It’s not just a cave, it’s an adventure
Staff Writer
Drum roll, please.
The new name for the historic caves north of the Hotel Colorado is Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. The old name was Glenwood Caverns and Historic Fairy Caves.
Caverns co-owner Jeanne Beckley said the new name more correctly describes the caves, now that a tramway and visitors center are under construction on top of Iron Mountain.
“We thought it would be a good idea to incorporate the adventure angle,” said Beckley, who owns and operates the caves with her husband, Steve. “The tram will be an adventure … the tours are an adventure … there are trails on Iron Mountain.”
The name change was scheduled to be announced today at the Governor’s 2002 Colorado Tourism Conference in Grand Junction.
Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park will also charge into next summer’s tourist season with a new logo designed by Kelly Alford of Basalt.
The logo will grace tramway cars that will carry passengers over the Interstate 70 frontage road in West Glenwood and up Iron Mountain slopes to the caverns and visitors center.
“The spectacular Colorado scenery depicted in the logo of the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park will be a significant tourist draw,” said cavern spokesperson Irene Rasmussen.
Beckley said the caverns’ new name came from a brainstorming session with her husband, Rasmussen, Alford and tramway co-owners Chuck and Nancy Peterson.
“The new name reflects the type of activities there are on the mountain,” Beckley said.
The 9,400-square-foot visitors center will house a full-service bar and restaurant, gift shop and meeting rooms. Outside, there will be a wrap-around deck with views to the south and west.
One attraction will be a gemstone sluice box, where kids will be given bags of dirt peppered with stones ripe for discovery when they apply the ancient mining process.
“It will be a fun attraction for children,” Beckley said.
After the new operation is up and running, Beckley hopes to expand the sluice box area to include lapidary facilities so that kids can create their own jewelry.
The Beckleys have operated the caverns on a seasonal basis since opening them in 1999. When the tramway is completed this spring, the caverns will be open year-round.
The tramway hours will be 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.
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