Entry No. 24 — the Pueblo file — filed under: haunted
Tarabino Inn
“A co-owner once listed the spirits for the local paper like regular tenants.”
The Tarabino brothers built this U-shaped Italianate in 1907, and Barney apparently never checked out — he's said to keep to the Walnut Suite. The house did a stint as a funeral home, which might explain the rest of the roster: a little girl who knocks, an elderly woman on the stairs, and cherry pipe smoke drifting through a library where nobody has smoked in decades. A co-owner once listed the spirits for the local paper like regular tenants. You can book the room.
The story
In 1907, the Tarabino brothers put up a massive, U-shaped Italianate mansion on East Second Street, funded by the cash registers at their Famous Department Store down on Main Street. The grandeur stayed, but the house eventually cycled through different lives—including a stint operating as a local funeral home. Somewhere along the way, the boundary between former occupants and current check-ins dissolved entirely. When a co-owner once spoke to the local newspaper, they didn't talk about ghost hunts or sensational hauntings; they itemized the resident spirits like regular tenants on a lease.
Barney Tarabino remains the main tenant, having apparently claimed permanent residency in the Walnut Suite. But he isn't alone in the house's ledger. Guests and caretakers have logged a small girl who knocks softly on bedroom doors, an elderly woman who hovers near the staircase, and the distinct, sweet haze of cherry pipe smoke floating through the library—a room where no one has lit a pipe in decades.
It is a remarkably casual haunting. Nobody is jumping out of closets; the house simply retains its old rhythms, along with a few former residents who refuse to vacate. You can reserve Barney's suite online, walk the original floorboards, and see if anyone decides to join you downstairs.
What it's like
You won't find a staffed front desk or a uniformed concierge waiting behind a counter. The inn operates as a low-key, self-contained bed and breakfast booked through standard online platforms, sitting on a quiet residential stretch a few blocks from Trinidad's brick-paved downtown. You'll park on the street on East Second. Breakfast isn't a communal sit-down affair—it's self-serve pastries delivered quietly to your door. The vibe after sundown is heavy on dark wood and long shadows; bring a Scrabble board down to the library late at night and see who shows up.
The move: Book the Walnut Suite for the night, then sit up late in the library with a Scrabble board and see who else wants to play.
📍 Before you go It's a small B&B with only a few suites, typically reserved through the big booking platforms rather than a staffed front desk — ask for the Walnut Suite by name if you want Barney's room. Street parking on East Second Street; the house sits a few blocks from Trinidad's brick-paved downtown, an easy walk. Breakfast tends to be self-serve pastries delivered to your suite rather than a hosted sit-down. Pair the stay with dinner on Main Street, where the brothers once ran the Famous Department Store.
- 📍 Trinidad
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 310 E 2nd St, Trinidad, CO 81082
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art — Walk two blocks to Main Street to see a preserved 1906 dry-goods building from the exact era when the Tarabino brothers ran their own department store nearby.
- Simpson's Rest — Drive a mile up to the bluff overlooking town where frontier scout George Simpson lies buried beneath the giant city sign.
- Cokedale Coke Ovens — Drive seven miles west on Highway 12 to explore the 350 beehive ovens built in 1906, left behind when the coal boom that funded Trinidad's grand mansions went bust.
Good to know
How do I book the haunted room specifically?
Look for the Walnut Suite by name on booking platforms, as that is the room specifically tied to Barney Tarabino.
Is there a hosted, sit-down breakfast?
No, breakfast is self-serve pastries delivered directly to your suite rather than a hosted morning dining service.
How close is the inn to downtown Trinidad?
It sits at 310 East Second Street, an easy, short walk from the brick-paved main strip and local dining.
Is there dedicated parking?
Parking is directly out front on East Second Street.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · worldjournalnewspaper.com · hauntedcolorado.net · fatmanlittletrail.com
last checked: 2026-06-11