7 Best Sights in Rockies Near Denver, Colorado

The drive up Lookout Mountain to the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave provides a sensational panoramic view of Denver that alone is worth the price of admission. It was this view that encouraged Bill Cody—Pony Express rider, cavalry scout, and tireless promoter of the West—to request Lookout Mountain as his burial site. Adjacent to the grave is a small museum with art and artifacts detailing Cody's life and times, as well as a souvenir shop. The grave is 100 yards past the gift shop on a paved walkway.

This 1920s narrow-gauge train connects Georgetown with the equally historic community of Silver Plume. The 6-mile round-trip excursion takes about 70 minutes, and winds through vast stands of pine and fir before crossing the 95-foot-high Devil's Gate Bridge, where the track actually loops back over itself as it gains elevation. You can add on a tour of the Lebanon Silver Mill and Mine, which is a separate stop between the two towns, as well as meals in the dining car. In fall and around the holidays, special trains run, including popular rides with Santa.

During the gold rush days, the Argo Gold Mine and Mill processed more than $100 million worth of the precious metal. To transport the ore from mines in Central City, workers dug through solid rock to construct a tunnel to Central City, 4½ miles away. When completed in 1910, the Argo Tunnel was the longest in the world. During a tour of the mine and mill, guides explain how this monumental engineering feat was accomplished. Admission includes a small museum and a gold-panning lesson.

Just outside Golden is the Colorado Railroad Museum, a must-visit for any train lover. More than 100 vintage locomotives and cars are displayed outside the museum. Inside the replica-1880 masonry depot are historical photos and memorabilia of Puffing Billy (the nickname for steam trains), along with an astounding model train set that steams through a miniature-scale version of Golden. In the Roundhouse you can witness a train's restoration in progress, and in winter, the popular tale of The Polar Express is theatrically performed.

Two properties—the Golden History Center and the Clear Creek Golden History Park (formerly Clear Creek History Park)—have combined under the name of Golden History Museum and Park. The park interprets the Golden area circa 1843–1900 via restored structures and reproductions, including a teepee, prospector's camp, one-room schoolhouse, and cabins. It is also populated with live chickens and bees. On select days, guides in period clothing lead 45-minute tours, but you can stroll the park and peek into the buildings anytime, and picnic lunches on the grounds are welcome. There's also a research center and an interactive area for kids.

A colorful re-creation of an 1880s frontier town, Heritage Square has a music hall, a rip slide (an inflatable water slide), an alpine slide, and some specialty shops. A vaudeville-style review ends each evening's entertainment.

Idaho Springs presently prospers from the hot springs here at Indian Hot Springs Resort. Around the springs, known to the Ute natives as the "healing waters of the Great Spirit," are geothermal caves that were used by tribes as a neutral meeting site. The hot springs, a translucent dome–covered mineral-water swimming pool, mud baths, and geothermal caves are the primary draws for the resort. You don't need to be an overnight guest to soak in the mineral-rich waters; day rates start at $23 for the geothermal cave baths (depending on type of bath and day of week), $25.50 for outdoor Jacuzzi baths, and $19 for the pool. The plain but comfortable spa offers massages and facials.