Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WORTH A TRIP
GOLD IN THEM HILLS - GAMBLING AT COLORADO'S HISTORIC MINING
TOWNS
Colorado re-legalized low-stakes gambling in 1991 in historic mining towns such as Black Hawk and Central
City. The stakes have gone up, with voters raising maximum bet limits to $100 in 2008. The Wild West towns still
have the cool storefronts, which now lead into modern large-scale hotels and casinos such as
Ameristar
(
720-946-4000;
www.ameristar.com
; 111 Richman St, Blackhawk; r $99-209; ).
Black Hawk
(
www.blackhawkcolorado.com
) Colorado's biggest gambling town has 18 casinos, plus hotels,
spas, nearby hiking trails and all-you-can-eat buffets. Think Vegas, Wild West style. They have all the major
games, and betting goes up to $100 on a single wager.
Central City
(
www.centralcitycolorado.com
) Just a mile from Black Hawk, Central City has fewer big casinos
and makes for better shopping and bopping around the historic town center. It even has an
opera company
(
303-292-6700;
www.centralcityopera.org
; 124 Eureka St; opera tickets from $20).
