On my way up from Texas, I stopped in Pueblo, Colorado, for a few days. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I enjoyed this small city quite a bit! (It also helped that it was the first proper city I had been to in a few days…) Pueblo has a fantastic Riverwalk area, a great downtown, a few museums, and a historic city park with a zoo. As a visitor, Pueblo makes a great weekend destination.
El Pueblo History Museum
I’ll begin with the El Pueblo History Museum, which is a great way to understand the history and culture of the city. Realizing Pueblo is a steel town makes driving around town make a lot of sense. It’s not a big museum – you can easily tour it in about an hour.
The bulk of the El Pueblo History Museum is one hall with several exhibit alcoves. One details the now-demolished Mineral Palace (and the absolute refusal to let Denverites take it over.) “Borderlands of Southern Colorado” is the most history-heavy, covering the land, first settlers, and the changing borderline between Mexico and the United States. I hadn’t realized the Mexican border was this far north! This exhibit speaks to the people who changed countries without moving an inch.
Another large exhibit has to do with the steel industry in Pueblo and the huge steel-workers’ strikes of the ’80s-’90s. In the hallway is a large tipi with a dress up & play area behind. On the walls is a history of the hunting of buffalo to drive the native population out. During the summer, you can walk down a hallway to an outside plaza, recreating an 1840s adobe trading post. Not far from the front entrance is a covered archeological dig of the actual trading post from 1842.
Free Community Gallery
An extra community gallery is free to visit at the back of the gift shop, and it might be my favorite part of the El Pueblo Museum right now. The current exhibit features art by Gregg Deal, an indigenous contemporary artist (in several disciplines) who lives in Colorado. His work is very powerful, and I’m really glad I have been introduced to it. I wish I were better at critiquing art to better explain why I like it so much. It has to do with usurping accepted imagery to reveal my own blind spots. Plus, there’s one image of a young boy that will just break your heart to pieces.
Hours & Admission
El Pueblo History Museum is open Monday-Saturday, 10 am-4 pm. It’s closed Sundays and on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. There is free parking on-site, and it’s right downtown near the Riverwalk and plenty of dining options.
Admission for adults is just $7, and $5 for veterans and seniors 60+. Kids 18 and under a free all the time. I suspect the museum hosts a lot of school groups. You can buy tickets online, but I won’t say it’s necessary.
Historic Arkansas Riverwalk
One of the biggest draws to downtown Pueblo is the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk. It’s almost like a mini San Antonio Riverwalk with boat tours, string lights, and restaurants on the water. Plus, there’s an extra lake with paddleboats to rent. On the opposite end from the lake is a small park with an amphitheater where you can see the river/stream in its more natural state.
It is a little gross in the winter, however. The water level is all the way to the bottom of the concrete canal. And, during my visit, there was a bulldozer scraping mud and debris off the bottom. But even so, it’s nice to walk around and look at the sculptures everywhere. At Gateway Park, next to the Convention Center, there’s a depiction of Goodnight and Loving on the cattle trail (who I learned about down in Abilene.) And at night, the lights are pretty to look at. I definitely recommend dinner downtown and an evening stroll along the Pueblo Riverwalk.
Costs
The Riverwalk is free to visit, and you can see it 24 hours a day. (And it doesn’t look like it would be sketchy even in the middle of the night.) Parking is just whatever you can find downtown, which might be paid. I parked once at the El Pueblo History Museum, and once in a large lot next to Pueblo Memorial Hall, both for free.
If you visit between May and September and catch a boat ride, those generally cost $8 and under. There’s a 2-seat gondola you can rent (with a gondolier) for $10 per adult. The pedal boats on the lake cost $12 for 30 minutes. The boats generally run between noon and 8 pm, though not always on weekdays, especially in the shoulder season. Check here for updated hours & prices.
Pueblo Zoo & City Park
At a bit of a distance from downtown Pueblo is the Pueblo Zoo in City Park. I was expecting a smaller place, more like the Chattanooga Zoo. And while it definitely isn’t a big one, they have lions and several exhibits of red pandas, and penguins, so it’s not as small as you might think. I like the historical aspect of it, some older CCC-built buildings and historic bear pits. It’s fun to think about what it might have been like back in the day.
However, due to the age of the zoo, some of the enclosures seem a bit inadequate for the animals in them. I loved seeing the red pandas move around, but they did seem a little agitated. (Maybe for reasons other than their cages.) I was very impressed by the Islands of Life building, which has a pirate ship jammed in it! More than anything, it’s a nice place to walk around on a pretty day.
Hours & Admission
The Pueblo Zoo is open 9-5 in May-September, and 9-4 October-April. Last admission is always an hour before closing. Parking is free and there’s a generous lot available.
The price for admission is $14 for adults, $11 for seniors, and $10 for kids 3-17. Children under 3 are free. Those with military ID cost $11 for adults and $7 for kids. There’s $3 admission under the Museums For All program.
City Park
The rest of City Park is very nice too. Right outside the zoo entrance is a small kid’s amusement park with a historic carousel and several rides, including a small roller coaster. It was all closed when I visited in January, but it looks fun, with plenty of open lawn and picnic tables nearby. The rest of City Park holds ball fields, a swimming pool, a dog park, a disc golf course, and a skateboard park.
Rosemount Museum
One of the recommended things to do in Pueblo is the Rosemount house museum. I went by for a visit, but it turns out it is generally closed in January. I took some pictures of the outside instead.
If you want to visit, make sure to arrive between 10 am and 2:30 pm on a Tuesday-Saturday. The last tour starts at 2:30. It costs $8 for adults, $6 for seniors 60+, $4 for kids 6-18, and free for children 5 and under.
Goodnight Barn
Pertaining to the Goodnight-Loving Trail mentioned above, you can see Charles Goodnight’s original barn. It’s been restored, and I think must be used for special events only, rather than being open like a museum. You really can’t even park next to it, but there’s a large gravel lot nearby that serves the walkers, fishermen, and bird watchers for the trails next to the Arkansas River and some fishing ponds. You’d have to park and walk over to it.
It’s a little bit out of town, but pretty much down the street from City Park mentioned above. In fact, it’s really nice that this spot, which is pretty much wilderness, is only a 10-minute drive from downtown Pueblo. If you go a little further out, you can reach a dam and fish hatchery at the Pueblo Reservoir. Surrounding the reservoir are beaches, campgrounds, marinas, and a state park.
Pueblo River Trail & Levee Mural
Besides the historic downtown Riverwalk, there is a larger Pueblo River Trail system that runs along the Arkansas River. 30 miles of trails connect all the way from the University and Pueblo Mall area to the north, south around downtown Pueblo, then west past Lake Pueblo (the Pueblo Reservoir mentioned above.)
A large section of the river near downtown runs through a levee, built after a devastating flood in the 1920s. Along the sides of the levee, you can see murals painted on the walls, and was once the longest mural in the world at around three miles. I’m not sure if that’s true anymore, but the River Trail is worth checking out, and not just for the walk in nature. I saw this view from the access point near Rocco’s Riverside Deli, which #1, is a good place to eat, but #2, is not on the water. You must walk or drive down a biggish hill to get to the river/levee.
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