Salida is the Heart of the Rockies: a laid-back river town where Colorado’s largest historic district meets the Arkansas River, ringed by 14,000-foot peaks and packed with galleries, brewpubs, hot springs and some of the best whitewater in the state.

Salida began as a stop for travelers and grew up with the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, and its brick downtown, on the National Register of Historic Places, is Colorado’s largest historic district. Downtown was also Colorado’s first certified Creative District, home to painters, potters, blacksmiths, musicians and makers, with wineries, breweries and distilleries mixed in. On the first Friday of each month galleries and shops stay open late. A riverside walk runs through town, with a small beach and a whitewater park where kayakers surf the waves. Salida’s hometown ski area, Monarch Mountain, is a short drive west.

The Arkansas River is Salida’s playground. The Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area follows the river for 152 miles from near Leadville to Lake Pueblo, with world-class rafting through Browns Canyon National Monument just upstream. Anglers fish Colorado’s longest stretch of Gold Medal water, with up to 5,000 trout per mile. After a day outside, soak in the hot springs pool at the Salida Aquatic Center, which the chamber calls the largest indoor hot springs facility in the country, or head up valley to Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort and St. Elmo Ghost Town. Downriver, the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park makes a great day trip.

Salida hosts FIBArk, America’s oldest whitewater festival, each June, along with First Fridays in the Creative District, music and theater at the SteamPlant, and a New Year’s Eve torchlight parade and fireworks at Monarch Mountain. Check the calendar at salidachamber.org before you go.