Entry No. 91 — the Colorado Springs file — filed under: outdoor
Old Colorado City History Center
Old Colorado City was a rowdy 1859 gold-rush town that predated Colorado Springs — and when prim, dry Colorado Springs banned booze next door, the saloons here stayed wet. Story has it merchants dug tunnels under Colorado Avenue connecting the taverns on the south side to the brothels over on Cucharras Street, so respectable men could slip in unseen and keep their names clean. The tunnels are sealed up now, but this free, volunteer-run little museum keeps the seedy side alive in photos and artifacts — and the historical society made a self-guided phone tour so you can walk the avenue and stand right over where they ran.
The move: Start in the free History Center, then walk Colorado Avenue with the historical society's self-guided seedy-history tour — stand over the sealed saloon-to-brothel tunnels and pick out the old red-light blocks on Cucharras before ducking into a present-day bar.
📍 Before you go The museum is 100% volunteer-run and can close unexpectedly — call before you go. The tunnels themselves are sealed and not enterable; the draw is the stories and walking the streets above them.
- 📍 Old Colorado City
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoor or outdoor
Where: 1 S 24th St, Colorado Springs, CO 80904
Hours: Tue–Sat 11am–4pm (summer) / 11am–2pm (winter). Free. Volunteer-run — call ahead (719) 636-1225.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: occhs.org · denvergazette.com · cpr.org
last checked: 2026-06-27