3 Best Sights in Southwest Colorado, Colorado

On this hour-long tour, visitors trek 1,500 feet into one of the region's great silver mines. Tour guides are actual miners and they explain various mining techniques and point out remaining silver veins and other mineral deposits. Tours depart every hour, and light jackets are wise year-round, as it's chilly in the mine. Gold-panning lessons in the adjacent stream are included in the tour price. On summer weekends, come early for a tasty, inexpensive breakfast.

Northeast of Silverton, the Mayflower Mill (also known as the Shenandoah-Dives Mill) is a beautifully restored landmark with tours that explain how precious gold, silver, and other metals were extracted and processed.

A mine train takes you 1,500 feet underground into the Old Hundred Gold Mine for a tour of one of the area's oldest mining facilities. Your miner-guide follows the vein and operates authentic equipment to show you how mining was done in the old days. Old Hundred operated for about a century, from the first strike in 1872 until the last haul in the early 1970s. Temperatures remain at a steady 47°F, so be sure to bring a sweater or a jacket. Guided tours leave every hour on the hour from 10 am to 3 pm (arrive 15 minutes early to secure your spot). Your ticket price also covers panning for gold, silver, copper, and gemstones in the sluice boxes outside the mine.