In 2021 we were on a mission to explore more of Colorado via road trips, and to hit Ambassador status with Marriott since we had a leg up with extra nights in our account from COVID. One of the cities we added to our list was Pueblo, Colorado, just a bit south of Colorado Springs.
We had been to Pueblo once before as a quick pitstop for lunch and beers at Brues Alehouse Brewing Co. on our way home from our epic 30 day road trip from Colorado, down the Pacific Coast, and back. We liked how walkable the small downtown area was, and finally decided to take a weekend trip to fully explore.
We drove down on a Friday after work and checked into the Springhill Suites. This hotel is right across the street from a Courtyard Marriott, and we picked Springhill just because it was $10 cheaper per night. That being said, I’d probably pick the Courtyard next time. Both hotels are BRAND new and were built at the same time. The difference, is that there was a gas station right next to Springhill, which had a lot of characters at all hours of the night. Everything is very walkable though, and it was only about a 5 minute walk to the main riverwalk area.
We always felt safe walking around the town, and everyone we met was SO NICE. It’s not a tourist destination, and anyone we mentioned to that we were just there to explore gave us so many recommendations. Our first stop was The Clink Lounge for a few pre-dinner cocktails. The bar is super cozy, and also had a great outdoor patio area. The cocktails were PHENOMENAL. They had a bunch of seasonal options, and I got a fun banana fosters flavored drink that I ended up getting a second of.
For dinner we went to Twenty One Steak. We were blown away by how good all of the food was. In addition, the manager of the restaurant let us know that they have a monthly wine dinner where they pair different foods with wines they’ve gotten.
We really want to go back for one of these, but unfortunately just haven’t been able to make it work yet. She recommended a ton of great options, and even brought over a 100% petit verdot for us to try, and it paired WONDERFULLY with the bone marrow appetizer we’d ordered. This is an absolute must do if you’re in the area.
The next morning we got up early and drove over to Lake Pueblo State Park to do a quick hike before exploring more of the city. We did the Stonehenge and Rock Canyon Trail Loop, which was a 2.2 mile, fairly flat loop that took us out to some views of the Pueblo Reservoir and back.
While it started out looking like we were just walking through plains, it definitely got interesting quickly! There were some incredible rock formations, and lots of stacked rocks people have put together over time.
After cleaning up at the hotel, we walked over to Shamrock Brewing Co for beers and breakfast. We were determined to try all of the local breweries in Pueblo, and this one had the added benefit of a delicious food menu. Eric loved the fresh corned beef hash, and I had a fantastic biscuits and gravy. Afterwards, we were VERY full, and glad we had some walking around ahead of us.
We walked down the Pueblo Riverwalk, and just strolled in and out of a bunch of the shops. There are a ton of unique boutiques and historical buildings along the way, and we meandered slowly through to give ourselves time to burn off breakfast.
Our next stop was Walter’s Beer for more tastings. We were each able to do a few flights, including their famous Pueblo Green Chile beer. They have a great outdoor patio that is right on the train tracks, and there were a ton of families sitting outside playing yard games and enjoying the sunshine.
Eric also really enjoyed that they had a make-your-own seltzer option. They have their unflavored hard seltzer on tap, and you can choose from like 20+ flavored syrups to make your own concoction. I’m not a huge hard seltzer fan, but the flavors were REALLY good, including the POG Hawaiian mix.
After Walter’s, we took a long walk over to Gray’s Coors Tavern. This bar was opened back in 1934 by the same Coors beer that everyone is familiar with today. It is the only bar that is associated with the brewery today (there used to be 3 total in Colorado outside of the brewery in Golden), and to this day they serve some special Coors brews that aren’t available anywhere else.
In addition to being associated with Coors, they are known for the “Slopper”which is a burger smothered in cheese, green chile and onions. It was mentioned to us over and over again as a key food item to get in Pueblo, and it did not disappoint. We tried out a few of their other appetizers as well, and it was a full meal.
After our dinner, we stopped at Smitty’s Greenlight Tavern for some post-dinner cocktails and some great live music. The bar is clearly the hot spot in Pueblo, and I’m glad we got there early to grab a table!
The next morning we were moving a little slow after a full day of drinking, and we stopped over at Solar Roast Coffee for a pick me up. The coffee was fantastic, and as we filled up, we stopped next door at Analogue Books and Records, where I picked up a few new reads for the upcoming week.
Alas, after that we had to head back to Denver. We had SUCH a great time in Pueblo, and we are definitely going to make it back for a wine night at Twenty One Steak sometime soon. Anything we missed in Pueblo? Any other great ideas for Colorado weekend trips? Let us know in the comments!
