Discover the Best Attractions and Activities in Littleton, Colorado

Introduction

Stepping off the train after a short ride from a modern metropolis, I was immediately introduced to a world that no longer exists. More than 50 houses, business establishments, churches and other buildings provide an introduction to small town America during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Main Item

A tiny, rustic log home built in 1861 by a farmer is dwarfed by a larger dairy spread that was operated decades later by five sisters. A general store where Native Americans came to trade in the late 1800s stands near a little depot where trains of the fabled Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway once deposited passengers and freight. Colorfully named establishments from the past include the Rough and Ready Flour Mill and the First and Last Chance Saloon.

This is the setting that greets passengers disembarking from light rail trains that connect Denver with aptly named Littleton, Colorado, 20 minutes away in time but more than a century removed in atmosphere. The setting is akin to entering a Norman Rockwell painting of life as it used to be and in ways still is in this time capsule of history. Another bonus is an ongoing program to make the town as mobility friendly as possible.

The first view of Littleton that people arriving by train encounter is displayed on a 40-foot-wide mural on a wall of the railroad station platform. Painted by a local artist in folk-art style, the colorful composition depicts more than 50 historic structures, some long gone and others still standing.

The seeds of the settlement portrayed in the painting were planted in 1859, when the Pikes Peak gold rush attracted miners to the community, along with merchants and farmers who came to supply and feed them. Two years later an engineer from New Hampshire named Richard Little arrived, then brought his wife from the East. He later laid out the plan for the town that bears his name.

Since that modest birth, Littleton has expanded into a suburban community of about 49,000 residents. For visitors, the action and interest are centered around a several block stretch of Main Street that richly deserves its recognition on the National Register of Historic Places.

A tour of local landmarks is a good way to take in a number of historic buildings and get a feel for the setting. The journey begins at the light rail depot, a Victorian-style stone building constructed in 1875. Another train station, which was active from 1888 until 1967, and an 1898 vintage caboose parked next door, serve as an art gallery.

The tower of the Columbine Mill, built in 1901 as a grain elevator and storage facility for the Rough and Ready Flour Mill, looks out over the town from its lofty height. The charming Louthan House (circa 1905-1909), named for its builder, is home to the Café Terracotta, one of a number of outstanding local restaurants that make Littleton a mini-magnet for foodies.

Shopping also has a local focus, with an array of small stores that can meet many a fancy. Two personal favorites were indicative of the eclectic choice.

Reinke Bros. is a Halloween superstore with a focus on ghosts, goblins and ghouls. Strolling through the twisted tangle of aisles brings shoppers face-to-face with skulls, skeletons and other merchandise that ranges from fun to frightening. The ultimate gross out is at supermarket-type counters stocked with replicas of including "lady fingers," "cheating heart" and other aptly named body parts.

A much sweeter experience awaits at Lola's Sugar Rush, where glass jars display more than 700 kinds of candy in every imaginable color, shape and flavor. Treats popular in the last century provide a touch of sugary nostalgia for anyone whose sweet tooth can recall that time. Both adults and children crowd into the little corner shop for free tastings of candy that resembles cola bottles, alligators, penguins and countless other shapes.

Then there's a virtual outdoor art museum. Some three dozen sculptures, plus friezes, paintings and other works adorn sidewalks, buildings and parks.

One sculpture, titled "Life's Lessons," depicts a boy engrossed in a large book. "Year of Shows" resembles a family at leisure. Sculpted metal wagon wheels placed on Main Street do double duty as bicycle racks.

Interesting chapters of the past are explored at the Littleton Museum. That institution has permanent exhibits which trace the area's history from the time when Arapaho, Cheyenne and Ute Native Americans passed through to the Pioneer era to more recent days.

The favorite attractions for many visitors are the two living history settings that re-create farm in life in the 1860s and 1890s. The older spread represents a pioneer homestead during the area's settlement period. Wandering from a modest, and modestly furnished, cabin to a reconstructed log barn, sitting at a desk in a one-room schoolhouse and chatting with a blacksmith as he toils at his trade increased my appreciation for modern-day amenities that are often taken for granted.

Adding to the realistic setting are costumed interpreters who demonstrate quilting, plowing, cooking over a fire and other chores. A virtual zoos-who of farm animals, including oxen, mules, sheep, chickens and honeybees enhance the realistic setting. Also adding authenticity are livestock, crops and plants that were common during the time period represented.

Littleton's Project Downtown is a years-long undertaking that will enhance pedestrian safety, upgrade streetscape lighting, widen sidewalks and improve what's called "multimodal connectivity," while maintaining the pervading small-town charm. It will provide a variety of options for people to get around, upgrade pedestrian comfort and street crossing safety, add benches for rest stops and support addition of outdoor patios to restaurants for easy access.

If checking out Littleton's connection with Native American lore doesn't excite you, perhaps indulging your sugar craving at Lola's offers a more inviting appeal. Should strolling through a town with its feet planted firmly in the past sound less than scintillating, maybe reliving farm life from a bygone area will grab your attention. Whatever your interests, you're likely to find enough to fulfill them only a short train ride from downtown Denver.

For more information, log onto https://www.littletonco.gov/Home or call (303) 795-3700.

Author Credentials:

Victor Block has been a travel journalist for many years, and has written for major newspapers, magazines and travel websites and served as an editor of Fodor's Travel Guides. He is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and the North American Travel Journalists Association. Victor is a regular contributor of reviews to the Disabled World travel section. Visit Victors's biography for further insights into his background, expertise, and accomplishments.

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Cite This Page (APA): Block, V. (2024, November 12). Discover the Best Attractions and Activities in Littleton, Colorado. Disabled World. Retrieved December 10, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/travel/usa/littleton-colorado.php

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