Vanessa Abrahamson Blog: 11 Real “South Park” Spots You’ll Find In Colorado

The television show South Park, which has aired for more than 20 seasons, is embedded in Colorado’s cultural history. Set in the fictional South Park, Colorado, this television show was written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone – both alumni of the University of Colorado, Boulder. Given her Colorado background, it’s no surprise that her fictional television show often blurs the lines between fictional and real locations.

1. Fair play – Okay, this isn’t official, but it’s important, so it steals the top spot on the list. Although there is no official statement that South Park is based on the town of Fairplay, Colorado, most fans accept this as the truth. When you drive through fair play, it’s easy to see why. First, it’s in the South Park National Heritage Area, a large conservation area that spans the nearby plains and foothills in Park County. Fairplay also has rows of multicolored A-frame style buildings as seen on the show. In addition to a similar building style, there is actually a “South Park Historic District” located right in town. Also, this tiny town is encased in mountains, which is very similar to what appears in the background of South Park’s outdoor scenes.

So no, it’s not official, but fair play is widely credited as the inspiration behind the city on the show. Fairplay plays it up too, with cutouts of characters hiding around town and a gift shop full of South Park merchandise.

0eb135dc5f4781268143a3f9e7d96269 — Cliff diver Jason is one of the divers who does a dive show every 1/2 hour for guests at Casa Bonita in Denver. Casa Bonita has been a Denver attraction for 40 years. (The Gazette/Jerilee Bennett)

Cliff diver Jason is one of the divers who does a dive show every 1/2 hour for guests at Casa Bonita in Denver. Casa Bonita has been a Denver attraction for 40 years. (The Gazette/Jerilee Bennett)

2. Casa Bonita – Casa Bonita is probably the most famous real-life location in South Park. It’s a family-style Mexican restaurant known for its sopapilles and cliff divers, both of which show up in South Park when the boys visit Casa Bonita during a birthday party. Casa Bonita welcomes this addition to the TV show, hiding tiny South Park characters around the premise for guests to find. It’s no surprise – popular character Cartman loves this restaurant so much that he’s willing to convince his best friend that a doomsday apocalypse has happened so he can steal his place on the party’s invitation list.

3. Stark’s pond – From time to time, the South Park boys often go to a place they refer to as “Stark’s Pond”, usually when they need to do something nefarious. It makes multiple appearances throughout the show and is used for scenes where the characters simply need to escape the hustle and bustle of their small town. Believe it or not, this is an actual pond in Fairplay, Colorado — one of many reasons people assume South Park’s show is directly based on fair play. It is located a few blocks from downtown on Highway 285.

4. Cave of Winds – Did you see the episode with ManBearPig? The episode with Al Gore where Cartman eats a ton of fake gold while trapped in a cave? It’s all reflected in the Cave of the Winds, an outdoor recreational attraction in Colorado Springs. If you haven’t been there yet, you should check it out. Among other things, there are cave tours, but also a high ropes course, a via ferrata and a huge canyon swing.

The city of Dillon faces the Dillon Reservoir. Tuesday October 25, 2016. Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette

Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette

5. Dillon Reservoir – This isn’t officially mentioned, but if you’re familiar with the show and know your way around the Summit County area, you’ll see that the similarities between what’s on the show and what you can visit are scary.

This appears in an episode where the boys accidentally wreck a boat, causing the “world’s largest beaver dam” to rupture at a reservoir, leading to the flooding of a nearby town, the fictional Beaverton. A very, very similar facility can be found in Silverthorne, Colorado, with the Dillon Reservoir just above the town. It’s about an hour from Fairplay, Colorado – the city most likely behind the inspiration for South Park.

6. Colfax Ave – Colfax Avenue, referred to several times as Denver’s shady street, appears in several episodes, including one where popular character Jimmy is looking for love. Believe it or not, this street is a very real place, once dubbed “the longest, baddest street in America” by Playboy Magazine.

7. Java moose – Another South Park location that just seems to have a different name on the show, Fairplay’s Java Moose bears an uncanny resemblance to Tweek’s Coffee. Next time you’re in town, stop by for a cup.

c8b849cc2ea239c80e943022812e90ee — Guests read about the history of Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station as they tour the tunnel leading into the bunker on Friday, April 15, 2016 during Cheyenne Mountain Complex’s 50th Anniversary celebrations. The Air Force Station, owned and operated by Air Force Space Command, began operations on February 6, 1967 as the NORAD Combat Operations Center. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)

CHRISTIAN MURDOCK, THE GAZETTE

Guests read about the history of Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station as they tour the tunnel leading into the bunker on Friday, April 15, 2016 during Cheyenne Mountain Complex’s 50th Anniversary celebrations. The Air Force Station, owned and operated by Air Force Space Command, began operations on February 6, 1967 as the NORAD Combat Operations Center. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)

CHRISTIAN MURDOCK, THE GAZETTE

8. Cheyenne Mountain – Cheyenne Mountain, a mountain towering over Colorado Springs and best known for being the home of NORAD, appears in an episode where the area is taken over by a Rosie O’Donnell/Trapper Keeper hybrid. Yes, you read that correctly.

9. Four Mile Historic Park – Four Mile Historic Park is a pioneer museum with more than 30 acres of educational facilities and unofficially appears in an episode where the boys go on a field trip to learn more about Colorado’s past just to have the educational park where they are being taken over by criminals looking for the password to a high-tech safe. Unfortunately, things only get worse when all of the adults on the premises refuse to break their pioneering characters and are therefore unable to open the digital safe.

10. Cherry Creek, Colo – There is an episode where the boys manipulate wealthy children in a plot with the tooth fairy. This goes down in Cherry Creek, part of Denver.

rockies-national-fell-apr — Rockies fans cheer on a Buckley Air National Guard flyover after the national anthem at the start of the Rockies’ home opener at Coors Field Monday, April 9, 2012. The Rockies fell 7-0 to the San Francisco Giants. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette Photo by MARK REIS, THE GAZETTE

MARK RICE

Rockies fans cheer on a Buckley Air National Guard flyover after the national anthem at the start of the Rockies’ home opener at Coors Field Monday, April 9, 2012. The Rockies fell 7-0 to the San Francisco Giants. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette Photo by MARK REIS, THE GAZETTE

MARK RICE

11. Coors Field – Coors Field, home of the Rockies, features in two episodes of South Park – ‘Professor Chaos’ (2002) and ‘The Losing Edge’ (2005).

This is our list! Did we miss one? Let us know in the comments.

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