You shouldn’t stop taking field trips just because you’re an adult. Throughout Colorado, companies that make goods in the state open their doors to give visitors a peek at the process. You can see how they craft high-performance mountain bikes, learn why snowmelt makes whiskey taste good, and see how money is made.
Here are seven Colorado places – and an entire industry (brewery tours, anyone?) — where you can go behind the scenes and get the inside scoop on the creative process.
U.S. Mint
In 1862, not long after miners struck it rich in Colorado, Congress established the Denver Mint to convert gold into coins. Today, Denver’s mint creates commemorative coins and coin dies and stores gold and silver. The mint’s machinery can churn out as many as 50 million coins a day. The historic building on Cherokee Street near Colfax Avenue was designed to mimic the Riccardi Medici Palace in Florence, Italy.
Tours are free, but tickets are required and given out on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 7 a.m. Monday through Thursday. The 45-minute tours are offered Monday through Thursday at 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. 320 W. Colfax Ave., Denver; denverusmint.gov/about/mint-tours-facilities/denver
Breckenridge Distillery
Breckenridge Distillery bills itself as “the world’s highest distillery.” Tours at this award-winning distillery (elevation 9,600 feet) bring spirits enthusiasts into the production facility where they can witness the roar of the 42-foot column still and sample bourbon, gin and vodka. Sometimes, during the After Hours tours, guests get to preview spirits before they’re released to the public.
The tours also get into the nitty-gritty about how Rocky Mountain snowmelt — which doesn’t have unpleasant tasting minerals in it— makes great hooch.
Distillery tours begin at noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Sundays and cost $35 per person. The distillery also offers After Hours tours by reservation for $200 for groups of one to five people and $400 for groups of six to 10. 1925 Airport Road, Breckenridge; breckenridgedistillery.com
Hammond’s Candy Factory
Did you know that Denver has its very own Candyland? Hammond’s Candy Factory has been handcrafting hard candies for more than a century. The candy artisans crank out 2 million candy canes annually, with flavors including traditional peppermint as well as clove and root beer. There are even raspberry candy canes filled with chocolate.
Visitors can witness candymakers knead, twist and pull the sugar and corn syrup candy cane mixture like it’s a glossy dough before it is shaped into canes. After the tour, shop for candy to take home as a Christmas-in-July souvenir.
Tours run every 30 minutes during factory business hours, 9:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The tours are free, but make your reservation in advance, online. 5735 Washington St., Denver; hammondscandies.com
Boulder County farms
Boulder County has more than 1,000 farms, some of which sell fruits and veggies at roadside stands and have u-pick orchards and flower gardens. If you’re curious about the ins and outs of how some of the area’s most notable farms operate and want the story behind the food you’re enjoying at local farm-to-table restaurants, several sites offer tours.
At Cure Organic Farm in Boulder, for example, group tours can focus on topics like composting, the seasonality of crops, sustainable farming methods or visits with chickens, ducks and pigs. Tours must be arranged in advance at cureorganicfarm.com/farm-tours.
Stranahan’s Distillery
You’ll pick up on lots of whiskey wisdom during a visit to Stranahan’s, which claims to be Colorado’s first legal whiskey distillery since Prohibition. To wit: Did you know the tin cap on most Stranahan’s bottles is a nod to cowboy culture and can be used as a shot glass or to measure your dram?
Stranahan’s holds lots of events, including whiskey and chocolate pairings, guided tastings and cocktail classes. The Denver distillery also has a daily hour-long American Single Malt Whiskey tour ($20 per person) and a two-hour Top Shelf tour ($75 per person) on some Thursdays and Fridays. Visitors learn about the distillery’s history and manufacturing process and can sample whiskey expressions. Afterward, sidle up to the bar at the on-site cocktail lounge for a drink – perhaps a smoked rosemary whiskey sour. 200 S. Kalamath St., Denver; stranahans.com
Moots
As the longest-standing bicycle manufacturer in Colorado, Moots has been building bikes designed to maneuver twisty singletrack since 1981 in Steamboat Springs. Go behind the scenes and see how titanium road, mountain, cross and specialty frames are made during an hour-long tour that’s open to the public on Mondays and Fridays starting at 10 a.m. Moots’ showroom has plenty of complete bikes in case you want to pedal away on one. Contact info@moots.com to reserve a spot on a tour. 2545 Copper Ridge Drive, Steamboat Springs; moots.com
Meier Skis
Dubbed the “Craft Skiiery,” Denver-based Meier Skis harvests local aspen, poplar and beetle-kill pine trees to make its skis. The dead timber reduces wildfire risk and trees get to return to the mountains in another form. It takes about five hours of “hands-on” time to make each pair of skis, folks at Meier say. Witness this circle of life during a Happy Hour Ski Factory tour ($20) that you can book online in advance. Happy hours start at 5:30 p.m. at the shop’s rustic bar, which was made using wood ski cores, and then the group heads to the factory floor and gets an in-depth look at how the sustainable skis are crafted. 1775 S. Broadway, Denver; meierskis.com
Breweries
Many of Colorado’s craft breweries, including New Belgium (newbelgium.com/visit/fort-collins/ftc-tours), Left Hand (lefthandbrewing.com/brewery/tours) and Great Divide (greatdivide.com/tap-rooms/#times), and even the iconic Coors Brewery in Golden (coorsbrewerytour.com), offer regular tours and tastings. Visit the website of your local or favorite brewery or call ahead for details of its tours and to make a reservation.
