187 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Colorado - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in Colorado

Calhan, Colorado

Paint Mines Interpretive Park

Wondrous sandstone hoodoos where Native Americans collected clay for pottery, 9,000 years ago.

Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Hanging Lake

Crystal clear lake with a shoreline of travertine located in a Colorado canyon.

Estes Park, Colorado

The Stanley Hotel

Paranormal experiences in room 217 led Stephen King to write "The Shining."

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Mesa Verde National Park

The ancient dwellings of the Puebloans, carved into the cliffs of majestic mesas.

Denver, Colorado

International Church of Cannabis

A technicolor place of worship for Elevationists.

Denver, Colorado

Fifty-Two 80's

This modern antique shop is a museum for 1980's Saturday morning cartoon culture.

Dolores, Colorado

Canyons of the Ancients

A breathtaking array of ancient Pueblo structures and artifacts counterintuitively preserved by neglect.

Florence, Colorado

Desert Reef Hot Springs

This naturally-sourced hot spring is now home to a clothing-optional resort.

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Unique Food & Drink in Colorado

Potato Doughnuts

The first American doughnut chain used spuds.

Superman Ice Cream

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a classic Midwestern treat!

Fool's Gold Loaf

Elvis Presley once flew across the country to eat this decadent Denver sandwich.

Chocolate Daisy

This wildflower releases a cocoa fragrance each morning.

See all 11 things to eat in Colorado See all 11 things to eat in Colorado

Atlas Obscura Trips

Dinos and Dunes in the Colorado Desert

Venture with us into the Colorado desert to unearth the mysteries of the prehistoric beasts that once roamed this very same ground.

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Stories About Colorado

Pine cones lie strewn on the floor of a ponderosa pine forest in New Mexico, nearly three decades after fire moved through the area and scarred the tree in the foreground.

The Climate Isn't Just Worsening Wildfires, It Can Hobble Forests' Ability to Recover

"What we’re most concerned about is things can still get worse.”

September 24, 2020

The discrepancy pops up in the Grand Canyon, where ancient rock abuts, well, less ancient rock.

One of Geology’s Great Mysteries May Actually Be Many Smaller Mysteries

The “Great Unconformity” is a big chunk of missing deep time.

by Isaac Schultz

The dorsal side of Harvard's 150-year-old western branded skipper.

Scientists Just Geolocated a Victorian-Era Butterfly Using Its Genome

Their work affirmed the insect's taxonomy too. Because you can’t spell “named” without D-N-A.

by Isaac Schultz

September 6, 2019

The Danish artist Thomas Dambo came to Breckenridge to build <em>Isak Heartstone</em> in August 2018 (left); In one of <em>Isak</em>'s last days, coated with snow, he poses with a pair of skis (right).

The Friendly Troll That Almost Tore a Colorado Town Apart

The giant wooden sculpture was astonishingly popular.

November 19, 2018

Abandoned street and vacant buildings at Heritage Square.

For Sale: The Entire Contents of a Colorado Theme Park

In the market for a roller coaster? Here's your chance.

by Evan Nicole Brown

October 19, 2018

Dillon Reservoir in Frisco, Colorado, where extreme drought is drawing down reservoirs across the state, September, 2018.

What Water Shortages in the Western U.S. Would Mean for Craft Beer

Colorado is in the midst of its worst drought since the Dust Bowl in the 1930s.

by Lindsay Fendt

September 13, 2018

A young splasher enjoys surge flow season in 2015.

Rare 'Surge Flows' Are Turning Colorado's Sand Dunes Into a Waterpark

It's bodysurfing time at Medano Creek.

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