Black Hawk and Central City

Gambling, Central City and Black Hawk offer limited stakes gambling with a $5 maximum bet. There are more than 10,000 slot machines, blackjack tables and poker tables in 30 different casinos, many of them housed in historic old buildings.

Central City, once called the "Richest Square Mile on Earth," this historic old mining town is dotted with old gold mines and hundreds of Victorian buildings (see photo, right). More than a half billion dollars of gold was mined in the area and the town once boasted a population of 30,000. Today, there are 300 year-round residents. Along with Black Hawk, it is part of a National Historic District.

Central City Opera House, ornate opera house originally opened in 1878 and still offers an ensemble repertory each summer performing opera classics in English.

Gilpin County Historical Society Museum, mining artifacts and museum. Lost Gold Mine, walking tour into an old mine shaft, it shows how hard rock mining was done in the late 1800s.

Teller House, an old hotel where President Grant once stayed is now a museum with authentically furnished rooms and the famous face on the barroom floor.