Within Colorado, there is a hidden gem named Durango. It is one of the only remaining original cowboy towns in the United States, and it is an adorable little town. Some people do live in downtown while other individuals live outside of it. The houses vary in size and style. Some are modern with the architecture and the landscape on the outside while other houses embrace the homely look of log cabins; there are several of these little places in the Hermosa Creek area of Durango. This little town is also full of homes that are located above family businesses, so they are right downtown.

Durango’s community is very welcoming. It is one of those towns where everybody knows everybody even if you only visit once a year. The locals are kind, and they tell you exactly where you should go for good food and shops and other tourist sites.

There are little boutiques along downtown, which include Durango and non-Durango merchandise. One of the shops is known as Moose on the Loose. They sell different styled T-shirts and little gifts that you can give to family and friends. The jewelry stores are very unique. They embrace the Native American style of art and interweave it into earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. One little jewelry store is named Jamie’s Fine Jewelry. They sell beautiful jewelry. One of my personal favorite stores is a little bookstore named Maria’s Bookshop. They have older books as well as the most recent and popular works. The employees are very nice and they give great recommendations. This little shop’s written works range from toddler novels to adult novels in all shapes and lengths. Durango’s little shops are cute.

Durango’s restaurants very in type and style. Three of my favorite restaurants are right in downtown. One is called Steamworks Brewing Company. It is a restaurant that has all types of food, and the portions vary in size. Steamworks is a family style restaurant that is incredibly kid-friendly. This restaurant is known for their peanuts, which their customers may unshell and put the shells on the floor. Children may also draw on the floor with different colored chalk that the restaurant provides. The second restaurant is called Olde Tymers Cafe. It is a bar atmosphere and the employees are incredibly nice. Their burgers and fries are delicious for young children and adults are obsessed with green and red chile. They recently installed different sized televisions throughout the place so that customers can watch while having a drink. Finally, my favorite restaurant is known as the Ore House. It is a steak house, but if you don’t eat steak they have other main dishes as well. They are most known for their petite filet wrapped in bacon as well as their New York strip that comes with three different sauces. My favorite steak is the petite filet. The steaks come a la mode, and the side dishes are meant to be shared among the table. My personal favorites are the mashed potatoes, asparagus, Brussel sprouts, and macaroni and cheese. Ore House is also known for their given appetizer of corn bread with butter. It is served in a hot skillet over a wooden platter, and it is delicious. The waiters and waitresses are incredibly nice, and are kid friendly. Overall, these are my personal favorites in Durango.

One reason why Durango is such a tourist site is because of the mountains. Purgatory Resort is where all of the skiing, snowboarding, and sledding happen. It is one main mountain, which does get crowded at certain times of the year. There are green, blue, and black runs all of the mountain. For those who are not acclimated to snow sport vocabulary, green runs are the easiest, blue are the middle, and blacks are the hardest. The groomed runs of this resort are both fun and challenging. The instructors are kind and help children to master the foundations and skills that create the sports. My favorite part of the runs on this mountain is the little cowboy town that the ski school goes through on a daily basis. Little 2D structures are put in a row that children can ski through. There’s also a little path at the end of the man-made town that goes through the trees, and it is very fun. There are little restaurants throughout the mountain. At the top is both Dante’s Restaurant and Powder House. Dante’s is a sit-down restaurant while Powder House is buy at the cashier and find a place to sit. At the base of the mountain, there is a bar and a little cafeteria style eating area. There is outside seating with a fire pit, and customers can look at the beautiful mountains and the skiers/snowboarders flying down the slopes.

Durango, Colorado is a cute little town that really embraces and emphasizes the cowboy lifestyle. It is a very family orientated area, and it has all four seasons. There are other activities on the mountain to participate in during summer and spring, but those will be talked about another time. Winter in Durango is one of my favorite times, and I hope that it could be for whoever is reading this as well.