Visit the Water Wheel Shops
at Centennial Plaza
Estes Park, Colorado
Welcome to the historic Centennial Plaza!
Sights, shopping, and refreshment in downtown Estes Park, Colorado
The Water Wheel Shops
at Centennial Plaza
The Water Wheel Shops at Centennial Plaza are historic landmarks at the west end of Elkhorn Avenue in Estes Park, Colorado. The area is famous for the functioning water wheel and boardwalk right along the river, as well as the hand-painted, working clocktower. The plaza includes quaint gift shops and long-standing businesses, as well as a restaurant and distillery.
Explore the Water Wheel Shops
Village Goldsmith
Park Tavern - Mercantile
Park Tavern - Restaurant & Bar
Nestled in the Estes Park valley, at the base of the majestic Rocky Mountains, our custom studio has been crafting distinctive fine jewelry since 1976. Often inspired by our beautiful surroundings we strive to produce the highest quality possible in our adornments.
A thoughtfully curated corner of our space, The Tavern Mercantile offers a selection of gifts, glassware, handpicked wines, and batched cocktails — all designed to complement your dining experience and let you take a piece of it home, or enjoy it right here at the restaurant.
Park Tavern Restaurant & Bar is a highly-rated, modern mountain pub located in the heart of downtown Estes Park, Colorado. Re-opened with a completely refreshed look and menu, it is a favorite for both locals and tourists looking for elevated comfort food and excellent craft cocktails
Omnibus
Miller's Indian Village
Hogback Distillery
Tucked into the heart of downtown Estes Park, Omnibus is a thoughtfully curated gift shop filled with a diverse collection of unexpected treasures. Featuring local artisan jewelry, handcrafted goods, playful curiosities and thoughtful keepsakes. Our collection is sure to charm and delight,
Part gallery, part treasure hunt, we invite you to slow down and explore—whether you’re searching for the perfect gift or something subtlety magical for yourself.
Omnibus - find something you never knew you always wanted.
Discover the finest collections of vintage and new Native American jewelry, Navajo rugs, pottery, incredible fetishes, and more at Miller's Indian Village. Owned and operated by the Miller family for over 90 years, Millers Indian Village boasts museum quality pieces hand made by Navajo, Zuni, Hopi and Santo Domingo artisans.
Hogback Distillery is named after the mountain range that runs along the full length of the Colorado Rockies, called the Dakota Hogback Ridge. Our distillery is located to the east of central Boulder, Colorado, close to Arapahoe and 55th Street, while our tasting room is in Estes park at 253 West Elkhorn (down the boardwalk by the water wheel and straight upstairs!). As a micro distillery we value your interest and welcome you to visit us to learn how our whiskies are made.
The Shops
History
50 years of Centennial Plaza
“My whole purpose was to make Estes Park unique,” said Durward. “When people come here as tourists, they come here for the visual beauty of the mountains.” He went on to say he wanted the town to reflect that, and maintain a rustic charm.
So, Durward re-designed and constructed Centennial Plaza, the wood and stone collection of businesses including the Water Wheel Shops, and the restaurant. He included a hand-carved and painted clocktower and glockenspiel, a beautiful boardwalk along Fall River, and a working water wheel.
50 years later, the Water Wheel Shops and Centennial Plaza continue to be a crown jewel in the quaint downtown of Estes Park. Today, the clocktower chimes on the hour, the water wheel turns all summer, and visitors can shop unique curios, gifts, and fine jewelry, enjoy sips and nibbles, or simply take a quiet moment to appreciate the beauty Estes Park has to offer.
It’s 1975. The summer is bright, the sky is blue, and the peaks of the Colorado Rockies surround a small mountain town. Estes Park is the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, a community built around road trip tourism and national park-goers. Dr. James Durward has just moved to town with his wife and three young daughters, and has purchased the dental practice on the west end of Elkhorn Avenue.
A year later Durward's practice was doing well, but after living and working in Estes Park for the full turn of a year, he realized the quieter west end of Elkhorn Avenue needed something more to attract the summer tourists and uplift the other small businesses that were his neighbors. Visitors to downtown commonly walked to the intersection at Elkhorn and Moraine, but then turned around. Durward knew they just needed an invitation to keep walking.