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But Baker residents are pushing back. Luke T. wrote to us recently to defend South Broadway as the vibrant restaurant/retail district it always has been, and still is:
“[The] reactionary [declaration] ‘South Broadway is dead!’ is a corny and unnecessary lash to the other businesses in the area. … I'd love to see a highlight of the great businesses that are doing their damndest day in and day out to keep our community beautiful and thriving.”
And Luke’s right — while it’s sad to see some old faves leave the area, the neighborhood still has plenty to offer. It’s time to reacquaint yourself with South Broadway:
And of course, don’t miss the new Michelin-honored Chinese food paradise, MAKfam.
🎵 Art, Music, and Entertainment
Hi-Dive is still the area’s local go-to for cheap drinks, live music, and funky vibes.
The Mayan Theatre is not only one of Denver’s most beautiful cinemas, but also one of the last-standing jewels of Denver’s film history where cinephiles can still catch the occasional indie or foreign flick.
Longtime South Broadway tenant FashioNation, an edgy independent fashion boutique, just moved into a more spacious storefront two blocks away.
TRVE Brewing continues to be Denver’s only “true metal” brewery.
✨ New to the Scene
In addition to all the South Broadway O.G.’s, the neighborhood has more recently welcomed the South Broadway Country Club for indoor golf, Chaos Bloom Theater offering improv and sketch comedy classes, and LaTinto Café serving up traditional Colombian coffee and pastries.
Even those of us that have stable jobs, happy family relationships, and adequate housing can find that sometimes, things just don't seem to go the way we necessarily expect. I've always struggled with depression, and a few years ago, I was going through a particularly rough patch. My mental health was down the drain and life felt stagnant. I was temporarily in between housing arrangements, which meant that I was away from my beloved pets. I have a lot of animals, and I love them, but they can make it a little difficult to take spur-of-the-moment vacations.
I'm typically not able to take lengthy trips more than a handful of times a year, and any sort of excursion involves extensive planning and instructions for the house sitter to care for my horde. But at this time, I was alone, with no one relying on me coming home and no one to feed but myself. It should have been a freeing feeling, but in my current state of mind, it just felt bad.
I do a lot of work with local animal rescues here in Georgia and it's something I'm quite passionate about. It's not uncommon for me to handle transporting a stranger's cats an hour or two away for a neuter, and I've frequently taken brief day trips to bring dogs or cats to nearby cities if there were fosters or rescues able to take them in. At this time, I happened to be chatting with a fellow rescuer who mentioned that the local animal control had a few dogs that needed a ride to Colorado. Like many municipal animal shelters in the South, ours was full, and at that time, the Centennial State had a shortage of dogs and an abundance of adopters. I'd mentioned that I was temporarily pet-less and she asked if I'd be interested in transporting two dogs across the country to Colorado.
Honestly, I didn't even have to think: I immediately said yes. I came to my office job the next day and asked my manager if it would be possible for me to take a few days off. She asked if I was going to see my parents, who lived across the state, and I said no, that I'd be going to Colorado... and the unique part about it was that I had to be back in just three and a half days.
I was allowed to borrow a van from a local rescue so I didn't have to take my poor old sedan on the trip, but the catch was that they needed it back in just a few days for another transport. That gave me about half a week to drive Brendan the boxer mix and Sadie the lab mix the 1,460 miles to Denver, drop them off at a foster home, then get back, with no one to assist with driving.
Honestly, I don't remember too much about the drive there. I was in a haze of depression and enjoying the rush of adrenaline that comes from a last-minute trip like this. The journey there was a chaotic itinerary of fast food, sleeping on the floor in the back of the van between the dog crates for warmth, and stopping every few hours to take them on leashed walks through gas station parking lots.
The one thing I do remember, though, is my arrival in Denver. I safely dropped Brendan and Sadie off at their new foster home and I had less than an hour to spend in the city after that. I'm accustomed to meandering my way through vacations, stopping at thrift stores, poking around book shops, grabbing a coffee -- no real timeline or care in the world as to when I arrive at my final destination. This was an entirely different beast, and the clock was ticking.
I briefly considered taking a trip into the Mile-High City to see the sights, but I've been to big cities before, and I didn't want to risk getting stuck in traffic. I browsed Google for a bit, panicking at the time I was wasting deciding, and then finally landed on a destination: I'd hit up Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre in Morrison, just outside of Denver.
Red Rocks Amphitheater at Sunrise, near Denver Colorado
I'm a huge fan of live music, and this is probably the country's best-known outdoor venue. Jimi Hendrix, U2, The Grateful Dead, John Denver, Rush, and countless other huge names have performed here over the years. The day that I was there had no music, but it was still the most incredible experience of my life.
Road through Red Rocks Park near Denver, Colorado.
I've been up and down the East Coast and I've seen plenty of mountains, including those in North Georgia and New York, but I've truly never witnessed anything like the landscape surrounding the amphitheater at Red Rocks. Now these, these were mountains.
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Seeing the towering infinite landscape around me somehow made me feel simultaneously oh-so small and also a part of the world in a way I had never felt before. It didn't cure me, of course - I knew I'd still have my housing issues when I returned back to Georgia, but I was shocked how much the natural beauty touched me so, so deeply and made me feel whole. The entire trip felt like a grounding experience that I've never felt before or since. I walked along a trail for a little bit and then sat up on a rock overlooking the view and cried, because the overwhelming rush of emotions was as big as the rocks that surrounded me.
It's six years later now, I own my own home and I've yet to return to Red Rocks, but I think of that trip so, so often. It may not have been my most relaxing vacation, but it was an unforgettable experience that reminded me just how scenic America can be and how much adventure is always waiting, if you're only willing to go out and discover it.
Colorado’s Bishop Castle Was Built By One Man Over 60 Years and It Will Blow Your Mind
After living in Colorado for over a decade, I finally made it to Bishop Castle - a well-known, multi-story, several thousand square foot, free-admission landmark built by one man over more than half a century. It was even more amazing than I imagined!
I moved to Colorado in 2013. Soon after, I heard about an interesting attraction called Bishop Castle. It was in Rye, an off-the-beaten path, small town about three hours south of Denver. A very good friend of mine from New York saw something about it in a Colorado guidebook, and it seemed interesting to us. He made me promise to “save it” and wait until he visited to check it out. I agreed.
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Although that friend visited me in Colorado many times over the past decade, we never made it down to Rye; we were always busy doing other things when he came to town. So, last month, in September 2024, I decided I’d put off my Bishop Castle adventure long enough and made a detour to stop by it with another friend on my way back to Denver from Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.
I’m so glad that I did! I do hope to bring my New York friend to see it on his next Colorado visit, because now I realize this free, gigantic, impressive, and unusual attraction is absolutely worth the drive and effort to reach it. It far exceeded my expectations, and I can’t wait to go back again.
Photo by Christy Articola
So, what is Bishop Castle, anyway? Why is there a castle in rural Colorado? The answers to these questions all lead back to a man named Jim Bishop. Bishop Castle, a three-story structure with vast windows, winding staircases, and two towers - one of which reaches 160 feet in height - was built entirely by him over a period of sixty years.
That’s right. Brick by brick, Jim Bishop built an entire castle - by himself and on his own. And today, you can visit it for free and explore it be overwhelmed by wonder.
When Jim Bishop was 15 years old, he bought the land upon which Bishop Castle sits for $450, and he soon started building a small cottage using found materials from the surrounding land. As he began to stack rocks to create the walls, locals jokingly asked if he was building a castle.
Photo by Christy Articola
This was all the inspiration that Jim Bishop needed. From that point forward, he continued to build until he was no longer able to build anymore. Over the following 60 years, the castle that stands on the property came into being - and it’s an incredibly impressive sight to see.
Bishop Castle is made almost entirely of stone that Jim Bishop took from the adjacent national forest land. There’s also a vast amount of wrought iron which was used to create supports, railings, stairways, and walkways. The windows are of course made of glass, and the flooring is wood. Jim Bishop created the entire castle without blueprints or any real plan; he simply put it together, piece by piece, and added new and interesting features as they appeared in his mind.
Today, Bishop Castle is open to the public and it’s free to visit. Donations are welcome, and there’s a gift shop onsite selling Bishop Castle merchandise, too. Jim Bishop is still alive, but his days of building are long past. Some days, he’s present on site and is available for questions and conversation about his masterpiece.
Photo by Christy Articola
I made it to top and immediately, my concerns about safety were tossed aside in favor of wonder. I couldn’t believe the size and beauty of the large, central room I entered first. It was like walking into a church. Three huge, many-paned windows and a glass ceiling allowed natural light to enter while offering views of the surrounding forest and mountains. The interior space was empty but was surely large enough for a group of over 100 people to comfortably gather for a party or event. Open archways on both sides of the room led to stairs.
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Photo by Christy Articola
Now that I was inside, I felt a lot more confident about my safety. It was clear that this castle was very solid and that it was not going to crumble or disintegrate in any way any time soon. In fact, even if unmaintained, I truly believe that Bishop Castle would stand on its own for centuries to come. Jim Bishop constructed his castle to last for the long term.
My companion and I next decided to climb one of the towers. I chose one at random and started my ascent. Unknowingly, I chose the shorter of the two towers - but it was still quite tall. The stairs seemed to continue forever upward until I finally reached the top.
I’m not afraid of heights under normal circumstances, but when I saw how high up we were, and felt the strong breeze at the top, I definitely got a little nervous. I held on tight and looked at the beautiful views all around. We snapped a few pictures and soon went back down to the main chamber.
I was quite tired after this part of the adventure, but my companion decided to climb the stairs to the second, taller tower - and next time I go, I certainly will, too. He said that this one was even more terrifying, despite the structure clearly being very solid - but he’s glad he went to the top. Meanwhile, I went down the stairs to the area below the main chamber and checked that out. Stone archways offered a true castle feel, and stained-glass windows were a very nice touch as well.
Photo by Christy Articola
After we reconvened, we stayed a bit longer and took lots of photos. It was great that we had the place to ourselves. It was like we were in a giant playhouse built for adults, and we felt like we were king and queen of this castle. Together, we marveled at this incredible work of art and continued to point out various details to one another. We were absolutely amazed by this castle and were filled with wonder. It’s truly incredible in every way regardless, but when you stop and take a moment to remember and recognize that it was built by a single human being - a man with zero architectural or construction training and without help from anyone else - it becomes nearly unbelievable.
Bishop Castle far exceeded my expectations for it and I am so glad that I finally made it to Rye to see it for myself. I will surely return to it time and time again in the years to come, and I am excited to spread the word to you, dear reader, and to anyone else who will listen. Hooray for Jim Bishop and hooray for Bishop Castle. There is likely nothing else like this castle in the entire world, and we are so lucky to have it right here in Colorado.
