Destination: Cripple Creek

CRIPPLE CREEK ­• Springs residents Rachelle Blair and Norm Jaramillo stroll down Bennett Avenue, hand in hand, heading for the Double Eagle Hotel & Casino.

“We’re trying to rekindle our broken relationship,” she says with a smile. “Seriously.”

Maybe it’s a sure thing and maybe it’s a long shot, but as Cripple Creek is their favorite spot for a quick getaway, it’s a chance they’re willing to take.

Blair and Jaramillo are hardly alone in their affection for Cripple Creek.

Every day, buses and cars filled with tourists from the Springs ascend to this mining town-turned-gambling-theme park.

Families find fun riding the train, nibbling fudge at the general store and plunging down in the mines. History buffs set back the calendar at the museums. Arts lovers enjoy the melodramas and musicals. Gamblers find low- and high-stakes diversions in the casinos. And giant crowds of tourists gather on Bennett Avenue for the summer festivals, including the ever-popular-and-irreverent Donkey Derby Days.

It’s a dusty town, just as it was before gambling arrived in 1991. The glowing sheen of state-of-the-art casinos hasn’t changed that. It’s still a place that feels raw and untamed, where wild donkeys wander next to a new Honda Accord.

The vibe, if Cripple Creek even has a vibe anymore, is best felt on the street, looking up at the faded advertising signs on the sides of the old brick buildings that say things such as “Gauman Co. Manufacturers” and “Owl 5 cents,” or looking out at the snow-capped ring of mountains beyond.

Inside the casinos, you lose a sense of place. Even though, for many adults who like to gamble (and I’m one of them), the casinos generate a sense of excitement and possibility, they tend to homogenize the experience. Park yourself in front of a slot machine and you can’t tell if you’re in Cripple Creek, Atlantic City, Lake Tahoe or Reno.

Artificial light. Auditory overload. Floating waitresses offering complimentary cocktails.

That’s been one of the challenges Cripple Creek faces as a tourist destination. It seems unformed. It has a lot of cool things to do and see, both natural and manufactured, but few would argue that it’s a place brimming with unrealized potential, a place that has yet to truly find itself.

That wasn’t the case in the 1890s, the gold rush days, when Cripple Creek grew into the hottest, most exciting and decadent town in Colorado. Brothels, saloons, dance halls, casinos, theaters, shops, hotels and restaurants clogged the main street.

Through the 20th century, Cripple Creek went into decline, and it became something of a ghost town, surviving on a few rock shops and a general store.

It found new life when gambling came in 1991. Facades of the old buildings were restored, or at least redone, to revive that Old West “World’s Greatest Gold Camp” look.

About two dozen casinos, most small with limited-stakes slots, lined up along Bennett, and the tourism flood gates opened.

In the past 15 years, most of the smaller casinos have been pushed out. One recent heartbreaking casualty was the old Imperial Casino Hotel, founded in 1946, longtime home to the Imperial Melodramas. Other smaller casinos also have folded or merged, while the newer giants, Double Eagle and Wildwood casinos, have lumbered in.

Slot machines still dominate the casinos, but the poker craze and the recent expansion to craps and roulette have added to the variety.

Those changes along with the rising stakes and expanded hours have shifted the demographic; casino officials say they’re seeing a slightly younger crowd playing these days and revenues, which had dived during the recession, are picking up.

ATTRACTIONS

The Thin Air Theatre Company

139 E. Bennett Ave., 689-6402; butteoperahouse .com

Thin Air took over where the Imperial Players left off, not only producing some of the best melodramas in the state but also turning out some wonderful mainstream musicals.

This season at the Butte Theater will feature “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” (premiering June 18) and “Gunslinger: The Legend of Billy the Kid” (premiering June 25).

Mollie Kathleen Mine Tour

9388 Colorado 67, 689 2466; goldminetours.com

Going down. The country’s only historical gold-mining tour takes you down 1,000 feet to see how the original hard-rock miners worked.

Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad

520 E. Carr Ave., 689-2640; cripplecreekrailroad .com

Although best when the aspens turn, the scenery is always spectacular on this narrow-gauge wonder. The 45-minute tour goes through mountain vistas and an old ghost town, but not Victor.

Cripple Creek Heritage Center

9283 S. Colorado 67, 689-3315; cripple-creek.co.us

The newest Cripple Creek attraction offers three floors of interesting button-pushing exhibits and a documentary about the history of the region. Kids seem to love the natural history floor the best. It features a life-size stegosaurus.

Cripple Creek District Museum

500 E. Bennett Ave., 689-2634; cripple-creek.org

In recent years, it has grown from a museum into a little cultural history village. Behind the main museum, housed in the former Midland-Terminal Railroad Depot, you’ll find several houses that show how miners lived in the 1890s.

Outlaws and Lawmen Jail Museum

36 Bennett Drive, 689-6556

Many an outlaw was housed in what used to be the old Teller County Jailhouse. Now it’s a museum.

CASINOS

The Wildwood Casino at Cripple Creek

119 Carbonate St., 689-2814; playwildwood .com

The newest, biggest, most Vegas-like casino, the 58,000-square-foot business is a block off the Bennett Avenue strip, and you pass it on the way into town. (Free shuttles to and from Bennett are available.) It’s built to look like a mining operation, and, inside, it carries off that theme with high, wooden, minelike rafters. It features a free, underground, climate-controlled parking garage.

Slots: 600

Tables: 13

Hotel rooms: 67

Dining: The Fireside Kitchen, a casual pizza place, soon will be joined by a Ruby Tuesdays

The Double Eagle Hotel & Casino and Gold Creek Casino

442 Bennett Drive, 689-5000; decasino.com

Before Wildwood moved in, the Double Eagle was the big player in town, and it still acts like the premier place to be, hosting a variety of big events (including last year’s “Wheel of Fortune” auditions as well as the Southern Colorado Karaoke Finals). It’s the big brick building on the left as you come into town. With the Gold Creek, which is like a small casino grafted onto the larger one, Double Eagle is a sprawling casino and boasts the biggest hotel in town.

Slots: 650-plus

Tables: Six

Hotel rooms: 158

Dining: Parrot Dice Grill and Lombard’s Restaurant, both offering casual dining; Winfield’s, fine dining; Prospector’s Perk Coffee Shop (sells Starbucks); the Double Scoop Ice Cream Parlor.

The Brass Ass Casino, The Midnight Rose Hotel & Casino, JP McGills Hotel & Casino

256 E. Bennett Ave, 689-2446; triplecrown casinos.com

The Midnight Rose, with its grand staircase and Victorian flourishes, is the flagship casino in this trio of related establishments. Its poker room is among the busiest in town.

McGills is a midsize attached casino with an Irish theme. Brass Ass is the smallest of the three, and it resides in the historical Brass Ass Department Store building.

Slots: 854

Tables: Eight

Hotel rooms: 59

Dining: Down Under Steakhouse; Dynamite Dick’s Dining Emporium, a casual bite; JP’s Pint & Platter, a stylish Irish pub with a good burger; Brass Ass Pizzeria; JP’s Grill.

Womacks Casino & Hotel

200 Bennett Drive, 689-0333; cnty.com/casinos/womacks

This solid, newly remodeled casino stresses customer service and accessibility. It boasts wheelchair-accessible table games, multilingual staff and multilingual slot machines.

Slots: 437

Tables: Six

Hotel rooms: 21

Dining: Mid City Grill, casual dining with new Swiss chef

The Gold Rush Hotel & Casino and Gold Digger’s Casino

217 E. Bennett Ave., 689-2646; grush.com

The Gold Rush deserves kudos for at least trying to expand the entertainment offerings when it built an outdoor amphitheater. But the summer concert series has been put on hold until the economy gains more steam. The casino goes with the Victorian mining theme, and promotes itself as the friendliest in town.

Slots: 420

Tables: Five

Hotel rooms: 13

Restaurant: Grapevine Restaurant, a steak and ribs place

Bronco Billy’s Casino, Buffalo Billy’s Casino, Billy’s Casino

233 Bennett Drive, 689-2142; broncobillys casino.com

The Bronco Billy’s complex is the casino for sports lovers. With more than 70 flat screens, you can almost always catch a game or a race without missing a pull on the slots. Its steakhouse is among the best in town, and the Home Cafe boasts 49-cent breakfast specials.

Slots: 770

Tables: Nine

Restaurants: Baja Billy’s, a new Mexican place; The Steakhouse; The Home Cafe

Colorado Grande Casino & Hotel

300 E. Bennett Ave., 689-3517; colorado grande.com

Once the largest casino, the Colorado Grande now positions itself as a boutique casino and hotel. It boasts a spacious, inviting outdoor smoking lounge that allows alcoholic beverages.

Slots: 191

Tables:  Four

Hotel rooms: Seven

Restaurant: Maggie’s, a burger and steak place

Johnny Nolon’s Casino

301 E. Bennett Ave., 689-2080; johnnynolons .com

With a lovely, two-story atrium highlighted by an ornate second-story banister, Nolan’s retains that old Cripple Creek saloon feel without it seeming like shtick.

Slots: 250

Restaurant: Goldie’s Restaurant, a burger and sub shop

UPCOMING EVENTS

June 26-27 — Donkey Derby Days. The town’s signature celebration, now in its 79th year, is built around a race of the resident donkey herd. The Kentucky Derby this ain’t. But you can still wear funny hats. Expect plenty of music, heritage-related competitions and lots of family activities.

July 4 — Independence Day Celebration. One of the most elaborate fireworks displays in the region.

Aug. 20-22 — Salute to American veterans. Cripple Creek stole this enormously popular biker event from Winter Park. The highlights will include the dedication of a new veteran’s memorial, a parade and the 23rd Annual POW/MIA Recognition Ride — Colorado’s largest procession of motorcycles.

WHERE TO STAY

The Carr Manor

350 E. Carr Ave., 689-3709;
carrmanor.com

The turn-of-the-century-era Cripple Creek High School has been transformed into one of the country’s most eccentric B&Bs. All of the rooms are adorned with the original chalkboards, which visitors use as giant guest books.

Hotel St. Nicholas

303 N. Third St., 689-0856;
hotelstnicholas.com

Another convert, this was originally Cripple Creek’s first hospital. It’s been turned into a romantic mountain inn, complete with a rooftop Jacuzzi.

WHERE TO DRINK

Bennett Station

429 Bennett Ave., 689-2898

Bartender Debbie Jones understands that Bennett’s has plenty of competition. All the casinos have bars, and they also serve complimentary drinks for gamblers. But this bar, which just opened last September and draws decent crowds to its pool tables, has one advantage over the casinos.

“Sometimes it’s nice to come into a place that doesn’t ding, ding, ding at you all day long,” she said with a laugh.

This place used to be the Diamond Casino, and there’s still a progressive-poker sign over the bar. But the funniest sign is beside the bar: “We don’t drink in your bed, so don’t sleep on our bar.”