Colorado's Mini Version Of Times Square Glows With Vintage Neon Art In A Downtown Alley Near Bars And Breweries

When criminal defense attorney Joe Koncilja set up office in his hometown of Pueblo, Colorado, he looked out onto the dark alley and envisioned something bright and beautiful: A home for his collection of vintage neon signs. Koncilja started with 12 signs installed in 2014. Since then, Neon Alley has bloomed into a public arts space attracting visitors from around the country. 

The site is completely free to visit and accessible 24 hours a day, billing itself as "the greatest assembly of neon art west of Times Square and east of Las Vegas," per its Facebook page. While these famous locales wow visitors with their sheer wattage, Neon Alley casts a different kind of spell. It is small and intimate, creating an unexpected discovery in the dark night. 

If you'd like to see Neon Alley, the best way to fly in is through Pueblo Memorial Airport. Alternatively, it's about a two-hour drive south of Denver, passing through Colorado Springs, the "Olympic City" and an underrated vacation destination in its own right. Head to Pueblo's South Union Avenue, and you'll find the alley tucked between West B and West C streets. Come just before sunset to watch the glowing neon colors shift with the light.

Salvaging the neon signs was part of Joe Koncilja's efforts to preserve Pueblo's history. Displaying them in an alleyway, however, was a practical decision to circumvent city ordinances that barred signs from being installed on the street. Restoring vintage signs is delicate work. The brittle parts may need to be disassembled and replaced, while the neon gas in the light tubes may need to be refilled. It's a labor of love, which is also how Las Vegas' oldest casino preserves its historic charm. In Pueblo, the result has transformed the town's urban landscape. 

Pueblo's historic downtown, where Neon Alley is located, has evolved into an arts and culture hub with a burgeoning brewery scene. The Gold Dust Saloon is closest to Neon Alley, with 10 craft brews on tap. A little farther down the road along the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk, Brues Alehouse is a former police station turned brewery that prides itself on replicating German-style brewing processes to a tee. Also downtown, the Walter Brewing Company serves a unique Pueblo Chile Beer, a lager with notes of Pueblo's local hot peppers. Walter's has been in business since 1889, so they must be doing something right!

Neon Alley is not the only spot to discover unique art in downtown Pueblo. The city actually held the Guinness World Record for the largest outdoor mural gallery in the world for over 20 years. The Pueblo Levee Mural Project once covered 200,000 square feet along the Arkansas River, and it hopes to reach a total area of 260,000 square feet. Artist Deadhand is one of the many local muralists active on the project, posting photos on Instagram to show its enormity.

The Arkansas River is also home to Whitewater Park, where man-made steps create an artificial kayaking and surfing course in the middle of Colorado's urban high desert. The result is a watersports hub people flock to. Downtown Pueblo is also less than a 15-minute drive away from Lake Pueblo State Park, one of Colorado's best beaches and parks for the ultimate summer road trip. 

Pueblo gets more than 300 days of sunshine a year, but the city's elevation (nearly 4,700 feet) means that even summer evenings stay cool. If you can visit in mid-September, you'll be just in time to celebrate Pueblo's beloved green chiles at its Chile and Frijoles Festival — a tasty time to explore this overlooked, high-desert gem.