakes are starting to host events again. Enjoy concerts, special train rides, and more. There were several brand-new offerings in 2021, as well as new businesses that have opened. Here’s a round-up of the very best attractions, restaurants, and events.

Museums

The National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum is running a special exhibit, “Miner Leaguers,” which highlights miners’ love for the game of baseball in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The exhibit showcases vintage equipment and uniforms and historic photos, with text in English and Spanish. Visitors will find new displays that tell the story of 27 Hall of Fame inductees, including what they invented, awards they received, books they wrote or translated, and more. The museum also houses a world-class gem and mineral collection, walk through life-sized mine replicas, and much more.
The Heritage Museum highlights Leadville memorabilia and fascinating facts about the mining town. (Call for hours after Labor Day)
The House with the Eye showcases day-to-day life of upper middle-class Leadville in the late 1800s and early 1900s. (Open through September 2021 by appointment)
The Tabor Home was the home of mining magnate Horace Tabor and his first wife, Augusta. (Open until Labor Day)
Temple Israel highlights pioneer Jewish life, Leadville’s resident Jews, Temple Israel as a synagogue, and life in a mining town in the 1880s and 1890s.

Tours

Tabor Opera House Photo Courtesy of National Geographic

The Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railroad offers a scenic train ride high into the alpine wilderness. The train hosts an end-of-summer special ride, the Devil’s Tail BBQ Special, into September (5:00 p.m. Aug. 20, 5:30 p.m. Sept. 3 and Sept. 10), and offers Fall Photo Weekend Specials (Sept. 3-5, 10-12, 17-19, 24-26 at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.). The train runs daily at 1:00 p.m. on Monday-Thursday and 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The Tabor Opera House, built-in 1879 in just 100 days, offers tours highlighting pieces from one of the finest collections of historic stage scenery in North America. These stage sets and drops date to 1879 and were discovered at the Tabor in 2020. The Tabor now offers tours in both English and Spanish. (Open until Sept. 5, 2021)
At Matchless Mine, visitors can hear the riches-to-rags story of the Tabors, peer down the shaft of the mine that fueled the Tabor fortune, and see the cabin where Baby Doe Tabor lived out her years. (Open through September 2021)
The Leadville Safari, Cemetery, and Ghost Tours lead visitors through downtown Leadville and Evergreen Cemetery to hear fascinating stories of past residents, on weekends. (Open through September 2021)
Twin Lakes Interlaken Boat Tours takes visitors on a pontoon boat across Twin Lakes to tour a ghost resort from the late 1800s.
Healy House Museum and Dexter Cabin is a showcase of how wealthy miners experienced Leadville during the silver boom days. (Open Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.)

Dining In & Nights Out at Leadville old staples and new restaurants: