Entry No. 37 — the Denver file — filed under: history
Old Elitch Carousel Dome (with floor labyrinth)
On the corner where Berkeley meets Tennyson sits a 12-sided, bell-roofed pavilion built in 1926 that most people walk past assuming it's a shuttered event hall. It held the original Elitch Gardens carousel until 1995 -- and now that the horses are gone, an 11-circuit labyrinth is laid right into the floor where they used to spin. There's a small plaque inside but almost no signage out front, so you have to already know to look. Walk it on a quiet weekday and you've got the whole strange little rotunda to yourself.
The move: Walk the floor labyrinth slowly together in the empty 1926 dome, then drift two blocks up Tennyson for coffee or a drink and trade what you each thought about on the way in.
📍 Before you go The dome anchors the southwest corner of W 38th Ave and Tennyson St (around 3775 Tennyson) in Berkeley, sitting right at the foot of the Tennyson Street shops — so park on a side street and approach on foot; there's no marked entrance, and it reads as a closed event hall from the curb. Go in daylight and ideally on a weekday, when you're most likely to have the rotunda to yourselves. Heads-up: it gets blocked off through the holidays for a seasonal Christmas-tree lot, and private rentals can close it without notice, so have a backup. Treat it as the quiet, contemplative space it is. Berkeley Lake Park is a short stroll if you want to keep wandering.
- 📍 Berkeley / Tennyson Street
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: SW corner of W 38th Ave & Tennyson St, Denver, CO 80212 (the old Elitch carousel pavilion; labyrinth is set into the floor inside the dome)
Hours: Generally accessible during daylight hours; the pavilion is also rentable for private events, so the interior/labyrinth may occasionally be closed off. Verify before a special trip.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Facebook
last checked: 2026-06-07