Stop at these legendary Colorado watering holes this summer

By Eric Peterson

Maybe it’s the thin air, or maybe it’s the scenery, but Colorado has more than its fair share of legendary watering holes.

They’re scattered all over the state. Some are old enough to have ignored Prohibition, and others are known for the famous (and infamous) tipplers who quaffed a drink or five on the premises. Others are on pause, awaiting new ownership, like the one and only Bucksnort Saloon in Pine.

Here are a half-dozen that have withstood the test of time and still serve drinks today.

Woody Creek Tavern is teeming with history

Woody Creek Tavern (Woody Creek)

Hunter S. Thompson put his former hangout on the map, but it’s easy to see why the legendary gonzo journalist liked to belly up to the bar at the Woody Creek Tavern. Below a pressed tin ceiling, the place (which opened in 1980) is wallpapered with Polaroids and bumper stickers; look around for a few minutes and you’ll spot HST and other notable patrons in some of the pictures.

With a mix of American and Mexican fare on the menu, the food is top-notch, and the margaritas are as good as you’ll find in the Roaring Fork Valley.

Gold Pan Saloon (Breckenridge)

Prohibition never really took hold in Breckenridge. The remote alpine location kept it off of the radar of law enforcement, so it was just business as usual at places like the Gold Pan Saloon in the 1920s. The bar opened in 1879, but it was predated by a tent that served drinks on the spot starting in 1861. While it still has the look and feel of a boomtown bar, a few things have changed over the decades. Most recently, Carboy Winery opened a tasting room in the saloon in 2018.

Cruise Room (Denver)

Opened on the day after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the Cruise Room at the Oxford Hotel looks the part of a classic nightspot, with dim red lighting, vintage jukebox, and pitch-perfect decor inspired by a bar on the HMS Queen Mary cruise ship. Crafted by Denver artist Alley Story, Art Deco panels ring the room and depict toasts from around the world, like the Scandinavian “skål” and “kong chien” for China. It seems everyone has a story about the Cruise Room, including musician Jack White, who once filmed a video here.

Silver Dollar Saloon (Leadville)

Doc Holliday drank at the Silver Dollar Saloon while seeking relief from tuberculosis at high altitude. (He also shot a man right across the street.) Oscar Wilde and Molly Brown also tipped back a drink at the Silver Dollar in its illustrious history since opening as the Board of Trade in 1879. It still bears a close resemblance to the place that opened during the silver boom. The white oak back bar, mahogany front bar, and diamond dust mirrors are all original. The Brunswick Company in St. Louis crafted the woodwork, and shipping by covered wagon and train took three weeks.

The Wheel Bar (Estes Park)

Quirky and homey, Nagl’s World Famous Wheel Bar has been an Estes Park landmark for decades. Orlando Mike Nagl opened the place in 1945 in the former Josephine Hotel on Elkhorn Avenue, and it remains family-owned to this day. Originally called Mike’s Pool Hall, Nagl renamed it because it had emerged as the town’s social hub. Today, the place is a little bit like a museum with an impressive wheel collection, with a fitting motto: “Hangovers installed and serviced every day except Christmas since 1945.”

Face Bar (Central City)

Now under the auspices of the Central City Opera, the Face Bar at the historic Teller House is named for a legendary underfoot artwork: The Face on the Barroom Floor, by Herndon Davis. While Davis was working on some paintings for the opera house in 1936, he clashed with the director of the project, and left Central City with something to remember him by on the hotel’s shabby old barroom floor. He did it with the help of a bellboy in the wee hours of the night, as the manager and bartender refused to allow the painting. It gained enough notoriety that it was referenced in a Three Stooges movie within a year.