Visited when I first moved to town about one year ago, so I'm very late on many of my reviews, but…read morestill a wonderful museum and staff.

We came in for the family Christmas and Hamill house did not disappoint. It is such a treat to…read moreexperience this small towns heritage and their traditions. I do wish that our kids had been a little older since I think it would have been more enjoyable to do the sing alongs and the reading of a night before Christmas. If you are planning on going I would say a kid 5-12 would be age appropriate for this event. If you happen to be in Georgetown for the Christmas market or are planning on doing the Christmas train I do highly recommend this!

Although the Gilpin Museum is one of the most comprehensive museums one could visit (chock full of…read morehistory and unique artifacts from the area) it was pretty clear that the Gilpin Historical Society does not really care too much for visitors coming to their sites. When we visited the museum, reception was lukewarm at best. However, given that its a self-guided museum we strolled around the building and read about each exhibit (note to the society: you could up charge tourists like us who come to your city for the historical value if you offered guided tours with a docent or using an app audio guide). The visit to Washington Hall however (were tours for the Opera House, Teller House, St James church, old Print Shop and Thomas House all depart from) was extremely disappointing. We inquired about a tour of the Opera/Teller Houses to a younger female with glasses and long strawberry blond hair (she never introduced herself; no name provided) who mentioned she would need to cross the street to see if an opera tour was possible (no tours are allowed while the troupe is in session). It seemed like she was annoyed to have to make the trip, but she did and returned shortly afterwards announcing no opera house tours were allowed, due to ongoing rehearsals. She then proceeded to begin typing on her laptop without further details or inquiries (to weather we may want to tour other available properties, to provide an amount for the teller tour, or any interactions with us whatsoever) and merely continued to type in silence for several minutes. Having gotten the hint that we were disturbing, we let her continue her work and took the chance to peruse the gambling exhibit waiting until she'd provide a hint that she was done with her work. When we ran out of displays to read, we approached to ask if tours started at a set time, to which she replied: "the tour is $10 per person, and will start as soon as you pay me". Taken aback, but with not much choice, we paid for the Teller House tour (note: she never mentioned touring any of the other buildings, which we knew of and were very interested in visiting but given the rude nature of the interaction we lost interest in spending additional time with this tour guide) and proceeded across the street to the hotel to commence the tour. She was quite knowledgeable and not a bad tour guide, but by then she had ruined our experience and put me in a very bad mood (so much so I decided not to tip. First time for me I have to admit). It's very unfortunate that in such a small town fully dependent on tourism someone who works (or volunteers) for the most important historical attractions in town would be so clueless about customer service, but alas she missed the opportunity to sell us additional ticketed tours as well as to make a nice tip. I truly fail to see what slight we may have caused her, but apparently it was enough to grant her behavior...

I called earlier today and spoke to a very nice lady on the phone who was more than happy to…read moreschedule a time for me to come checkout the Museam on the same day! I wasn't disappointed- the submarine they had in there was truly quite impressive! And let me tell you- the $10 admission for this place is a STEAL! There's SO MUCH to see in here, they have SO MUCH COOL STUFF!I definitely recommend checking this place out!

Beautiful gardens in Vail!…read more The city does an amazing job with the upkeep of this gem of a place. It's well worth a visit or a simple stroll.

One of my favorite parts of today and absolutely free to roam!…read more Just a wonder botanical garden filled with so much life! I'm from Florida so I don't get to see a lot of the nature that is included here but the grounds were immaculate! Beautiful bridges with stepping stones that appeared they were made out of the mountains. Historical markers to truly show you the love that was put into this park!

Unfortunately, we missed the last tour on the day we visited museum, but we were entertained with a…read morebrief mini tour/ history of the museum by a friendly lady minding the small museum shop of antique goods including lots of cool glassware, cups and saucers. The exterior of the building is beautiful and there are a few historical plaques placed around the outside to further educate you on the cool history of this place. Great photo opportunity! The whole town is beautiful too, wander around and enjoy the local flavor.

We stopped by here after I saw a show on haunted places in Colorado. It's a great tour and it will…read moreonly cost you 10 bucks per person. You will spend an hour learning about the times and the people who once owned this hotel. The tour guides are just great and remember to buy a small antique at the store. You will just love it and you might just see a ghost.

Roadside America at its finest. Look this one up on Atlas Obscura to get the full history…read more Surrounding town is super cute, too.

I found this on road side america and since we were going to be in the area, we thought, why not…read morecheck it out. Bonus, the visitor center is next door and has lots of information! The history: Idaho Springs, Colorado In 1947, the Squirrel Gulch district of the town of Idaho Springs was awash in post-WWII patriotism. Unable to channel their energies rationally, they decided to rename themselves "Steve Canyon," as a tribute to the hero of a W.W.II Sunday comic strip. Two years later, their fervor unspent, they convinced the federal government to pay the Indiana Limestone Company $12,000 to carve a larger-than-life statue of their new namesake. It was shipped to Colorado and formally dedicated on July 8, 1950. Its plaque reads, in part, "The United States Treasury salutes Steve Canyon and through him, all American cartoon characters who serve the Nation." Cartoonist Milton Caniff, who created Steve Canyon, had absolutely nothing to do with any of this. But "in appreciation for his enthusiasm," Idaho Springs gave him a gold mine.

We have been to Colorado many times and this remains one of our very favorite things to do! You…read more just can't beat panning for gold in a river stream knowing that you are actually going to find flecks of gold and we have every time! It is so much fun! This year we did the tour of the cave and it was super super interesting me as well and my kids really loved it :-) I did too! Lastly, the chipmunks. You could literally just go for the chipmunks lol! They are so super friendly and so much fun! We cannot recommend this place highly enough!

i'm going out of my way to write this review because this was such a cool experience. I did the…read more"Mother Lode" combo, which includes the main main tour, plus an additional mine tour, which to reach it that requires a quarter mile hike up a trail, and gold panning (after several tries I only found one tiny gold flake, but I got something!). Definitely bring sunscreen for the second tour, as you will be sitting outside in the sun for a little bit. It's cool and refreshing inside the mines, and they're full of history, right down to the wooden shafts that still have numbers painted on them from the miners of 1800s. You will learn about mining history and how harrowing and challenging it was, and see the actual tools they used, and how techniques developed over time. You will see shafts and tunnels you cannot explore but remain from days of old that inspire the imagination. You will also hear some silly ghost stories, and even see how UV light illuminates the rocks and minerals in the mines. Interested in history, gold, geology, or mining? Even if you aren't, take this tour anyway! It's well worth it, and the guides do a great job.

The employees are very nice, equipped with great knowledge. Our tour guide Toren was really fun and…read moreeducational! You would have never known she's only done a handful of tours and is new-ish touring with Argo Mill. The tour was very interesting and living in Colorado for 20+ years, I've always seen the red building driving by Idaho Springs but never thought they had tours available to check out. We panned for gold at the end and that was very fun to learn how to do that. All in all I'd recommend to support local and Idaho Springs to come check them out. The tour is not handicap friendly so if you have a wheel chair it would not be ideal to walk through the mill. Hard hat is for show with the tunnel visit but it was def a fun experience with photo opportunity.

The Argo Mine & Tunnel tour in Idaho Springs is such a unique and educational experience. The…read moreguided tour takes you deep into Colorado's gold mining history and really brings the story of the miners to life. We purchased our tickets on site at the tour location. Tours times fill up quickly and you can also book tours online. You start the tour by watching a video that gives you a history of the tunnel and mill. The Argo Mill and Tunnel became an international center of milling and tunneling innovation and served for many gold mines in Colorado. Construction of the Argo Tunnel began in 1893 and lasted 10 years until it reached Central City 4.2 miles away. The Argo Mill was a state of the art facility providing the latest technological advancements in milling and situated at the mouth of the mighty tunnel. On January 19th, 1943, a catastrophic flood in the tunnel caused the Argo Mill and Tunnel to cease operations. Then we loaded on a shuttle and took a short ride to the mouth of the Argo Tunnel. We start by picking up safety equipment including a helmet. Walking through the tunnel itself is like going back in time, it's cool, damp, and feels like stepping into another era. Then we moved to the Mill itself that had many original equipment items still on site. Our guide was knowledgeable, engaging, and shared so many interesting details about how the mine operated, the hardships miners faced, and how important the Argo was to Colorado's development. The guide explained each piece of machinery and the purpose along with an explanation for any missing equipment. You can tell he is passionate about preserving the history. The museum area is well done and adds great context after the tour. After the tour, perused the gift shop and got some great souvineers for 50% off! Highly recommend for families, visitors, or anyone looking to learn something new while exploring the mountains. It's a perfect stop if you're passing through Idaho Springs, especially if you enjoy history, geology, or unique local experiences.

It's a bit of a shame that there isn't more signage on Main Street to direct visitors to this…read morebeautiful site. The river walk is nicely done, clean, and the fall is so pretty (although noisy from I-70's traffic). We sat on one of the benches for a while and enjoyed watching the river rafting tours go by while sipping on our ice coffee.

Very cool area Nicely kept…read more Beautiful scenery We walked our dogs down to the wheel it was quite fun! Loved the read. Geocache if you know you know