Trinidad, Colorado: Art Cartopia (Closed)

So there I am, cruising down I-25 in the Space Force Starliner, on the way to the Atomic Museum, when I spot a giant inflatable gorilla holding a car outside of a place called Art Cartopia. I took the next exit and circled back to find myself among "my people."

The Museum is amazing and Rodney and Pat are enthusiastic docents and caretakers for a growing collection of over 25 art cars that you can not find anywhere else. You need to see this place to understand. I am coming back in September for their big weekend event and parade: Artocade!

While going down I-25 through Trinidad you'll see this museum very close to the east side of the interstate. It's a free, fun, roadside attraction that is family-friendly and very easy to find. Many people are not familiar with art cars or art car events, so this museum is one that should not be overlooked! Pat, Rodney, and others at the museum will give you the grand tour, filled with information about the museum and art cars. In addition to the museum, the art car event known as ArtoCade, started in 2013 and held each September, has become the second largest art car event in the country. If you attend ArtoCade in September you'll see amazing creativity expressed in all the cars, and you'll meet some of the nicest people you can imagine!

I arrived at 3:55 and the museum sign said it closed at 4:00. When I pulled up, Rodney Wood, the museum director, was just coming out to put some of the exotic vehicles away. I asked if I was too late to view the museum and he assured me that I could take all the time and pictures that I wanted! Rodney proceeded to give me a personal tour, with the history and highlights of most of the cars, for the next 45 minutes. He's very enthusiastic about the museum and his enthusiasm is quite infectious.

Several of the cars came from Burning Man, some were done at a prison! I really liked the fire-breathing dragon. One of the most ornate was a tribute to Queen with references to their songs built into the ornamentation of the vehicle. Rodney relayed how artists from Europe had come to build some of the vehicles. I gathered from Rodney that it is starting to get a following from as far away as Houston and the Northwest. Some of the vehicles have been on tour, towed by the "Eye Van" (If you have a unique pun on eyes and eyeballs, Rodney wants to hear it).

The second weekend in September is Trinidad's big artcar parade, second only to Houston with 100 cars. Maybe more this year!