Colorado: Home to the Rocky Mountains, rivers, parks and other incredible natural wonders. In addition to all of this organic goodness, did you know that the Centennial State is also home to several amazing man-made landmarks? Take for instance these 10 enchanting examples:
Originally built sometime around 650 AD, Mesa Verde National Park features more than 4,300 sites (including 600 cliff dwellings) and is considered to be one of the best preserved Ancestral Puebloan archeological sites in the country. The designated Park was created by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and earned a spot on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
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2. Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site (Otero County)
Located near La Junta, Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site was built in 1833 as a place for trade among Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Plains Indians, as well as buffalo trappers. The impressive Fort was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960.
Another Ancestral Puebloan archaeological site in Colorado is the Lowry Pueblo, which is estimated to have been built around 1060 AD. The 40-room, multiple kiva dwelling was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
While the Gorge itself is a natural wonder, the breathtaking 1,260-foot long bridge (that cascades 955 feet above the Arkansas River) is an incredible man-made structure that became a member of the NRHP in 1983.
Much like the Royal Gorge Bridge, Red Rocks Amphitheatre isn't completely man-made (the rock formations are thought to be 290-296 million years ago), but features a popular 9,525-seat venue.
Located just down the road from the Royal Gorge are the extravagant Anasazi Indian Manitou Cliff Dwellings, which were moved from the Four Corners region to Manitou Springs in the early 1900s.
The spectacular, 17-spired structure has won multiple awards (including the American Institute of Architects' National Twenty-five Year Award) and was named a National Historic Landmark in 2004.
10. Hovenweep National Monument (Montezuma County)
A landmark we share with our neighbors to the west is Hovenweep; six groups of Ancestral Puebloan villages that were occupied between 6000 BC to approximately 200 AD. The well-kept villages became a National Monument in 1923.
Which man-made landmark is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
There are so many natural wonders in Colorado they could take years to explore. There's Garden of the Gods, Bridal Veil Falls, Great Sand Dunes National Park, and Maroon Bells, just to name a few. And then there are the man-made wonders in Colorado that are just as fascinating as the state's natural landmarks. For history buffs, a trip to Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site is always a great idea. Located in La Junta, a day trip to this man-made wonder can easily be taken from Pueblo, CO.
Located along the Arkansas River, once the border between U.S. and Mexico territories is Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site. Originally built by the Bent brothers in 1833, it was the site of a trading post along the Santa Fe Trail that had served as a peaceful trading spot between native tribes, traders, trappers, and travelers heading out west during the Westward Expansion. The U.S. Army would also procure supplies from the fort.
Trail leading to Bents Old Fort National Historic Site as a thunderstorm brews in the distance
It also served as a settlement as well as a staging area for the Army of the West during the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). As the most important trading post of its time, Bent's Old Fort had a run of 16 year as it was eventually abandoned in 1849. This was truly an important fort in its hey day.
United States, Colorado
Today, you can visit Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site to explore a reconstructed version of the old adobe fort, an impressive man-made wonder of its time. Also of great interest on the property is a reconstructed version of the trading post as it had appeared in the 1840s. Inside, you'll get to take a step back in time as you view items similar to what was available for trade between the Bent brothers and the native tribes when it was in operation nearly 200 years ago.
As a visitor, you can enjoy living history demonstrations that give a sense of what life was like around the fort in the mid-1800s. Historic exhibits showcase the history and culture of the Native Americans in this area during the time of Westward Expansion.
Have you visited Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, one of the most fascinating man-made wonders in Colorado? What did you think when you were there? Tell us about your experience in the comments.
To learn more about Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, visit the National Park Service website. If you plan on an overnight getaway to La Junta, you can retire for the evening at the highly-rated La Junta Colorado Cabins.
Rising like a pink Phoenix above a strip mall in a seedy section of the Denver suburb of Lakewood, Casa Bonita stands as a rosy beacon that draws throngs of visitors – folks who come more for the experience than the food, really – to its doors. Shiny and new, this Colorado attraction experienced a literal rebirth in 2023 after a much-lamented demise.
Casa Bonita first opened its doors in 1974, and over the next almost half-century, it became a beloved institution to Front Rangers and visitors alike. Its position as a cultural icon was cemented in a 2003 episode of South Park, in which it was dubbed the "Disneyland of Mexican restaurants." Known for famously bad food – with the exception of its beloved sopapillas (we'll get to them later) – and increasingly threadbare kitsch, Fortuna spun down on Casa Bonita, and in 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic cast its pall over the country, the restaurant entered bankruptcy and was shuttered.
The Power of Nostalgia
Casa Bonita's salvation came in the form of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park, who held a deep-seated nostalgia for the restaurant. They purchased Casa Bonita for $3.1 million in September 2021, and prior to reopening in 2023, the duo had reportedly spent another $40 million renovating the eatery, including updates to the exterior and the addition of four new bars. It's one thing to have the means to undertake such a project, but it's a whole other thing to put so much into what is, essentially, a labor of love. But, I guess nostalgia is a powerful thing.
In fact, research demonstrates that periods of adversity – like the pandemic or increasingly divisive times – increase humans' desire to experience places, things, and even media that they enjoyed when they were younger. Although there's certainly some anticipation that they'll be able to recoup at least some of their expenditures, nostalgia is clearly a big part of what drove Parker and Stone to revive Casa Bonita – their 2024 documentary about the process, ¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!, says as much.
Casa Bonita Redux
I didn't grow up in Colorado and had never visited Casa Bonita v1, so I don't share in the nostalgia that motivated Parker and Stone to sink a sizable chunk of their fortunes into the spot and that drove Denverites to queue up in... well, droves. But the hype around the reborn icon caught my attention, and my daughter happened to live in Lakewood, so as soon as the reservation books opened, we both started trying to get on the list.
After months of waiting (and frankly, kinda forgetting about it), we got an email inviting us to make a reservation at some point during an upcoming two-week window. As luck would have it, the window included a trip to Denver that I had already planned and coincided with my daughter's birthday. My Dad heart leapt, because (1) I finally had a chance to visit Casa Bonita with mi Hija Bonita, and (2) I no longer had to figure out what to do for her birthday (score!).
We left my nearby Lakewood hotel – the Fairfield Inn and Suites – and rolled into the parking lot on a Saturday night: It was packed. We eventually found a spot and then joined the check-in line for our time slot, which snaked around the fountain out front. And waited. It took 20 minutes or so until we were finally ushered through the security checkpoint (they're serious – be sure to read the fine print about what you can and can't bring in with you) and put in a snaking indoor line to place our food orders and be led to our seats.
Dinner and non-alcoholic drinks are included in the price of admission ($40 per person when we visited). You choose from a half-dozen or so entrée combos, then place your order in a buffet-style line and wait for a host to grab your tray of food and lead you to your table.
We followed our tray-laden host down a hallway and then out into the heart of Casa Bonita, a dark, cavernous room lined with faux cave walls, past a mariachi band, and around the edge of the palm-tree-lined pool where the "cliff" divers perform throughout the night, dodging other guests as we went. The experience felt less Disneyland and more like a mariachi-infused Midsummer Night's Dream, with the darkness, feasting, and dizzying cacophony of entertainment and decor in a labyrinthine space with no clear way out.
Once seated, a server took our drink orders, and we sat back to soak in the experience. In the interest of improving Casa Bonita's culinary reputation, Parker and Stone hired James Beard Award-nominee Dana Rodriguez to spiff up the menu. Our table of three had each ordered a different meal option. I had the beef suadero with green chiles; my daughter, carnitas tacos; and her friend, chicken mole. All came with rice and beans, a cabbage salad, and chips and salsa for the table. Although we had no baseline to say whether it had improved or not, my two companions and I thought the food was pretty good (especially given the volumes in which it had to be prepared for each nightly seating), with generous portions and a reasonable price point, if you consider the overall experience.
We had an excellent view of the action from our seats, and after our server brought us our much-anticipated sopapillas - deep-fried sweet dough sprinkled with sugar and drizzled with honey (no, we didn't raise the flag for more) – we grabbed our drinks and set out to explore. The first item on our agenda was to find a front-and-center spot for the next diving performance, which happens approximately every 20 minutes. It was definitely a spectacle and lived up to the expectation.
From the diving pool, we roamed from grotto to grotto, through ersatz caves and mine shafts, past bars, puppet shows, and more musicians. There's a game room—the Root Beer Cantina—for those so inclined, but we were mostly interested in the place itself and our fellow customers.
We also picked out a few nods to South Park, such as a roaming ManBearPig – whose hoofprint, is embedded in a cave floor and a glimpse of whom we just missed catching – as well as Eric Cartman's table. I'm sure we missed others, but by the time we'd had our fill of exploring, things were starting to shut down, and it was time to make our exit – through the gift shop, El Mercado, of course.
While I don't share the same nostalgia for Casa Bonita that Parker and Stone – and, presumably, a large number of their fellow Coloradans – do, there's something special here. Letting go of reality for a little bit and just enjoying an otherworldly adventure was certainly a treat, and maybe that sparked a little nostalgia in my middle-aged mind.
What really made the moment special for me was watching my twenty-something-year-old daughter revel in the experience, eyes wide and a smile on her face, like she was a young girl again. As a dad, sharing that kind of moment with my adult daughter definitely made me feel nostalgic for when she and her brother were little. So, I do kind of get the whole Casa Bonita thing after all.
