10 W E S T W O R D S u m m e r G u i d e 2 0 2 4 westword.com bar — and that’s very much a good thing. Don’t get the wrong idea, though: The place has been renovated in fi ts and starts over the years, and it’s clean, safe and pleasant, especially if your bartender is Heidi — who might stay open if you call ahead, and will even cook up a cheeseburger and a basket of fries that’ll hit the spot like nothing else after your long drive to the far reaches of northeastern Colorado. The Bar, Burlington Sometimes you just need a bar, any bar, and in Burlington, you’ll want to head to The Bar. No surprise that this is a decidedly low-frills joint, and while the place looks a little desolate on a lonely stretch of road across from an abandoned gas station and several vacant lots, it’s lively on the inside, with a legendarily cheap happy hour. Still, make sure you call ahead to see if it’s open. Southeastern Colorado Windmill Saloon, Eads After ten minutes in the Windmill Saloon, you’ll ask yourself why more bars aren’t built into Quonset huts. It’s well-maintained and has plenty of headroom, but the real draw is the owner, Milton, who can talk with you about anything for as long as you’d like and will keep the lights on even if you’re the only person in the joint. Make sure to bring quarters if you’re into billiards. The Buzzards Roost, Lamar Neon light refracts off the tin cladding in the Buzzards Roost, from the siding to the ceiling tiles above the bar. Rock-and-roll ephemera will draw your eyes to the very tall stage in the back corner; this is one hell of a place to catch a local act. The owners, Jay and Karen, will be the fi rst to remind you that the place is a bar, not a restaurant — so the pizza has no business being as good as it is. Stay late and stay the night one door down at the associated motel, the Buzzards Nest. Columbine Saloon, Ordway The Columbine Saloon is a good reminder that in a small town, a bar does double duty as a town hall of sorts. This spot rarely gets raucous, which encourages conversations with the locals about why places like Ord- way, population 1,100, matter. The back bar is over a century old, and if all that history doesn’t do it for you, enjoy a game of darts or billiards over an ice-cold beer — Coors Banquet, of course, which is all the Colum- bine has on draft...and all you really need. Pacos Starlite Tavern, Walsenburg Paco’s Starlite Tavern is a tiny corner bar, but it packs a lot of heart into its cash-only digs, along with billiards and, somehow, shuffl eboard. That’s all a credit to the man behind the pine, Paco Archuleta, whose family has owned and operated the place since Prohibition. A lifetime Walsenburg resident, Paco is a wealth of information on local history. His adoring regulars make it clear that he’s an institution in his own right — and not just because his prices are so low. The Trinidad Lounge, Trinidad You’ve probably heard about Trinidad’s economic and cultural renaissance, and the ’Dad Lounge has played a big part in that. Reopened for the fi rst time in a decade under the steady hands of Curt Wallach and Suzanne Magnuson, of Denver’s hi-dive, the ’Dad regularly features world-class musical acts. Spacious, well-decorated and soaked with red light, it’s the perfect place to play pool or Pac-Man. Pack your own dinner, though, since the only fare the ’Dad can offer comes out of the microwave. Southwestern Colorado Kochevar’s Saloon & Gaming Hall, Crested Butte One cool thing we get to do as Coloradans is drink in, and drink at, the same places legendary Westerners did. Butch Cassidy is said to have left his revolver at the bar after a bad night at Kochevar’s, but you should have better luck. Located at the end of CB’s main drag, the bar has plenty of pub games to keep you busy on low-key nights, though there’s always a good chance you’ll run into a roving neighborhood party. Alamo Saloon, Gunnison History students are exhorted to “Never Forget the Alamo.” The Alamo Saloon’s bumper stickers, meanwhile, promise “a truly forgettable experience” — but that’s only because the pours are strong. In fact, much like its Lone Star State namesake, the ’Mo, as locals call it, is something of a histor- ical artifact that you’ll always remember. After all, it’s one of the last Colorado bars where you can legally smoke cigarettes. Breathe easy while listening to Texas’s own George Jones on the jukebox. STEPS Tavern, Ridgway STEPS is a cavernous joint, but only because it’s underground. Owner Dan Easton has carted a lot of life into this basement bar, including live music, karaoke, pool nights and dart leagues. And while the stone facades make it feel like you’re drinking in a mine shaft, STEPS has an adventurous liquor selection and a craft cocktail menu that you’d expect from much tonier environs. Don’t worry: You can always order a cheap beer, and if you get to feeling claustrophobic, head over to the joint’s all-outdoor sister bar down the block: The Patio at STEPS Tavern. Enterprise Bar & Grill, Rico The ’Prise is billed as the “sixth oldest bar in Colorado,” and when you drink here, you end up drink- ing in a whole lot of history, too. This is an intimate locals’ spot that also welcomes bikers, hikers and everyone else exploring this veritable movie set of a tiny town just 27 miles from Telluride. Stay the night in the on-site lodging like weary gold and silver miners did back when the place was built in 1892 — purportedly as a bar and brothel. Just don’t expect that particular type of hospitality. Orio’s Roadhouse, Durango Orio’s Roadhouse was probably most famous for holding out as a cigarette smok- er’s bar in the eighteen years since the passage of Colorado’s Clean Indoor Air Act — under which it was grandfathered in. But that all ended on April 30, when the bar celebrated a “Last Day of Smoking Party.” Now you’ll fi nd the ashtrays on the dust heap of history as the owners try to attract more customers. It was the right decision from a public health perspective, at least, and if that sort of thing lights your proverbial cigarette, head on in the next time you’re in Durango to show your support. After all, the drinks are still strong and the pool is still free. Drinking in History continued from page 8 The Gashouse is a rustic holdout in the Vail Valley. THE GASHOUSE
