Visitors can stroke sea stars and horseshoe crabs in the sea life touch zone, hold Rosie the tarantula, stroll on the outdoor nature trail, and watch bees while learning how vital they are to the future of the planet. The Butterfly Pavilion and Insect Center have educational programs for all ages, from young children to seniors, and a gift shop filled with interesting items.
The castle continued to grow and eventually become known as the Bishop Castle. As the Castle grew larger, it gained popularity. Throughout the years, volunteers would verbally agree to help Bishop build the castle, but they would never show up. Eventually, Bishop stopped seeking out volunteer builders and decided to finish the castle by himself. The Bishop Castle is known as the country’s largest castle that was built by one man.
The Mile High City boasts the Great American Beer Festival, one of the country’s largest gathering of brewers and beer tastings. It’s held over three days in late September / early October. Palisade is Colorado’s wine capital, so it’s only fitting that one attend the Colorado Mountain Winefest there in September. Distillers have grown so rapidly that there are now festivals dedicated to liquor, including the Breckenridge Craft Spirits Festival in October.
The forty-five mile trip takes four and a half hours to ride, as it is still coal-fired, and winds along narrow mountain paths and in and out of canyons. Historic narration is available on the trains for interested tourists. Both the Silverton and Durango ends of the line have railroad museums; the Durango Museum contains artifacts pertaining to the history of railroading, and the Silverton Museum displays a Baldwin Locomotive from 1902 in the original 1882 Depot.
