Hit the Road to See Colorado’s Historic Opera Houses

Five former mining towns show off ornate buildings to highlight music and the past

a piano sits on the stage of an opera house

During Colorado’s mining boom, millionaire miners invested in cultural and arts venues such as opera houses. The Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, was built in 1879.

Craig Hensel/Courtesy Tabor Opera House

Mindy Sink,

AARP

Published April 28, 2025

Summer is the perfect time for hitting the open road in search of unforgettable memories – and Colorado’s Historic Opera House Circuit offers a uniquely cultural twist on the classic road trip. This route guides vacationers through some of the state’s storied mining towns, where grand opera houses still echo the opulence of Colorado’s mining heyday.

In the mid-to-late 1800s, gold and silver mining in Colorado made some prospectors very rich. These millionaire miners wanted to show off that money with splashy cultural and arts investments. To spruce up their small mountain towns, these newly rich people built ornate opera houses where live performances became the talk of the town.

As tastes in entertainment and fortunes changed, these opera houses were shuttered and forgotten. Decades later, the venues were restored so visitors could see a show (not always opera again) and appreciate the detailed designs of the past.

The Colorado Historic Opera Houses Circuit launched in June 2022 as towns and opera houses reopened after COVID-19, says Donna Childress, principal of Childress Communications, who acts as a contractor overseeing a grant for the circuit.

Although opera houses across the country are striving to attract what they call “new audiences,” a report by Opera America, which serves the opera community, found that people 55 and older make up the largest age demographic of “ongoing” audience members. The report surveyed 11,000 operagoers from 2020 to 2024.

“As a collaboration of five opera houses in Colorado mountain towns, … we are able to bring more attention to the music scene across Colorado than the individual opera houses can do on their own,” Childress says.

Two opera houses offer opera performances, while the others offer tours and live entertainment options.

From Denver, you’ll be heading west into the mountains. The Colorado Opera House Circuit website offers a trip planner with suggested itineraries for a scenic summer road trip in the Rocky Mountains of at least seven days. Learn how much time to budget for the journey and explore each stop to plan the perfect cultural layovers along the way. Start your road trip!

Central City Opera is the fifth-oldest opera company in the country. The opera house first opened in 1878.

Eric Chinn/Courtesy Central City Opera House

Central City Opera, Central City

Central City Opera first opened in 1878, 35 miles west of Denver in the Rocky Mountains. Once called the “richest square mile on earth” for its gold mines, Central City was founded by miners in 1859 and went through various boom and bust cycles over the years. The 550-seat opera house closed in the late 1800s and reopened in 1932 after a restoration. It is recognized as a National Historic Landmark, the fifth-oldest opera company in the country, and the second-oldest summer opera company in the U.S.

Today, Central City combines casinos with preserved historic buildings, such as the opera house and a former hotel. Lodging at casinos is available for overnight stays, or you can take a day trip from Denver. The opera season is from June 28 through Aug. 3, 2025, and features one classic opera, a regional premiere, and a Broadway musical. Be sure to check out the Festival Extras to catch behind-the-scenes tours, single scene performances, and more.

If you want to hear opera, July and August are the best times to visit the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen.

Jordan Curet/Courtesy Wheeler Opera House

Wheeler Opera House, Aspen

When the Wheeler Opera House opened in 1889, Aspen had bragging rights as the first city west of the Continental Divide wired for electricity. That meant the opera house had lights blazing. The Wheeler fell on hard times and was purchased by the city in 1918. It has experienced eras of revival and renovation and hosted renowned performers from Texas crooner Lyle Lovett to folk legend Judy Collins in April 2025. The opera house is open year-round, but if you want to see and hear opera, you should plan for July and August when the Aspen Music Festival and School puts on select performances.

Self-guided and guided tours of the Tabor Opera House are offered May through September.

Courtesy Tabor Opera House

Tabor Opera House, Leadville

Mining magnate Horace Tabor built the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, about a two-hour drive west of Denver, in 1879 in the country’s highest-elevation city at 10,152 feet above sea level. As fortunes changed, the opera house had different owners and names, getting its most recent renovation in 1902! Although past its prime, the opera house is a treasure of history as locals continue to preserve it for future generations. Self-guided and guided tours are offered May through September, and the opera house partners with the Lyric Theatre of Leadville to put on shows.

Wright Opera House was built to provide an alternative to saloons and gambling dens.

Courtesy Wright Opera House

Wright Opera House, Ouray

When the Wright Opera House opened in 1888 in Ouray, Ed Wright, part owner of the Wheel of Fortune mine, wanted to counterbalance the mining culture of saloons and gambling dens with opera performances. After some years of neglect, the opera house is now a place where movies are shown, artists display their work and Tuesdays in summer are dedicated to “Evenings of History.

Summer concerts at the Sheridan Opera House in Telluride feature bluegrass, chamber music and Americana music.

Courtesy Sheridan Opera House

Sheridan Opera House, Telluride

When what is now the Sheridan Opera House opened in 1913, it was the Segerberg Opera House. J.A. Segerberg, a hotel manager, spearheaded the effort for an opera house in Telluride, a town that produced millions of dollars in ore. Closed for decades from the 1930s to the 1960s, the Sheridan Opera House has served as the home of the internationally renowned Telluride Film Festival since the 1970s. In the summer, enjoy concerts featuring bluegrass, chamber music, and Americana music.

The Colorado Music Hall of Fame, a nonprofit that promotes Colorado as a music destination, inducted Central City Opera into the Hall of Fame in 2024.

Karen Radman, executive director of the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, says this road trip is possible in one week, but 10 days would allow for a more relaxed pace.

“With historic opera houses scattered across Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, a drive of the opera house circuit melds two of our state’s most prized attractions – music and mountains,” says Radman.

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Mindy Sink is a guidebook author and travel writer based in Denver. Visit mindysink.com to learn more.

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