One quarter buys you a ride on a beautiful carousel, quite an entertainment bargain but you just have to drive 160 miles from Denver to get aboard.

The unique carousel was made in 1905 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, with a patent number of six.

Kit Carson County bought it for $1,200 from Elitch's after World War I. Back in the 1970s it was restored to nearly new condition.

From the ornate animals out front to the elegant Wurlitzer that provides about four minutes of music, from instruments of all sorts, it is a sight to behold.

The music is programmed on paper tape like an old-fashioned player piano.

Norma Pankratz is one of the proud people involved in 25 years of restoration.

"It's called the jewel of carousels. It truly is," said Pankratz.

From now until Labor Day, seven days a week from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., the Kit Carson County carousel is up and running.

Across town, Burlington's Old Town Museum offers another glimpse of another time and life on Colorado's eastern plains.

The Old Town main street, the classic old home with its fancy trappings inside, the barn, and even the sod house with its 24-inch thick dirt walls are good for a taste of nostalgia.

And if you ever wonder what happened to the old-fashioned fountain sodas, malts and shakes, they can be found there at Old Town Burlington.

Burlington's trip back in time may not be to everyone's taste but there is a lot to like in the Old Town Museum. You also gain a newfound respect for the people who first worked this land more than a century ago.

As for the carousel, even the grown ups can have a good time, and where else does that happen for just a quarter?

Bill's Travel Notes

Burlington is 160 miles east of Denver on Interstate 70, and a 320-mile round trip from Denver.

Yes, 160 miles is a long way to drive for just a ride on the merry-go-round. But the carousel at Burlington is no ordinary merry-go-round.

The animals don't go up and down, the way many do. But the do go round at a pretty good clip. And maybe if you ask Norma, or one of the high school kids who give the tours and run the ride, to show you the inner workings, you'll see a marvel of engineering dating back to the early 1900s. Amazing!

Burlington's Old Town charges a modest admission, a few dollars, but again the trip back in time is worth it.

The old mansion is decked out with authentic furniture of that era. And the day we went out there, it was 100 degrees on the wooden sidewalk, but it felt closer to 75 or 80 degrees inside the sod home with its 24-inch thick walls. Wonder what the R-factor is!

High school girls get a kick out of high stepping in the dance hall.

And you get extra points on the scoreboard if you recognize the tune, "Belly Up to the Bar, Boys," from "The Unsinkable Molly Brown." If you don't know who Molly Brown is, skip down to the next paragraph. By the way, the malts, shakes and sundaes that Mari whips up at the Soda Fountain are mighty tasty. And the drug store itself isn't anything at all like a Disney replica but the gen-you-wine thing.

On your way to or back from Burlington, you might stop by the Genoa Tower. It's just off I-70 and the folks claim you can see parts of five states from the top. Genoa is 10 miles east of Limon.

If your idea of a big time is fancy hotels with full and expensive amenities, what I'm going to suggest now may not be to your taste. But if you're willing to take a little time and go a little off the beaten path, try this. Take I-70 to Burlington, stopping at Genoa on the way east if you like. Once you've see the carousel and Old Town, head north or south on US 385 and see some of what's sometimes called Colorado's Outback.

Whether you go north to Idalia or Wray and come back on US 34 and I-76, or go south to Cheyenne Wells and come back on Old Highway 40 and I-70, you'll come back with a greater appreciation for some of Colorado's unheralded open spaces.

Nothing fancy. But you never know what you'll discover.

More Information:

Burlington 1910 Dentzel Menagerie Carousel
City of Burlington: Info on The Dentzel Carousel
Old Town Burlington
Old Town Museum