Has anyone stopped in Georgetown, Col or Idaho Springs, Col ghost towns? Are they really authentic and worth seeing? Or at least good for a lunch break?

Thanks in advance for replies!

We did a pit stop in Georgetown but I wouldn't call it a ghost town. All I can remember was a small store like a 7-11 and a gas station. Drive a little bit farther to Dillon and there's an old saloon to have lunch--maybe someone here can remember the name.

Haven't been to Idaho Springs, but loved Georgetown...well worth a visit. We stayed in Dillon for a week, but didn't do much there, drove around to different areas to see the sights.

If you're talking about the towns just west of Denver on I-70; neither are what I would call a ghost town. True, they were both mining towns 100 years and no longer have major mining operations, but neither are abandoned. They're tourist towns with restored homes and mines from those time periods. Although both are great places to visit in order to see these historic buildings, they're not abandoned communities with only decaying structures remaining.

For VERY good info on ghost towns all over the US, go to

www.ghosttowns.com

Thank you for your replies! Paul, I did check out www.ghosttowns.com and that's where I found the two towns I asked about. Can you suggest an alternative, somewhere along/nearby either I70 or
I 80, betweeen Colorado and California? Thanks so much!

Try them, everyone's different. For a lunch break, either would be fine.

While you're in Georgetown, leave enough time for a ride on the Georgetown Loop, an old steam train that takes you up to an area of mines. I thought that was why people went there in the first place, but then, I'm married to a train person. There are also some museum/homes open in Georgetown worth a visit.

Years ago, we explored a ghost town in Ft. Badger, Wyoming off I80...does anyone have an update on it?

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Re: request for info on actual ghost towns I know about.

Unfortunately, the only ghost town I have visited is Bodie State Park; an unbeatable place to visit if ghost towns are what you have in mind. However, it's in California just off US Hiway 395 and may be too far from even I-80 to meet your needs.

The above posters are indeed correct about Georgetown. It's not a ghost town. When visiting there, we were told it's the last surviving mining town in that area...mainly because it was the only one that didn't burn down.
If you can, go there on July 4th. They have a wonderful old-fashioned Independence Day celebration, complete with parade, firemen races and a picnic on the village green. We had a fun time there!
And do take the the train ride previously mentioned.