Father’s Day in Durango

Mother’s Day gets a lot of the attention, but believe you me, fathers want to be celebrated on Father’s Day, too. But instead of brunch and flowers, check out these car shows and craft breweries and other things to do in Durango for Father’s Day.

Durango Brewery Tour

Line up a DIY tour of Durango’s craft breweries — and then see if you can make it to all of them! In alphabetical order, be sure to check out Animas Brewing Co., Brew Pub and Kitchen, Carver Brewing Co., Durango Brewing Co., Ska Brewing Co. and Steamworks Brewing Co. Stick to flights and add some food, and you just may be able to make it through all six Durango breweries still standing!

Cars and Cruise-Ins

Durango Harley-Davidson is hosting a Father’s Day “Ride-in, Drive-in” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the dealership, 750 S. Camino Del Rio in Durango. The event is open to anyone. As they say: “Have a cool car? Bring it. Into cool cars? Come over.” And admission is free!

Pit-A-Billy, a non-profit that hosts events to raise money for local animal shelters that support “bully breeds,” is having a car show and cruise-in at Ska Brewing on Sunday, June 17. Three Fearless Peasants will provide live music from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and guests can enter a raffle. Come for the free music and to check out some cool cars, but be careful: You may go home with a puppers or doggo from the adoption showcase!

Durango Train

This is where we would normally say a ride on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad would be a perfect outing for Father’s Day. Unfortunately, the Durango train recently suspended its coal-fired steam train passenger service through at least Saturday, June 30, as a result of the nearby forest fire in San Juan National Forest. Durango train officials are still working with local authorities, agencies and other community leaders to evaluate the possibility of launching limited diesel locomotive passenger service later this summer when it is safe to do so. When that decision is made, the Durango railroad will announce all the relevant details, including fares, schedules and itineraries, associated with the new passenger service. In the meantime, the Durango & Silverton train encourages visitors and to stop by the D&SNGRR depot for scheduled railyard tours and free museum admission.

Get into Nature

The Durango Nature Center is open to the public on Saturdays, and is free for members and children under 12 and $5 for nonmembers. There, dads and their kiddos can explore miles of hiking trails, play in the river, have a picnic, earn a junior naturalist badge and explore the interpretive trail. On the upper 35 acres, visitors can also check out the Welcome Building and gift shop, prairie dog colonies, a sage-rabbitbrush habitat, a kids’ habitat play area, xeriscaping gardens and more. A footpath leads down to 105 acres along the Florida River where trails wind through a variety of habitats, including riparian, meadows, oak woodlands, piñon-juniper forests and desert arroyos. Trails are marked with signs at ending points and junctions, as well as with interpretive markers and maps along the way.

If you’re on a family vacation or just looking for some family time, come stay with us at the Durango Econo Lodge Inn and Suites. We rank as one of the best Durango hotels and are located on Durango’s main drag, cleverly named “Main Avenue,” just a short jaunt north of downtown Durango. So book your room at the Econo Lodge Durango today!

St. Patrick’s Day in Durango!

Kiss me, I’m Irish! No, really. I am. But we can skip the smooching and go straight to drinking green beer, it that works for you? Works for me!

Although our mountains aren’t emerald green like the rolling hills of Ireland and our Animas River isn’t neon green like the Chicago River (and our beer isn’t really green because…gross), locals and visitors alike still have plenty of things to do this St. Patrick’s Day in Durango.

Durango Train Shamrock Express

Get your green on and get aboard the Durango train for the Shamrock Express! The St. Paddy’s Day-themed Durango train trip will chugga-chugga choo-choo passengers to Cascade Canyon while they chugga-chugga Irish beer and drink specials.

The train departs at 9:45 a.m., Saturday, March 17. Before boarding and during the ride, passengers can enjoy live music by local Celtic group the Kitchen Jam Band, which will start off playing on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad depot platform then move from car to car playing traditional Irish tunes during the trip.

Passengers can also buy a special, mint-chocolate St. Patrick’s beer: Mint-Night Express Stout by New Terrain Brewing Co. out of Golden, Colorado. Passengers can also order a special corned beef sandwich boxed lunch provided by The Yellow Carrot.

The Durango train will be decked out with Irish decorations, and passengers are encouraged to deck themselves out by wearing green or dressing in St. Paddy’s costumes — but (just like drinking) it is not required.

Pub Crawl

Why do they call it a “pub crawl?” Is it because you crawl from pub to pub, or is it because you’re crawling by the end of it? Both? Either way, downtown Durango is the perfect place to do a bit of bar-hopping to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Durango’s hip downtown is home to plenty of awesome bars and brewpubs all within easy walking (or crawling) distance. 

Naturally, your St. Paddy’s Day pub crawl must include a stop at the Irish Embassy Pub, 900 Main Ave. Fish and chips are on the menu, Guinness is on draft, and the specialty drink menu is heavy on Irish whiskey cocktails with names like Dublin Mule, Dublin Manhattan, Rory McIlroy, Embassy Wolfhound and Irish Red Setter. Swing by on Sunday, March 18th, to catch (or join) the pub’s weekly traditional Irish music jam session from 12:30-4 p.m.

Head a block north to Carver Brewing Co., the original Durango brewery, to try out their Irish stout. A couple blocks away is Steamworks Brewing Co., one of the renowned Durango craft breweries, where you can sip their Backside Stout or sample McDammit’s Scottish Ale (Scotland is close enough to Ireland, right?).

While you’re in Durango celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, we want you to be safe. Stay with us at the Durango Econo Lodge Inn and Suites! We’re located at 2002 Main Ave., which is pretty close to downtown — either during a brisk walk or a quick lift. We’re one of the best hotels in Durango! Book your room today so you can fully enjoy St. Paddy’s Day in Durango. (Kissing not included. Sorry.)

2018 Durango Independent Film Festival

The end of February and beginning of March mean a few things in Durango: It means there’s snow, there’s skiing, Valentine’s Day is over and the annual Durango Independent Film Festival is starting.

Now in its 13th year, the festival will run Feb. 28 through March 4 and, as much as it’s about films, it’s also about festival-ing. The easiest way to enjoy all the films and screenings, parties and events, panels and workshops is with a festival pass. The All Festival Pass gets you access to, well, everything, while other pass options provide varying levels of access to film programs, such as all films or 10 films or six. Find the pass that’s right for you!

Film Festival Events

Things kick off with, what else? A kick-off party Wednesday, Feb. 28, at Animas Chocolate Co., 920 Main Ave., with food and drinks provided by the Ore House restaurant.

Festival-goers can participate in the Craft Beer and Culinary Crawl on Thursday, March 1, and try craft beers paired with appetizers at several local establishments, including Brew Pub and Kitchen, Carver Brewing Co. and Sorrel Sky Gallery, which will feature Ska beer paired with bites from The Container Restaurant, and Studio & Gallery, where Durango Brewing Co. will pair its beer and food.

People can mix and mingle with the filmmakers during the Meet the Filmmakers Party on Friday evening at the Irish Embassy Pub, and the Late Night VIP Party will be held Saturday night at Mutu’s Italian Kitchen. Things wrap up with — you guessed it — a wrap party and awards Sunday night at the Irish Embassy Pub.

Films and Filmmakers

Per usual, the Durango Independent Film Festival features a wide array of films covering a wide range of topics. Check out this year’s festival schedule to be sure you don’t miss anything you might be interested in seeing. This year’s featured films include a variety of shorts and full-length films, documentaries and animated pieces, and topics ranging from outdoor adventure to global human rights.

Durango Hotels

If you’re looking for Durango hotels during the film festival, you found the best: the Durango Econo Lodge Inn and Suites. One other very important note: Feb. 28 is the first day of the film festival and the last day of our “Share the Love” package. Stay at the Econo Lodge Inn and Suites Durango any night in February (including the last night) and get a free bottle of local wine from Durango’s own Four Leaves Winery. Book your room today!

Craft Breweries in Durango

Photo: SteamworksBrewing.com

Everywhere you look, a new craft brewery is popping up. But Durango has been a haven for hop-heads since the late 1980s, so it was doing it before it was cool. Durango is now home to six craft breweries, which pair perfectly with its mountain-town vibe. Whether you’re looking for a patio pint, a full-blown flight or a sit-down dinner, these Durango breweries offer all the options.

Carver Brewing Co.

Carver Brewing Co. was the O.G. craft brewer in Durango, but it actually got its start in another business that uses yeast: baking. Caver Brothers Bakery opened in 1983 in Winter Park, Colorado, followed by Carver’s Bakery and Cafe in Durango in 1986. Two years later, the Carvers opened the brewery, making it the Four Corners’ first brewery since the end of Prohibition, according to the company. Carver Brewing Co. may be Durango’s original and oldest brewery, but it’s never outdated. The brewery has a full farm-to-table menu serving breakfast, lunch and dinner along with a cocktail menu (for those who — blasphemy! — don’t drink beer). In addition to its slate of flagship brews, including Old Oak Amber Ale and Lightning Creek Lager, the brewery always has something new on tap with special brews and seasonal beers making the rounds.

Ska Brewing Co.

Two guys who shall be known simply as “Bill” and “Dave” started Ska Brewing Co. when they started brewing their own beer in 1995. Today, Durango is world headquarters of Ska (so named because they listened to a lot of it back in the early beer-brewing days). Ska is known for its canned brews, including flagship beers such as Modus Hoperandi IPA and Buster Nut Brown Ale, which you know you want to order just to say the name. Food options abound at The Container of Food: Think stationary food truck housed in a shipping container parked in Ska’s beer garden. The menu is chock full of brick-oven pizzas, gourmet sandwiches, snacks, salads and sweets. The brewery also does fun stuff like Happy Hour Yoga every Monday and live music on Thursday nights.

Durango Brewing Co.

Durango Brewing Co. is another legacy brewer in our mountain town. Durango started brewing in 1990, and the brewery’s original taproom had only enough space for 11 people. That room is now the brewery’s grain-handling room. The company grew and expanded over the years, eventually buying the entire building to house the taproom and kitchen, and in 2016 completed renovations that included a new parking lot, a refresh of the taproom and expanding the patio. Durango Brewing today is a full-service restaurant with tasty brewpub fare such as burgers, beer-battered onion rings and chips and queso. With several year-round beers, such as Derail Ale and and Colorado Wheat, and a lineup of seasonal rotators with brews like a Blueberry Wheat and Saison on the roster, Durango Brewing has something for everyone.

Steamworks Brewing Co.

Steamworks Brewing Co. has been serving up its brews since 1996 and in that time has brought home 16 Great American Beer Fest awards, including two 2016 Silver Medals for Slam Dunkel and Backside Stout, and four World Beer Cup awards, most recently for the 2016 Gold for Steam Engine Lager. Not too shabby for something that the founders started for fun — and as a way to keep their home kegerators filled. Steamworks is a standby for locals and a favorite for visitors. In addition to a menu that features staples like burgers and pizza and surprises like Indonesian peanut salad, one of Steamworks’ staples is its Cajun boil.

 

Brew Pub & Kitchen

Longtime locals Erik and Lainie Maxson opened Brew Pub & Kitchen in March 2013, marrying two of their loves: Durango and beer. Note that both “brew” and “kitchen” are in the name for a reason. The couple focuses on making from-scratch food in the brewpub’s kitchen to complement the handcrafted beers. Brew doesn’t label beers by their color: red, brown, amber, blah, blah, blah. Instead, they focus on ingredients and categorize their beers that way: malt, yeast, hops, etc.

Animas Brewing Co.

You can’t go wrong with a pint and pasty. Animas Brewing Co. is the newest addition to the lineup of Durango breweries. Owner Scott Bickert opened the doors in December 2014 after spending plenty of time working for other Durango brewers, so he knows both the scene and what he’s doing as evidenced by his beers, such as What’s Up Wit, Hogsback Black and Boxcar Red. The menu gives a twist on comfort food, but ABC-goers won’t find pizza or fries. Instead, they’ll find things they probably won’t make at home, like pasties: a traditional handheld pastry stuffed with hearty goodness that miners could take with them into the tunnels for lunch.