Come ride the Georgetown Loop Railroad in the Colorado mountains to see the beauty and the charm of the old mining communities.
I grew up in gorgeous Colorado, but then I moved away for both my and my husband’s educations. After 11 years in places of lesser beauty (actually, Logan, Utah, where I spent 5 of those years is pretty freaky gorgeous) we finally moved back to my beloved home state. I am so happy to be home to be near my grandparents and my dad (with whom we live), and I am happy to share traditions from my youth with my own kiddos. One tradition that my husband and I have started doing with our kid each year is to ride the Georgetown Loop Railroad in the fall. (Ok, it’s actually just my tradition to ride the Georgetown Loop Railroad, apparently. I mentioned to my husband that I liked this tradition and he replied, “Wait, it’s a tradition? We do it every year?” W.O.W. Can you tell who plans all of the family outings? Haha!)
I didn’t discover the Georgetown Loop Railroad recently. I actually worked as a camp counselor at Easter Seals Rocky Mountain Village summer camp when I was in high school, and one of the outings that we did each week was taking the campers to ride on the Georgetown Loop Railroad. It’s a charming, historic steam engine railroad that goes in . . . wait for it . . . a loop. Hence the name. 😉
The Georgetown Loop Railroad is in the mountains in an little, old mining town, and it is just all so lovely and charming. That is really the only way to describe it. The Georgetown Loop Railroad runs all year long, and you can also combine the train ride with a tour of an abandoned mine, although we have never done that so far. We keep meaning to, because I think our son would really enjoy it. There are many events throughout the year to match the seasons. If you are in Colorado, or will be visiting Colorado, I encourage you to check out their website HERE. (This is NOT sponsored. Nothing but sincere love here.)
Want to see some pictures from the train? Be prepared to take in a whole lot of beauty!
So beautiful. It just makes my heart swoon.
If you are looking for even MORE scenery, the Guanella Pass starts near Georgetown and is a BEAUTIFUL drive to see leaf colors and plenty of the stunning Rocky Mountains! There are also family friendly hikes in Guanella Pass, but I don’t know much about those, so you’ll have to do a little Google research. I’m positive some Colorado and/or hiking specific blogs can help you out.
While you are up there, be sure to drive around Georgetown itself. It is a tiny town, but it still has a tiny main street with historic buildings, and it is FULL of the most stunning and charming historic homes that you have ever seen, both large and small. I am a person who is obsessed with historic homes and buildings, and these are some of my FAVORITE. My future home is in these pictures. I’ll point it out to you below. 😉
Can you believe that this pink house is a real house? It is like something from a candy-covered dollhouse dream! *LOVE* This purple house below is my future home. Plenty big, but not massive, a lovely, unique color, amazing woodwork, fabulous yard with a little stream in front of it, so well kept . . . just . . . perfection. Every year it makes my heart beat faster when I spot it. I am NOT kidding. It really does. I’m swooning as I type. Hmmm . . . I may have a problem. 😉 But, seriously, isn’t it AMAZING?! Isn’t the whole little town amazing?!
To top it off, Georgetown is a great little spot to stop because it has a very fun and unique playground that our children love. This year when we went it was pouring rain and they were so angry at us that we didn’t stop to let them play. Ha! Kids are so odd. 🙂
Finally, at the end of this outing we always stop in another mining town, Idaho Springs, on our way down the mountain. They are very close to one another, and Idaho Springs is actually the “bigger” town. It also has an extremely charming main street of historic buildings, as well as many lovely historic homes, but it doesn’t have quite the same tiny village-tucked-away-in-the-mountains feel about it that Georgetown possesses.
However, what Idaho Springs DOES have on Georgetown is FOOD. Now, in all fairness, I have never had food in Georgetown, but there is a place on the main strip in Idaho Springs called “Two Brothers Deli” that is AWESOME, and there is also the cutest little homemade ice cream and fudge shop. Best of all – and the reason why we go there – is Beau Jo’s Colorado Style Pizza. Their signature “Mountain Pie” crusts are SO THICK, but soft and just fabulous! Eat the center pizza part, then drench your crust in honey and E-N-J-O-Y! Growing up in Colorado, my family went skiing a lot, and every time we went we would stop for Beau Jo’s on the way home. Eating there gives me a happy belly and a happy heart! Can’t get much better than that!
Friends, if you find yourself in Colorado in the fall (or anytime, really!) head up to the mountains and make a day of it in some of our old mining towns and attractions. You won’t be sorry.
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I miss getting to go to Georgetown for Christmas. That was our tradition before we moved away. We even ate roasted chestnuts. And I always put honey on my pizza now. I get the strangest looks!! Thanks for the beautiful pics!