Guide to visiting Cripple Creek, Colorado

This post is part of our Pikes Peak/Colorado Springs area guide. If you haven't read the other posts in our guide, start at this post. Or visit http://asweuseit.blogspot.com/2018/07/guide-to-visiting-pikes-peak-and.html 

Cripple Creek, Colorado was a great addition to our trip. It's a small, old mining town. Honestly, I loved how much history was just seeping out of every corner of this place. Small, abandoned (meaning: do not go explore!) houses from a long-gone era dotted the landscape, and many old buildings have been kept up to house current businesses.

Cripple Creek is still greatly a gambling town. However, if gambling isn't your thing, there are plenty of family things to do as well. Including a cute little candy shop with the yummiest pumpkin turtles and another shop with super tall ice cream cones. There are a couple of museums and a chance to mine (but we only got to visit one museum, and that is the one I will share with you today).

The Outlaws and Lawmen Jail Museum was very interesting. However, it was hard to find. We kept asking people and no one knew where to find it. To our chagrin, it is way up the hill from the main casinos/train area. And, to our greater chagrin, we found out after we walked all the way up the hill that the bus goes right past there. Oh well, now you know at least.

We got to see the men's cells downstairs and then the women and children's area upstairs. There are pictures and stories of past inmates all over that we loved to read as well, and we took our mug shots. They had a little shop downstairs (where we found a better deal on a stuffed donkey than we had found at the train shop). If visitors wanted, they could dress up in prisoner garb to take awesome pictures.

By the way, this town is known apparently for their roaming donkeys. Unfortunately, we missed them and so we can't comment on that. However, there were places to buy food for them, and we still took home a cute, stuffed donkey.

My favorite part of Cripple Creek was the rail road. I'll warn you, its pricy. We did find a coupon on their website, but it was still so worth it. However, we are a family that loves history and looking at old buildings and claims and rocks. I think this ride will be something that I remember when I look back on this years from now. However, if cool train rides and history isn't your thing, then don't. For us, it was very worth it.

Tip: Take a grocery bag with you on this train ride. Because someone gave us a hint that if you asked nicely the conductor would let you pull the whistle and choose a piece of coal. Thus the grocery bag for the piece of coal. Also bring wipes for the little ones to wipe their hands on, because coal is dirty.

Ralf's Break Room, where we ate lunch, was so yummy! I wasn't sure when we first walked in, because the table was sticky and it was obviously an older, bar-type establishment. However, the area in the front was more of a family area and the food was so good! Our group ordered hamburgers and pizza, and both were extremely good. However, the hamburgers were unspeakingly yummy. As soon as I picked up the burger and all of the drippings started pooling on my plate/basket, I knew I was in for a treat. The pizza was yummy too, and the waitress said that they make their own dough.

 

I would suggest going through the visitor's center that you'll reach before driving down into Cripple Creek. You can learn about the history of the mining area (which is still being mined, by the way), see some art and taxidermy, etc. 

Lots of things close early around here, so after we were done we ended up just driving around the city to see the old buildings and houses. Which was nice because we could be in our air conditioned car for that point. 

Have you been to Cripple Creek? What is your favorite part?