Entry No. 156 — the Denver file — filed under: ritual-music
Buffalo Rose
The Buffalo Rose is genuinely Colorado's oldest bar, operating continuously since 1859, and its main venue sits above the preserved art deco "Golden Plunge" indoor pool built in 1928 — a real basement swimming pool with a documented ghost story about a young girl whose presence is still reported by staff. It's a live music venue, full restaurant, and bonafide piece of Colorado territorial history all under one haunted roof.
The story
Golden was barely a mining camp when this corner of Washington Avenue opened in 1859 as the International Bowling Saloon. Over the next sixteen decades, the connected complex cycled through roles as a grocery store, a church, a frontier hotel where Generals Grant and Sheridan bunked, and the meeting place for Colorado's territorial legislature when Golden served as the territory capital in the 1860s. Gunfights spilled out onto the dirt street outside, and the saloon space eventually locked down its title as Colorado's oldest continuously operating bar.
The real architectural twist happened in 1928, when the space was transformed into "The Golden Plunge"—a heated, art deco indoor swimming pool lit by a neon sign on the facade that drew swimmers from across the state. Olympic athletes trained in the pool until 1941, when the basin was floored over to turn the building into a union hall and roller rink. That empty 1920s concrete swimming pool still rests completely intact directly beneath the venue's concert room floor, tucked down a steep flight of stairs behind the main stage.
If you ask the night-shift cleaning crew or former management, the pool isn't entirely abandoned. Staff have long reported the presence of a young girl believed to have drowned during the Plunge era, whose footsteps are still heard scrambling up and down the stairwells late after hours. You won't find her on a corporate tour brochure, but standing on the dance floor directly above a dark, drained 1920s swimming pool gives the room an unmistakable tension when the amps turn off.
What it's like
You'll spot the venue's massive marquee blazing along Washington Avenue in the middle of downtown Golden, surrounded by main-strip crowds and a block away from public parking garages on 11th and 13th Streets. Inside, the space operates as a full restaurant and craft-cocktail spot under a retractable glass ceiling in the front, and a loud concert hall in the back. The catch is that you can't freely tour or walk into the Golden Plunge pool below; it lives behind stage access down steep stairs, so you are standing directly over it while watching a band. Concerts sell out quickly on weekends, so book show tickets in advance or swing through early on a weeknight for a drink and ask your server about the ghost girl before the venue fills up.
The move: Grab dinner and craft cocktails at the bar, then catch a live music set in the main room — standing directly above the old swimming pool — and ask your server about the ghost girl said to still run the stairs; the venue's eerie art deco bones make the story land especially hard in person.
📍 Before you go You'll find it in the heart of historic downtown Golden, under the grand marquee on Washington Avenue — the city's walkable main strip along Clear Creek. Two public parking garages sit within a block (between 11th and 13th Streets). The famous empty pool isn't a walk-in attraction; it lives beneath the event-room floor, down steep stairs behind the stage, so you're standing over it rather than touring it — ask staff. It's a working music venue, so big shows sell out and seating shifts by event; check the calendar ahead. Pair it with a creekside stroll or the nearby Coors brewery tour.
- 📍 Golden
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1119 Washington Ave, Golden, CO 80401
Hours: Mined 2026-06-07 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Triceratops Trail — Walk less than a mile up the road to trace 68-million-year-old dinosaur footprints embedded vertically in a reclaimed mining canyon.
- Rock Rest Lodge — Drive 2.7 miles south to keep the historic watering hole vibe going at an 1885 stagecoach stop that doubled as a gambling den and brothel.
- Mother Cabrini Shrine — Head 3.4 miles into the Golden foothills to climb 373 steps to a 22-foot Sacred Heart statue at a quiet mountaintop pilgrimage site.
- Cussler Museum — Drive five miles east into nearby Arvada to inspect adventure novelist Clive Cussler's private collection of rare vintage automobiles.
Good to know
Can visitors tour the old Golden Plunge pool in the basement?
No. The preserved 1920s swimming pool sits directly underneath the event room floor down stairs behind the stage, but it is not open for self-guided walk-in tours.
Is Buffalo Rose actually Colorado's oldest bar?
Yes. The saloon portion of the building has operated continuously under various names and owners since 1859, making it the oldest bar in the state.
Where should I park when visiting?
Two public parking garages sit within a block of the venue, located on Washington Avenue between 11th and 13th Streets.
What is the origin of the ghost story?
Staff and management have reported late-night footsteps on the stairs attributed to the ghost of a young girl who is believed to have drowned during the building's era as the Golden Plunge indoor pool.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Only In Your State · Yelp · 999kekb.com · uncovercolorado.com
last checked: 2026-06-07