15 Famous Unusual Places To See in Colorado

You think of mountains, valleys, and gorgeous scenery when you think of Colorado. But what about the things that make you surprised and say, “OMG.” The unusual places in Colorado have their fair share in the US. You won’t find anywhere else like Colorado because it is full of cool, quirky, and unique people. Did you know that Colorado has one of the cool, quirky, and unique museums, restaurants, and attractions anywhere in the whole US? If you’re a fan of quirky you must check out these weird places in Colorado. From the largest fork, a UFO watchtower, and junk galore, these things will leave you scratching your head in confusion. Here are the 15 of the most unusual places in Colorado you simply have to see to believe.

Weird and Strangest Places in Colorado

1. Swetsville Zoo

This unusual place to see in Colorado known as Swetsville Zoo. Here you can see the animal sculptures made from car parts, scrap metal, and various farm machinery. Created by Bill Swets in Timnath, near Fort Collins, the Zoo features more than 150 sculptures created from 1985 to 1995. The sculptures are truly impressive. Find a spider made out of a VW car and metal dinosaurs playing instruments. 

Address: Swetsville Zoo, Timnath, Colorado, US.

2. Casa Bonita

When it comes to one of the top 10 unusual places to visit in Colorado how one can miss Casa Bonita. This Mexican restaurant in Denver is so different from your usual dining experience. Casa Bonita has a 30-foot high waterfall ending in a pool that is 14 feet deep and is over 52,000 square feet, and can seat a whopping 1,000 guests. Such as indoor cliff divers, a mariachi band, puppet shows, and arcade games, with over 30 attractions,  this 40-year-old establishment is a unique Colorado treasure. 

Address: Casa Bonita, Denver, Colorado, US.

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3. Museum of Colorado Prisons

The Museum of Colorado Prisons is located in an old women’s correctional facility and features more than 140 years of Colorado State Prison history. Here you take a look of inmate cells, a gas chamber (last used in 1967), and the noose used for the last legal hanging in 1933. The mission of this weird place in Colorado is to preserve the heritage of the prison while also hoping to deter others from criminal activity. The 200,000 visitors ‘did time’ in the Museum of Colorado Prisons since it’s opening in 1988.

Address: Museum of Colorado Prisons, Canon City, Colorado, US.

4. May Natural History Museum

Popularly known as “The Bug Museum”, with approximately 100,000 bugs from various parts of the world, the May Natural History Museum houses an impressive bug collection. The founder of the museum James May searched the world for the most interesting and unique bug specimens for 80 years. This quirky place in Colorado features specimens all behind glass located in Colorado Springs. Such as a nine-inch scorpion from Africa and the world’s largest purple tarantulas explore all the different species of butterflies, beetles, and other bugs.

Address: May Natural History Museum, Colorado Springs, Colorado, US.

5. Largest Fork in the U.S

In Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, you can see the largest fork in America. Mr. Ted Yund created the 40-foot long aluminum fork in the small town of Creede. If you visit Creede, Colorado, this summer (and here’s why you should), try not to blink. If you do, you just might miss this small town of 400—and an unusual piece of artwork: the world’s largest fork. The 40-foot-long piece of flatware greets visitors as they enter this small community tucked into the remote northeastern San Juan Mountains and is the work of two local artists, Chev and Ted Yund. This unusual attraction in Colorado is an art display and gift to a bar and grill in town.

Address: Creede, Colorado, US.

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6. Colorado Gators Reptile Park

The Colorado Gators Reptile Park is one of the most unlikely of places for reptiles and alligators located in Alamosa in the San Luis Valley. Getting its start as a tilapia farm, the owners of the park used alligators to eat the leftover fish. After gaining attention from locals, the reptile park was born. Although Colorado can be a cold place, the alligators live in geothermal pools that naturally stay 87 degrees year-round. Visit this strangest place in Colorado to view not only alligators but also other reptiles such as tortoises, iguanas, and pythons. The Colorado Gators Reptile Park has become both a unique attraction and a wildlife rescue for abandoned reptiles.

Address: Colorado Gators Reptile Park, Alamosa, Colorado, US.

7. Lee Maxwell Washing Machine Museum

At the Lee Maxwell Washing Machine Museum in Eaton, over 1,000 vintage washing machines are on display near Fort Collins. The man behind the collection is Maxwell and he has a machine from every state and many from various parts of the world.  Winning the title of “Largest Washing Machine Collection” in 2000Maxwell is a Guinness World Record holder. To view this weirdest place in Colorado, an appointment is necessary by phone or email. 

Address:  Lee Maxwell Washing Machine Museum, Eaton, Colorado, US.

8. Petrified Wood Gas Station

This structure in Lamar was built in 1932 as a gas station, made of petrified wood, which is fossilized lumber or wood that has “turned to stone.” Although it doesn’t act as a gas station anymore, rather offices for a car dealership, you can still visit this unusual place in Colorado that was literally made of materials more than 175 million years old. 

Address: Petrified Wood Gas Station, Lamar, Colorado, US.

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9. UFO Watchtower

To catch a glimpse of a UFO, the UFO Watchtower in the San Luis Valley is the perfect spot. The UFO Watchtower is not only just a watchtower but also an observation platform, a gift shop, and a campground. There have been 67 reported sightings, mostly blinking, moving, or streaking lights. This unusual Colorado attraction is true “out of this world.” 

Address: UFO Watchtower, Hooper, Colorado, US.

10. Bishop Castle

Bishop Castle is a gorgeous stone and iron structure with tall towers and unique architecture located in Pueblo. Jim Bishop built the castle featuring a grand ballroom, three stories, and even a fire-breathing dragon. Since the age of 15, Jim Bishop has spent the last 60 years building and constructing this monument ever since he bought the plot of land for a mere $450 for a small parcel nearby the San Isabel National Forest. The view from the Bishop’s iconic bridge is a truly unique and unforgettable experience you ever had. 

Address: Bishop Castle, Pueblo, Colorado, US

11. Best Western Movie Manor

Connected to a historic drive-in movie theater, this is a one-of-a-kind motel. Guests staying at the Best Western Movie Manor can actually watch the movie from most rooms, even complete with in-room sound. Enjoy a movie and a room at this unique motel in Monte Vista every May through September. These days surprisingly little has changed at the Movie Manor since the heyday of drive-ins. Still just a short walk from the rooms are the drive-in’s spaces – emptier now than they once were – and its classic snack shack. Film screenings continue to run mid-May through September, allowing patrons to check in, pull up a chair to the window, and crank the volume to whichever film happens to be playing on the vintage screen that evening. 

Address: Best Western Movie Manor, Monte Vista, Colorado, US.

12. Cano’s Castle

A few miles north of the New Mexico border, Cano’s Castle is a treasure of trash in Antonito. Like beer cans, hubcaps, wire, screens and plenty more oddities, the “castle” is built from scrap aluminum. The four-story castle is one of the crazy places in Colorado, was created in the ’80s, and has been expanding since then. Ascending 40 feet from the ground with four distinct towers built mainly out of beer cans and other various metal materials, its shining walls are blinding in the sun. The scrap aluminum gives the castle its shine with other materials used such as hubcaps, grills, glass bottles, screen doors, and bicycle reflectors for a bit of color. But the main material applied is beer cans. Cano collected countless beer cans, carefully cutting and flattening them inside and out and adhering them to the walls.

Address: Cano’s Castle, Antonito, Colorado, US

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13. Junkrassic Park

Johnnie Allen started creating works of art by welding the scraps together and made it from recycled metal around his farm. Junkrassic Park consists of his 80-piece collection that is located in Cheraw, Colorado. The “Awful Tower,” a 40-foot tall oil tower installment with a punny name hinting at the Coloradoian landmark is definitely Junkrassic Park’s most famous attraction. The four-acre space of this quirky place in Colorado has other metal installations and artworks with pun-filled names, like “Jon Way-In” and “John L. Weight.” 

Address: Junkrassic Park, Cheraw, Colorado, US.

14. The Airplane Restaurant

This unique restaurant is made from a fully intact Boeing KC-97 tanker located in Colorado Springs. This restaurant has pictures, artifacts, and other memorabilia on aviation history known as Solos. Customers can even sit in this 1953 plane. The “Airplane Restaurant” is a local favorite that is sure to be the first-class experience. 

Address: The Airplane Restaurant, Colorado Springs, Colorado, US.

15. Herkimer the World’s Largest Beetle

Drive by the world’s largest beetle once you’re finished checking out the massive collection of bugs at the May Natural History Museum. Located along Highway 115 just south of Colorado Springs, “Herkimer” is a large replica of a West Indian Hercules Beetle. Built-in the 1950s, this roadside beetle was created to attract attention to the May Museum of Natural History. 

Address: Herkimer the World’s Largest Beetle, Colorado Springs, Colorado, US.

So far we have discussed the top unusual places in Colorado, which contains the proper information regarding all the famous strange places in Colorado. I hope you might have loved reading this article and if you love to know more about Colorado kindly head to our other articles as well which will help you to get knowledge about.

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