Fairplay

If you picture a Gold Rush miner as a grizzled old guy leading a burro, you might still see that today in Fairplay! Especially during its annual Burro Days races and celebration. There's also Mountain Man Rendezvous each July, where you can watch re-enactments of Colorado's earliest days.

In Fairplay itself, be sure to visit the South Park City Museum. It has a main street flanked by 40 or so historic buildings brought here from the surrounding area including a trapper's cabin, a saloon, general store, blacksmith shop and other businesses that thrived in the late 1800s. This amazing collection is only open during the summer months and is run entirely by volunteers. What’s more, art galleries and open-air art venues abound in and around the town proper.

Fairplay is known as the official Trout Fishing Capital of Colorado. Anglers, be sure to bring your fishing gear, as you’ll want to throw a line in more than 50 miles of Gold Medal trout streams. By definition, these streams offer the highest quality trout habitat and greatest potential for angling success in Colorado.

Fairplay and the surrounding 1,000 square miles are part of the South Park National Heritage Area. Designated by Congress, each of 49 National Heritage Areas in the U.S. tells a nationally important story through their distinctive landscapes, historic structures and recreational resources. South Park's 19th-century ranches, many old mines and other historic sites are the primary reason the area was given this designation in 2009.