Tiny Town is a miniature village in the foothills of Colorado, located in Jefferson County about 25 miles southwest of Denver off US Highway 285. It's one of those charming American roadside attractions.
The History
Tiny Town was built by George Turner Sr., a Denver businessman who initially built a single small house as a playhouse for his daughter Ethel, called Turnerville. The project grew and by 1927, Turner had constructed over 100 miniature buildings that replicate a functioning Western frontier town, all at exactly 1/6 human scale. The buildings include a working general store, a hotel, a schoolhouse, a church, a firehouse, a livery stable, and dozens of residences, all detailed with period-appropriate signage, window trim, and paint.
The Tiny Town Foundation, a non-profit, was formed in 1994, and restoration and maintenance are ongoing, and some buildings date to the original 1920s construction, while others have been rebuilt or added by volunteers over the decades.
The Steam Railroad
The steam railroad is the highlight for most visitors. The 1/6-scale coal-fired steam engine runs a continuous loop through and around the miniature village on a 1/2 mile track and the train rides cost $4. It's important that you know that the locomotive is real and coal-burning. Woo woo!
Visiting Information
- Address: 6249 S Turkey Creek Rd, Morrison, CO 80465 (near the town of Morrison, also famous for Red Rocks Amphitheatre)
- Open: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, you can check the official Tiny Town website for the current season schedule
- Admission: $5 for adults, $4 for children ages 2-12, free for children under 2 with adult admission
- Best paired with: Red Rocks Amphitheatre (10 minutes down the road), or a drive further into the mountains on Highway 285 toward Kenosha Pass
Why It's Worth Your Time
Tiny Town is lovingly made, original, and non-commercial. In Colorado which is increasingly crowded with raft tours, zip lines, and craft brewery experiences, a hand-built 1/6-scale frontier village with a coal-fired steam railroad is easy to overlook, but it is still a dynamite Colorado experience.