rises a very "out of place" pink tower topped with a gold dome:
Behind that fountain, one enters an almost surreal place that is some odd combination of Taco Bell, Tom Sawyer's Island and Acapulco: the one and only, Casa Bonita.
Casa Bonita, whose doors opened in 1974, is part "Mexican" eatery and part funland--and all unique to one little corner of the world (though, I hear it was briefly a chain this is the first, and not last, location). Someone, somewhere along the way, saw an empty building that once house a large department store and thought "hey, I could fill that full of caves and waterfalls, serve enchiladas and put on shows; it's be like a trip to Mexico without that pesky flight." And, while it is really nothing like Mexico, I have to say that my one trip there as a child (I had NO idea what I was in for going to that birthday party lol) and the several I have taken as an adult with my own kids, have all been a lot of fun. This place is just as quirky and off the beaten path in its own way as my beloved Tripsdrill amusement park. Lacking any better way to describe it, I will just take you through a pictorial tour and encourage you to plan a visit if you are ever in the area. Please note: while it IS dark in Casa Bonita--it was not NEARLY as dark as the photos make it appear. I am not sure what was wrong with my camera that everything came out so dreary; perhaps it was mistakenly put on the wrong setting or something.
The first thing you need to know about Casa Bonita is that your "entrance fee" is your meal. This means that you cannot enter if you do not purchase the food (this applies to anyone over age 2). Plan on spending about $13-15 to eat, $15-17 with a drink.
For our visit, Dave went online ( http://www.casabonitadenver.com/ ) that morning and found a coupon for $3 off of your choice of either the all you can eat beef or chicken deluxe dinner. This made that dinner the least expensive option, even if we did not want seconds--so nearly all of us opted for it (Rio and Ellie opted for kids' meals, and were graciously allowed to do so in spite of being technically too old).
You start off in a long queue area, that has an ordering station and then a bit later on a place to pick up both your food and your non alcoholic drinks (alcoholic drinsk will be delivered to you at your table). We intentionally ate at an off hour to avoid the lines and chaos that normal meal times see at Casa Bonita--so here is a photo of the almost empty queue: be aware that in peak times the wait here can easily exceed thirty minutes!
(sorry it is so dark)
Here is where you pick up the meal that you ordered about two turns back:
And after you pick up your food, you can feel like you are back in elementary school paying the lunch lady for your meal:
After paying, you will be met at the start of the ramp up by a staff member, who will escort you to a table (no worries: if you have little ones who cannot carry their own trays, or need some assistance yourself, the staff is happy to provide that for you).
Being there at an off hour meant we were seated in the coveted "waterfall room" without even asking for it.
Now, I have to say that Casa Bonita has a reputation for having terrible food. People often say they suffer through it, and often don't even eat, and just figure it is worth the price just to get in (and to eat the sopapillas--which everyone DOES agree are fantastic)--and it IS worth the price for that. However, while it is far from the real thing and not even what I would expect out of a good Tex-Mex restaurant, I also think it is pretty decent stuff for what it is and far better than most US theme park food, or a Taco Bell, etc. I made this assertion to our group several times on the day of our visit, always to be told I was crazy. I was vindicated when several people commented, as we ate, that it actually WAS pretty good.
One of the most fun aspects of eating, are the little flags on each table.
Whenever you want something new brought to the table: more enchiladas, more chips and salsa (THOSE were terrible, I conceded that), refills on your drinks (oh lovely refills--how I covet thee. THIS is probably the thing I miss most when not in the USA), and, most importantly, more sopapillas, you just run your little flag up to the top of its pole, and a waiter will drop by very quickly to see what you need and bring it to you.
By the way, the sopapillas, as well as the chips and salsa, are included at no extra charge and you are allowed to eat as many of them as your little heart and large stomach desire. Heck, you can eat $12 worth of sopapillas pretty easily, IMO.
If you do not know what a sopapilla is: they are little "pillows" of fried dough that are hallow inside. You fill the hollow space with honey (though the name implies they were meant to be eaten with soup originally) and chow down. MMMMMMMMMMM.
Now, on to exploring! If you visit with very young kids, this place is EASY to get lost in--so have an adult stay with them. With older kids, just make sure the kids know their table number, so they can ask for directions if they get lost, have them stick with a buddy and let them wander. Since the youngest in our party was 13, we had no worries at all and everyone was in more of a looky-lu mode than play mode.
There are several themed rooms to sit in. The Water Fall Room is meant to evoke a small Mexican Village feel with water falls that are meant to remind you of the cliff divers from Acapulco.
There are several shows that take in and around the waterfall throughout the day (some sort of show happens every thirty or so minutes all day long, more often in peak times). The water fall shows include a diving show, a wild west show and a gorilla show (both of the latter include "falls" into the water).
Other places to sit, include the mine shafts, caves and the magic show room (note: it is expected and encouraged to explore all the areas--this is one place where the kids CAN and SHOULD wander around amongst all the tables! Normal rules do not apply).
There are also non seating areas to explore--the most popular being Black Bart's Cave. There are also mine trains to find, pirate's coves, 2 arcades, a wishing well, etc.
(this leads into a narrow, winding, cave with many "startle" features and a few interesting twists and turns. Sadly, a few of the most fun features--the spinning floor and swinging bridge, have been lost to a litigious society an are now fixed without movement).
While you are doing all of this exploring, you can stop at almost any time to see a show. In addition to the aforementioned shows around the waterfall, there are puppet shows, magic shows and pinata breakings virtually every hour. Here's a shot of the kids swinging a club at that pinata (after it breaks--the kid who broke it gets to keep their choice of the head or the body and then other kids vie for the chance to keep the other half--yes, Casa Bonita cons your kids into excitedly taking home their trash! lol and everyone watching gets 2 tootsie rolls:
If all the exploring and commotion are not enough for you, Casa Bonita is also more than happy to separate you from a bit more of your money. You can visit two arcades, have a caricature of yourself made, dress in old time clothes and have a photo taken, pose in the jail (this used to be free) and shop in the market.
(live music in front of the shop)
As you can see--it is a really unique and kitschy kind of place. A perfect way to spend a couple of hours (or 4 or 5 if you have never been and have younger kids and can stand it for that long--have a few of the margaritas!). It's an especially good option when the weather doesn't cooperate--and it is just so different that it is a great place to go if you are visiting the area (we all kept thinking of people, many Germans, who we'd love to take there).
As I write this, Boulder and many of the surrounding communities are experiencing extreme flooding. While I have gone ahead and focused on the light and fun things in life--please know that my thoughts are with everyone who is in danger yet, those who have lost belongings and most especially with the families who have lost loved ones (three thus far, and they expect to possibly find more later on).
--Hadley
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