Grant to Create Colorado Historic Opera Houses Circuit!

05 Nov Grant to Create Colorado Historic Opera Houses Circuit!

A $40,000 grant from the Colorado Tourism Office will help create the first-ever Colorado Historic Opera Houses Circuit, a joint promotion of five mountain opera houses. The CTO has awarded a 2022 Marketing Matching Grant to build this new cultural heritage travel offering. The project will share the performances, programs, history, and stories of these opera houses, all built between 1878 and 1913 and retain their original character.

Sheridan Opera House, 1960s or 1970s

The Circuit will feature a map, website, and other promotions to attract visitors interested in history, arts and culture, live entertainment, and private event rentals. It will include practical information on how to visit the opera houses and will promote the destinations and related travel attractions in the rural cities where the opera houses sit.

The following organizations are Circuit partners:

Aspen Chamber Resort Association
Central City Opera
City of Central City
City of Ouray
Gilpin Historical Society
Lake County Tourism Panel
Sheridan Arts Foundation
Tabor Opera House Preservation Foundation
The Wright Opera House
Wheeler Opera House

“Colorado’s historic opera houses offer a unique experience, where visitors can enjoy world-class performances, programs, and private events in a setting much like what they would have found over 100 years ago,” said project manager Donna Childress of Childress Communications LLC in Leadville, Colo. “We are excited for this first-of-its-kind collaboration, which will help the opera houses and destinations recover from substantial pandemic impacts and will connect visitors with the arts and culture they have missed in the past two years.”

About the Colorado Tourism Office Marketing Matching Grant

The grant program awards funding to eligible applicants for projects that promote the state as a tourism destination, supporting CTO’s mission to “drive traveler spending through promotion and development of compelling, sustainable travel experiences throughout our four-corner state.” Additionally, these grants may be used for marketing projects that support better destination management such as educating visitors about how to recreate responsibly.

Project work will begin in January 2022 and will spur future economic development and recovery for the tourism industry throughout the year and beyond. The CTO’s Marketing Matching Grant Program awards grants up to $40,000 and applicants must demonstrate a 2:1 match, including an in-kind match of up to 20 percent. All participating organizations are equal partners; the Lake County Tourism Panel is the formal project lead.