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SPONSOR LISTINGS
Visit the official site for the Durango & Silverton Railroad or call 877-872-4607
Bar D Chuckwagon
970.247.5753 - 888.800.5753
Durango
Great Western stage show and delicious barbeque supper. Open nightly Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Reservations required.
Natalia's Family Restaurant
970.387.5300 - Silverton
Just 60 feet from where the train stops! Affordable family dining, serving hot American, Italian, and Mexican favorites.
Strater Hotel
699 Main Ave. - Durango
970.247.4431
Get on board and experience the charm, history and excitement.
Inside the Strater:
Mahogany Grille
Henry Strater Theater
The Jewelry Works
965 Main Ave - Durangp
970.247.3173
Creators of custom one-of-a-kind jewelry.
Silver Summit
970-387-0240 - Silverton
Full and half day jeep rentals - ghost towns, waterfalls, wildflowers, wildlife.
Grand Imperial Hotel
800.341.3340 - Silverton
Featured in John Fielder's "Best of Colorado". Live Honky tonk piano. Also Grumpy's Restaurant and Saloon. Breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. Full bar with local micro-brews.
Southern Ute Cultural Center & Museum
Opening June 2011
Telluride
800.854.3062
Venture back in time and stroll along main street where Butch Cassidy once roamed.
Sky Ute Casino
970.563.7777 - Ignacio
14324 Hwy 172 N
After the train ride, come visit us for all your fun.
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Take a "Second Look" at Durango's Second Avenue
Often considered among Historic Downtown Durango's best kept secrets, East Second Avenue is certainly worth a walk up the hill. Indeed, it's a unique destination with a personality all its own.
When the founding fathers set out to define Durango in the late 1800s, East Second Avenue, between 5th and 12th Streets, was conceived as the buffer separating the hustle and bustle of Main Avenue and the stately residences and churches on Third. It would become home to civic offices and, as Durango grew, Second Avenue also adopted an "industrial" flavor. Though vital to residents, these businesses weren't especially sought after by visitors.
 Early in the 1990s, however, the Komick/ Wildfang family launched a renaissance, beginning with the renovation of a rundown boarding house and hotel, which brought back to life the now highly-prized and historic Leland House and Rochester Hotel. They continued the effort with some of the smaller adjacent residential properties that have taken on new life as, for example, interesting and unique retail offerings and restaurants such as Cyprus Café, fine dining with a Mediterranean flair.
Even if not enjoying an overnight stay at the Leland House and Rochester Hotel - two separate buildings that face each other on opposite sides of Second Avenue - the establishment is well worth a visit. Designated as "The Flagship Hotel of Colorado" by Conde
Nast -Traveler (1996), the buildings are veritable history museums - the Leland honoring Durango's early leaders and "characters," and the Rochester featuring Durango's past as "The Hollywood of the Rockies."
By 1996, Steamworks Brewing Co. and the Durango Arts Center had redefined the now designated historical buildings once known more for the automobiles they housed than the food, fun and culture of today. Because they are historic buildings, the businesses have
necessarily fit their operations to the buildings, making each one-of-a-kind.
The avenue continues to evolve, and is filled with a number of interesting treasures just waiting to be discovered, including playful and unusual public art pieces scattered up and down the avenue. Second Avenue may be "up the hill" and slightly off the proverbial beaten path, but it is truly worth a "second look." |
