The town of Westcliff is celebrating Colorado’s Sesquicentennial with the Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways Photography Exhibit. The exhibit is a collection of 52 breathtaking color photographs taken along Colorado’s Scenic and Historic Byways.
Custer County Tourism, Frontier Pathways and the Sangres Art Guild are hosting the Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways photography exhibition in the 3rd Street Gallery through April 19. A special “Love the Byways” reception will be held Feb. 14 from 1-4 p.m.
EXHIBIT DETAILS
WHAT: Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways Photography Exhibit
WHERE: Sangres Art Guild’s 3rd Street Gallery, 59000 Hwy 69 in Westcliffe
HOURS: Fridays Saturdays and Sundays through April 19 from 11 a.m.5 p.m,
ADMISSION: Free
RECEPTIONS: “Love the Byways” on Saturday, Feb. 14, from 1-4 p.m.
Spring Break on Saturday, March 21, from 1-4 p.m.
“We are excited to host the Colorado Byways collection this year in the 3rd Street Gallery,” said Deb Adams with the Custer County Tourism Board. “This unique exhibit was unveiled in 2018 at the Denver International Airport and has traveled to the State Capitol, History Colorado Center and the Colorado State Fair among other locations. We are honored to have the final run of the exhibit here in Westcliffe as a kick-off to a year of celebrations of our great state and the 250th birthday of the United States.”
Colorado has the most nationally designated byways in the United States. The Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways photography exhibit is a visual tour to learn about how people, communities and cultures are connected through these designated routes. It is a journey through a photographic collection to see locations such as Mesa Verde’s Step House, Living History at Bent’s Old Fort Trading Post, or the Summit of Independence Pass.
The exhibit represents each of the byways located in 48 of Colorado’s 64 counties, 13 of which are America’s Byways, nationally recognized for their significant contributions.
Custer County is part of the Frontier Pathways Historic and Scenic Byway, which encourages people to exit I-25 in Pueblo and drive westward on Hwy 96 to discover the magnificent scenery and quaint small town charm of the Wet Mountain Valley, and take a scenic drive on Hwy 165 to explore Bishop Castle and Lake Isabel.
The Byway is 103 miles long, including a 16-mile backtrack, with a diving time of approximately 2.5 hours. Frontier Pathways is also a byway to Westcliffe, a dark sky community.
The Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways program is a statewide partnership intended to provide recreational, educational and economic benefits to Coloradans and visitors. The byways unite communities and the stories of their collective past. When traveling on any Colorado Byway, visitors can stop at a visitor’s center, ranger district, or Chamber of Commerce, to gather additional information, brochures, or maps.