Press Release

History Colorado’s Tours and Treks Adventure Series Announces 2023 Schedule

From tarantulas to social justice advocacy Tours and Treks has something for every interest

DENVER — December 20, 2022 — History Colorado is happy to announce the return of its Tours and Treks adventure series and release a full schedule of exciting outings for 2023. With events going back 50+ years, Tours and Treks is one of History Colorado’s longest running series and consistently offers an assortment of expeditions to enrich our understanding of the history of Colorado and beyond.

PRESS CONTACT:
Luke Perkins
303.866.3670 | luke.perkins@state.co.us 

The 2023 series runs from Jan. 24 - Dec. 15 and will focus on learning about communities around Colorado as well as some of the diverse neighborhoods and cities that make up the Denver metro area. Adventures include walking tours of historic Denver neighborhoods, bus trips to explore some of the furthest reaches of Colorado, and even a six-day odyssey in New Mexico to explore everything from natural wonders to alien encounters.

With such a diverse set of stories to explore there is sure to be something for everyone and tickets are available online now. Prices vary between outings and History Colorado members receive discounted tickets across the entire slate of treks so why not become a member today!

Complete Tours and Treks 2023 Schedule

A German History of Denver by Bus | Denver, CO | January 24, 10 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Tickets $135. $115 for members.
Join History Colorado for a look at the story of German Denver, experience the buildings, stories, and industries left behind as well as enjoy a tasty German lunch along the way. So lift a glass with us to a hard-working and hard-playing group of immigrants in Denver. 

Lost Cities of Denver by Bus | Denver, CO | February 15, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Tickets $85. $65 for members.
Did you know many of Denver neighborhoods used to be cities on their own? History Colorado will take a bus tour of the cities that were, and those so small they often slip under our regional radar. 

Bold Women and Bolder Dishes | Denver, CO | March 18, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Tickets $135. $115 for members.
Visit an Afro-centric tea shop, a bilingual, Guatemalan, immigrant- and woman-owned cafe and a queer, woman-owned brewery, all of which serve social justice advocacy alongside their delicious food and drinks during a delicious and historic day in honor of Colorado women! 

Historic Arvada Walking Tour | Arvada, CO | April 15, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Tickets $40. $30 for members.
Gracing Denver’s northwestern quarter, Arvada has a downtown with some great stories to share. With historic buildings, tales of champions of religious and racial tolerance, and delicious spots to stop for snacks along the way, downtown Arvada gives us a little of every time period in the city’s history. 

Aurora Old and New by Bus | Aurora, CO | May 12, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Tickets $95. $75 for members.
The city of Aurora is wrestling with the question of how to keep a city of many years vibrant with changing times. Join us for an exploration of the original sections of Aurora, where new plans are helping to revitalize the city of the sunrise, and take an indepth look at some of the far-reaching wonders of Aurora. 

South Denver's Harvard Gulch Walking Tour | Denver, CO | June 17, 9 - 11a.m.
Tickets $40. $30 for members.
Harvard Gulch, located in the Rosedale neighborhood, is littered with historic buildings, stories of orphans, lovely green spaces and memorials to our geologic sisters. Join History Colorado as summer ramps up its green splendors, and walk this lesser-known spot in the city to find out what revels it has to share. 

Enchanted New Mexico: Above and Below by Bus | New Mexico | June 22 – 27
Tickets $2,280. $1,900 for members. (Single Room Supplement, add $500)
Take advantage of the summer with a trip to explore our neighboring state to the south. In addition to witnessing hundreds of bats exit the Carlsbad Caverns National Park for their nightly adventures, you’ll see classic roads, alien encounters, shining sands, space exploration and an endless menu of breathtaking scenery that makes New Mexico the Land of Enchantment.

Fun with Flowers in Fort Collins | Fort Collin, CO | July 10, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Tickets $135. $115 for members.
Famed for its trial gardens, where studious folks from the university find the best splendors for their homes and yards, Fort Collins has a surprisingly diverse palette of colors. This tour will present the perfect opportunity to enjoy the full glories of summer as we explore a diversity of blossoms and botany in Fort Collins.

The Wonders of the Whittier Neighborhood | Denver, CO | July 29, 9 - 11 a.m.
Tickets $40. $30 for members.
Few Denver neighborhoods exemplify change like Whittier. Explore how this originally white, middle-class suburb has gone through numerous changes of its cultural and economic makeup over the decades.

17th Street: Denver's Wall Street of the West | Denver, CO | August 4, 9 - 11 a.m.
Tickets $40. $30 for members.
17th street, book-ended by Union Station and the Brown Palace, was once known as the Wall Street of the West due to how much metalic wealth once flowed through Denver. Join History Colorado in exploring the history of the figure who made downtown what it is today.

Exploring Camp Hale and Leadville | Leadville, CO | August 23, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. 
Tickets $150. $135 for members.
Recently renamed the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument, our guest historian for the day, David Little, will fill tour goers in on how topography and innovation came together to create unique training conditions that shaped the 10th Mountain Division.

Montclair Neighborhood Walking Tour | Denver, CO | September 8, 9 - 11 a.m. 
Tickets $40. $30 for members.
Montclair was a city that touted its clean air and fine morals, but even the cleanest of air and moral compasses couldn’t protect it from economic crashes. Now a neighborhood in Denver, Montclair retains some grand buildings with equally grand figures who lived within them as we explore the city that might have been and the beauty it became.

Spices and Spiders in Southern Colorado | Pueblo & La Junta, CO| September 21 – 24
Tickets $1,530. $1,275 for Members. (Single Room Supplement, add $310)
History Colorado will visit southeast Colorado to track the annual migrations of some marvelous arachnids and celebrate the spices and history of the city of Pueblo. Featuring tickets to the famous Chile and Frijoles Festival, a behind-the-scenes look at El Pueblo History Museum, and a chance to demystify a creepy-crawly typecasting.

Mesa Verde National Park: Colorado's World Heritage Site | Mesa Verde, CO | September 29- Oct 2
Tickets $1,740. $1,450 for members. (Single Room Supplement, add $575)
Join park expert Joe Sindelar on a caravan tour of the only National Park dedicated to the creations of humans as he explores the impressive architectural creations and rich culture of the Ancestral Puebloans.

Exploring the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway by Bus | October 16, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Tickets $105. $85 for members.
Among the crowning jewels of Colorado is the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway.  Learn how scenic and historic byways like the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway began in Colorado as part of an effort to get folks into the mountains in a marvelous new contraption called an automobile.

7th Avenue Historic District Walking Tour | Denver, CO | October 28, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Tickets $40. $30 for members.
Explore Denver’s largest historic district, with the glittering gems of 7th Avenue.  This tour will explore the architectural styles that spoke of money and status, as well as some of the people who built their homes on 7th Avenue even as they were building the city.

Wonderful Washington Park Walking Tour | Denver, CO | November 3, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Tickets $40. $30 for members.
No park in Denver is as beloved and admired as Washington Park.  Given its name on the centenary of our first president’s death, learn why Washington Park remains evermore first in our hearts and affections.

Christmas Lights of Denver by Bus | Denver, CO | December 15, 6 - 10 p.m.
Tickets $85. $75 for members.
Learn how Denver became the Christmas Capital of the United States on this cozy bus tour of the metro area to see the colors of the season. Featuring hot chocolate and cookies to get everyone in the festive mood

About History Colorado
History Colorado is a division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and a 501(c)3 non-profit that has served more than 75,000 students and 500,000 people in Colorado each year. It is a 143-year-old institution that operates eleven museums and historic sites, a free public research center, the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, and the History Colorado State Historical Fund (SHF), which is one of the nation’s largest state-funded preservation programs of its kind. More than 70% of SHF grants are allocated in rural areas of the state.

History Colorado’s mission is to create a better future for Colorado by inspiring wonder in our past. We serve as the state’s memory, preserving and sharing the places, stories, and material culture of Colorado through educational programs, historic preservation grants, collecting, outreach to Colorado communities, the History Colorado Center and Stephen H. Hart Research Center in Denver, and ten other museums and historic attractions statewide. History Colorado is one of only six Smithsonian Affiliates in Colorado. Visit HistoryColorado.org, or call 303-HISTORY, for more information.