Pueblo

One of the city's claims to fame is its Mexican food. Pueblo farmers grow their own variety of green chile, made into a savory stew to top just about anything edible. Local growers bring their produce to farmers' markets all over the region each summer. Each fall, the Chile & Frijoles Festival celebrates the harvest and the city's Hispanic heritage.

Downtown events often revolve around the Sangre de Cristo Arts & Conference Center and adjacent Buell Children's Museum, which has won national recognition for excellence.The city's ambitious Nature and Raptor Center provides pleasant hiking along the river and houses rescued wild birds such as owls and eagles.

There's also Lake Pueblo State Park west of town, where fishing, boating and other water sports are the order of the day, as well as great mountain biking trails. And in City Park, there's a zoo, including children's carnival rides and an antique carousel.

Pueblo has not forgotten its roots. Witness the revitalization of the Union Avenue Historic District and the completely rebuilt El Pueblo Museum, which honors the area's history and cultural diversity.

Those in search of more history can find it at Rosemount Museum, home of one of the city's founding fathers, or the Steelworks Museum of Industry & Culture, which houses a collection of archives and artifacts associated with the CF&I steel mill and its mining communities.