tabor opera house

We had a marvelous tour at the Tabor Opera House and even had the opportunity to enjoy a drum solo by my husband and a singing solo by my daughter on the historic stage! Our tour guide was absolutely amazing and offered personal experiences to the tour which made it feel like home. What a wonderful piece of history and a fabulous way to spend an hour!

If you enjoy older architecture and buildings with great history take the time to tour the Tabor Opera House. It's a great old building and once you view the 18 minute video about the building's history and the performers who played there, you are allowed to roam freely throughout the place. You can go into the basement to see the dressing rooms (outfitted with period furniture), you can step out on the stage, go up to the balconies, and imagine what this amazing 1879 building was like in its heyday. Take the time and the tour ($5 per person).

This is a lovely restored opera house it was quite fun and they still use for shows. Worth seeing. They had characters dressed up. It is small so doesn't take lots of time.

The opera house itself is beautiful as old opera houses should be. It also has a history of performances, of course. But not enough goes on there. I'd like to see a more busy schedule. Maybe a church could use it Sunday mornings, community-involved performances could use it. I have a lot of ideas for which I could use a facility like that if I owned it.

Built in 1879 by Colorado’s “Silver King” Horace Tabor, the Opera House was among the Best in the West when first constructed: a splendid Victorian beauty complete with hand painted frescoes and red velvet seats, the envy of any Western city with cultural pretenses. Tabor’s story starts in Vermont, where he is born and married for the first time, moves through Kansas where he tried his hand at farming, then goes to Colorado where he first started making money from the gold of California Gulch before settling in Leadville in 1877. To this day Leadville is very proud of all the lead that gave the town its name: I saw quite a few cars with a Pb decal, must be the local “thing to do”. Back to Tabor: He made tons of money from silver, reportedly getting as much as 4 million dollars a year during some of his mining periods. But no matter how much he made, he managed to spend more. His first wife, Augusta, unhappy with his spending habits, left him and took the children. Tabor did not waste any time getting a companion – much younger and beautiful Elizabeth “Baby Doe” McCourt. Eventually, they moved to Denver but not prior to building the beautiful Tabor Opera House in Leadville. The plaque at the door mentions that the Opera house represents the “last of Tabor’s money”. Tabor and “Baby Doe” are buried in the Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Colorado.The Building itself is now used, during the high season, for performances as well as wedding, reunions and anything else that can help make some money. It was closed on the day I visited. But you cannot have it all: less tourists everywhere (it’s after Labor Day) and all attractions available… If you are tempted to cross the street to visit the “Legendary Silver Dollar Saloon” you might wish to read my review of said Saloon first.

Make sure to make time to do the tour!!! It is worth every minute! Think about "High" Society, dressed to the nines, enjoying a night out, back in the late 1800's.

This place hasn't been touched by rehabbing since it was built. It really is like stepping back into time. They even have the original seating in the auditorium. And the electrical board! One can wander around and explore as long as wanted. Can go under the stage to see the original dressing rooms. It feels like a show just ended 120 years ago! We were walking around gasping WOW! and so were all the other people we met there. If you like historical buildings, this is the place for you to explore!

Tabor Opera House is a must see for anyone interested in the Performing Arts and/or Mining. I personally came to Leadville for the express purpose of attending a Zikr Dance Company performance at Tabor Opera House. I received MUCH more than an evening of beautiful, compelling dance - I got a glimpse back in time! If you are headed west on Hwy 70 toward historic or resort destinations, consider a short detour south on Hwy 91 to Leadville. You could complete a tour of both the Opera House and the Mining Museum in one day. I felt transported back in time and am in awe of the volunteers working hard to keep the Opera House operational. The support of visitors is essential to their restoration efforts.

Leadville is justifiably proud of its ability to hang on and come back from death's door after so many other mining towns in Colorado left only ghost towns as remains when the 19th century mining boom in the high Rockies collapsed. The Tabor Opera House is a piece of that early prosperous history, and the unguided tour and 18 minute video ($5 per person at the time of this writing) is a great way to learn about those early times. The tour is mostly about the opera house itself, but you will learn something about Leadville's interesting past here, which laid the foundation for the fortunes of the likes of the Guggenheims. Take some time to do this tour, sing a song or two from the historic stage, and think about what it would have been like to have been here when "the Unsinkable" Molly Brown and other renowned figures from the past of live stage performances were mainstays in this historic venue.

The tour guide was really very good and knew all the stories. It is really an integral part of the rich fabric which is Leadville. Wild wild west town and here is a part that has been maintained very well(nearly knocked down in 1955) go do the tour, 30 minutes.

Love the history!!!! Love the decor!!! Love the magic!!!! Love the shows!!!! If you like old buildings and old theatres you will love the Tabor Opera House. You can also sing on the stage and the acoustics are outstanding!!! If you get an opportunity to watch a show don't miss it and the shows are inexpensive as well.

This was really disappointing. Indifferent personnel ruined what could have been a wonderful experience. The disinterested staff failed to inform us of our options so we lost a chance to see a part of the theater not part of the regular tour. We watched a short video and then were turned loose to wander around the semi darkened theater wondering what we were seeing. A better time would be spent around the corner down 3rd street at the House with the Eye. There the staff took an interest and gave a great tour.

Historic Leadville Colorado so much to see. Back in the 1800's lived the wealthy Tabor family to which many attractions/buildings had been named after. Mr Horace Tabor built the Tabor Opera House in 1882. You will see the old victorian decor and can just imagine the plays that were performed there. Also highly recommended is the history of the Tabor family and his second wife Baby Doe. The wealth and fortune obtained from the silver mines, later to be broke After his death,Baby Doe ended up alone and in poverty living in a cabin for decades. Besure to read the history of the Tabor family, very interestng. The Opera House, The cabin, Silver minds, the victorian homes, the Silver Dollar Saloon, ALL very interesting and a step back in time. As you approach Leadville you will see an old red school house in the open field and in the background the Rocky Mts., very picturesque. Leadville is in the heart of the Rocky Mountains a Another interesting fact is that Doc Holiday also moved here.

Was a great old theater....saw an awesome show of the history of the Tabor family and Leadville that was presented by Pocket Watch Productions out of Manitou Springs. Love it, you should see it yourself......

A must see in this old mining town. While its history dates back into the 1800's, its charm is relavent still today as a place for enterianing audiances.The tour is only $5 and includes a well made documentary of the Tabor's history. You can explore the theater, the dressing room areas, the pictures lining the walls of its history.