Sunday, July 29, 2018

Little Bear Saloon in Evergreen, Colorado


Doesn't everyone enjoy live music? My husband and I, and a couple of good friends drove up to the mountain town of Evergreen to visit the Little Bear Saloon on Saturday, where two friends, Mike and Nick, were performing live music during the lunchtime hours. (All photos will enlarge when clicked on)


The rustic Little Bear Saloon is exactly what you would imagine an old-time western saloon to look like, with its all wooden facade, swinging double door entrance, brass cash register, wooden bar stools booths and tables carved graffiti of names and dates, and forty years worth of legendary music. Little Bear was formerly a church, a drugstore, the Red Ram Saloon and the Round-Up Dance Hall. During the 60's and 70's, the saloon was known as the Red Ram, and Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, the Glenn Miller Band all performed here. Around the middle 70's the name had changed to Little Bear, and the music changed to the sounds of  Bo Diddley, Rita Coolidge, George Thoroughgood and many others, including Willie Nelson who had a house in Evergreen at the time and used to come down to Little Bear to jam with other musicians.


We ordered a pitcher of beer to share and enjoyed some really tasty and juicy hamburgers from their menu selections and sat back to enjoy a wonderful few hours of R Michael Rhodes performing, accompanied by Nick. On his website, Mike describes his music as: "...lighthearted, 'easy listening' feel and with storytelling lyrics that give it an incredibly nostalgic quality that is hard not to like." Mike was influenced in his music by James Taylor, John Denver, The Eagles, and Garth Brooks and he often plays cover songs of their hits, as well as songs he has written--click here-- to learn more on his website and to listen to his original songs.



We loved Mike's beautiful rendition of John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High," as I've always a big John Denver fan--click here to see my blog post about the John Denver Sanctuary in Aspen, Colorado. You can watch a few minutes of the song in the video above from my Mille Fiori Facebook page.  Click here to listen to it on my facebook page if you can not see the video. I think you'll agree that Mike has a wonderfully soothing and melodic voice and that he and Nick are superb guitar players.  The Little Bear house was packed for his performance and everyone had a wonderful time!

Some more views of the wonderful old honky tonk Little Bear Saloon. People have sent in many car license plates from all over the world to adorn their walls, including one that was near our table that was from America Samoa!
There were also signed dollar bills on the walls, photos of past bands, music memorabilia, and yes, even women's bras hanging down from on the rafters over the stage. Sagging old wooden steps lead upstairs to both a viewing gallery and pool tables, and almost every inch of wood in the saloon had carvings from countless past customers to view.  The Little Bear was a colorful place full of nostalgia and with music history in every corner! It is definitely worth a visit!

Little Bear is located at 28075 Highway 74 in Evergreen, Colorado, and continues its over forty years tradition of live music. You can check its upcoming schedule at this link.


Evergreen is a beautiful town to visit, and a walk around Evergreen Lake on a 1.3-mile loop trail is another wonderful thing to do during the day, in addition to visiting all the shops and restaurants of the downtown area. Boats and paddleboards and other equipment can be rented to enjoy the lake on the water, and in winter the lake becomes a popular ice skating rink.


Evergreen is just 30 to 45 minutes west of Denver in the beautiful foothills of Jefferson County. The drive along CO 74, which includes Bear Creek Canyon Scenic Mountain Drive, is famous for its awe-inspiring granite cliffs, diverse vegetation, wildflowers, and meandering Bear Creek.

We really enjoyed our day out in Evergreen and the historic Little Bear Saloon, and we wish Mike continued success in living his dream of pursuing music as his second career!

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35 comments:

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Thanks for your comments! I appreciate each and every one. I have comment moderation on and after approval, your comment will be published.

Maggie said...

What a fabulous place, the Senior Partner and I would love to visit Evergreen we are huge John Denver fans and have been lucky enough to see him perform live 3 times.

eileeninmd said...

Hello, the Little Bear Saloon looks like a fun place to eat and listen to the music. Just the decor is amazing, lots of history. Evergreen sounds like a beautiful town to visit. Thanks for sharing, wonderful post and photos.
Enjoy your day and new week!

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

What a wonderful old place! I would have enjoyed that!

Snap said...

What fun! I love places like this and I bet it was even more fun to know the musicians. Colorado seems to be full of fun small town like Evergreen. Have a fun-filled week!

Linda W. said...

What fun to watch your friends perform! That bar looks like a great place!

Carol @Comfort Spring Station said...

I'd love to sivisit this wonderful place!

Lorrie said...

What a fun place to visit. So much to see in Little Bear Saloon. I really enjoy John Denver's music, too.

Sharon said...

An old-timey saloon. How fun! I can almost hear the lively music!

Lowcarb team member said...

This looks fun!
Great post and great pictures.

Have a good week.

All the best Jan

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

Isn't that a fun place. One time when my kids were all still at home, they overheard me tell someone I had never been in a bar or saloon. One of them piped up and said YES you have Mom! Remember we went in one in CO one time! hahaha! Caught me in a lie! heehee! Hugs, Diane

Photo Cache said...

Visiting a saloon is in my bucket list.

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Fun60 said...

That looks like so much fun as well as a fascinating place to see. I would have loved to have spent some time there.

A Colorful World said...

Oh I just love the Saloon! What an interesting history it has! great ambiance. I would love to visit there some time. Great photos and video of the music!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

What a fun place!! Love that they have noon entertainment ... that would suit us well. The decor" of Little Bear reminds me of Tiki Bar places in Florida (they are more open-air as you'd expect, but some of the collections you describe on the walls and ceilings are totally similar). I will visit some of your links and listen to your friend's music, but didn't want to link out and then forget to come back to thank you for the fun post!!

NCSue said...

I bet this place is loaded with atmosphere - it sure seems so based on your post!
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Al said...

It looks fascinating. I need to get up to Evergreen one day, but it's further for me.

Magical Mystical Teacher said...

When I was a child living in Denver, our family liked to drive up to Evergreen on the weekends. Thanks for the memories!

Su-sieee! Mac said...

The bar has an amazing history, both musical and local. Your friends have a cool sound. I especially like when they harmonized.

carol l mckenna said...

What a fun place, beer, music and burgers! neat photos too!

Happy Day to you,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

Sandi Magle said...

What a fun post. The saloon, looks like a great place to park your butt after a long day of touring or hiking. Gorgeous photos, you shared...greeat post!

jeannettestgermain said...

Wow Pat, the Little Bear Saloon is also a haven for photographers! Much to see here - smiling at the license plates! Can tell you enjoyed the atmosphere and listen to the John Denver music kind:) The Evergreen trail looks worth walking too. Many thanks for sharing your summer events in Colorado with All Seasons! Have a beautiful week:)

Peabea Scribbles said...

Sounds like a fun day with friends and music. Thanks for sharing the music video. Enjoyed hearing them.

Peabea from Peabea Scribbles

Tom said...

...now this looks like a spot with atmosphere. Sit back with a cold one and lesson to some tunes. Thanks Pat for stopping by, enjoy your week.

Lady Fi said...

Lovely scenery and fabulous saloon - I thought they only existed in films!

judee said...

Looks like a lot of fun in a picturesque location.

Jeanie said...

This sounds like the mot wonderful excursion! A charming town, a fun pub, terrific music, beautiful scenery... This just makes me smile big time!

diane b said...

What a great saloon. There sure have been some famous artists play there. The Glen Millar band is one of my favourites. Sounds like you had a great time in Evergreen,

Michelle said...

I would love to go to that saloon. I always enjoy your Colorado scenery. Thanks for linking up today!

Spare Parts and Pics said...

Looks like a really fun and quirky place. LOL at the LAB RAT license plate! Great music, too!!

betty-NZ said...

Oh, my, that looks like such a good time!!

Angie said...

Wow, Pat - this is right up our alley - from the carved tables to the delish burgers to the live music! And the music is a genre I love - how ironic that my latest post also talks about artists like John Denver - last week I watched a video of John Denver and Cass (from the Mamas and Papas) performing "Leaving on a Jet Plane." Superb! We are heading to Aspen/Glenwood Springs in a couple of weeks - I will check if we can make a stop in here on the way to or from Denver. Enjoy your week ahead.

Anonymous said...

The Little Bear Saloon looks like such a fun place! No doubt I would love to visit. Thanks so much for sharing with us at the Whimsical Wednesdays Link Party, Pat!

csuhpat1 said...

That is a place I would love to visit. Thanks for sharing it.

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