Discover 7 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Alamosa (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Rio Grande Scenic Railroad, and St. Thomas Episcopal Church. Also, be sure to include Alamosa Home in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Alamosa (Colorado).
Table of Contents
Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Church in Alamosa, Colorado. Sacred Heart Catholic Church is a historic church at 727 4th Street in Alamosa, Colorado. It was built in 1922 in a Mission Revival/Spanish Revival style and was added to the National Register in 1998.
Its construction began in 1922. It is 78 by 138 feet (24 m × 42 m) in plan.
It was planned for its two towers to rise to four-stories tall, but these were never finished.
The listing included two contributing buildings and a contributing structure: besides the church, an arcade and a rectory were built.[1]
Address: 715 4th St, Alamosa
Rio Grande Scenic Railroad
Rail museum in Alamosa, Colorado. The Rio Grande Scenic Railroad of Colorado, owned by Iowa Pacific Holdings of Chicago, was a heritage railway that operated from 2006 to 2019 in and around the San Luis Valley, on trackage of the San Luis and Rio Grande Railroad. Located 200 miles south of Denver, Colorado, the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad operated between Alamosa and La Veta. This 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in standard gauge route, featuring a climb over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains via Veta Pass, dates back to 1899 and is a successor to the original 3 ft narrow gauge La Veta Pass line of the Denver and Rio Grande Railway, completed in 1878. In keeping with the Denver & Rio Grande Western slogan Scenic Line of the World, the trip between Alamosa and La Veta offered views of several of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks. The railroad ceased operating excursions following a wildfire that damaged some of their facilities, as well as the parent company SLRG entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late 2019.[2]
Address: 610 State Ave, Alamosa
St. Thomas Episcopal Church
Church in Alamosa, Colorado. The St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Alamosa, Colorado is a historic Mission Revival-style church at 607 Fourth Street. It was built in 1926 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
A church was built on the site in 1882, but was demolished in 1930 when a sanctuary addition was created. The church's parish hall was built in 1926, designed by Denver architects William Ellsworth Fisher and Arthur Addison Fisher.[3]
Alamosa Home
Building in Alamosa, Colorado. The American National Bank Building is a historic bank building located in Alamosa, Colorado. The two-story Arcaded Block-style building was constructed in 1909. The building's most distinctive architectural features are the tall, evenly spaced, rounded arches on the north and west sides of the building. The bank closed in 1951. It was occupied by a floral shop beginning in 1979. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 15, 1999. It "was intended to show faith in the future of Alamosa" and it represents expansion to the area due to the Homestead Act of 1909.[4]
Address: 630 Main St, Alamosa
First Baptist Church
Church in Alamosa, Colorado. First Baptist Church is a historic church at 408 State Avenue in Alamosa, Colorado. It was built in 1907 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
Its exterior is concrete blocks, painted. The blocks are approximately 18 by 8 inches (0.46 m × 0.20 m) and are laid in running bond. The church has a complex roofline, although the basic form of the church is rectangular.
The building is now the home to the "Pentecostal Church of God International Movement of the Rocky Mountains".[5]
Train 169
Denver and Rio Grande Western No. 169 is a 4-6-0 "Ten Wheeler" type narrow gauge steam railway locomotive. It is one of twelve similar locomotives built for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1883. It was built as a passenger locomotive, with 46 in drivers, the second largest drivers used on any three foot gauge D&RGW locomotive.
During its operational life it was used on all of the major D&RGW narrow gauge lines. It appears in two Otto Perry photographs on the branch to Santa Fe, New Mexico in April 1933. It was taken out of service in 1938 and then refurbished in 1939 to appear at the 1939 New York World's Fair. In 1941, the railroad donated it to the City of Alamosa and it has been in Cole Park there since. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Locomotive No.169 in 2001.[6]
Nielsen Library - Adams State University
Library
Address: 208 Edgemont Blvd, Alamosa