F. O. Stanley, the founder of The Stanley Hotel and also the inventor of the Steamer automobile, had to move to the west due to his poor health in the early 1900's. Him and his wife, Flora, liked living in Colorado so much that they decided to stay. Mr Stanley bought 160 acres from Lord Dunraven and decided to build a hotel. Located at 7500 feet in the beautiful Estes park, The Stanley Hotel, classy and beautiful with a magnificent scenery of the Rockies and 138 rooms, opened its doors in 1909. The hotel was the first one of the 11 original buildings, some of which are still in use. The Stanley Hotel is also said to be one of America's most haunted hotels. It lists 6 haunted rooms, although when you check in they give you a paper that has 7 haunted rooms, but they do not list room #413 as haunted. The haunted rooms listed are #401, 407, 418, 428, 217, and 1302. We were able to catch evidence from all the rooms listed, as well as in the Concert hall, Billiard rooms, and the Music room. The hotel is probably most famous for its guest, Mr Stephen King, who stayed in room 217 and experienced something there, in addition to the 4th floor, that gave him the inspiration to write his book "The Shining." It was later made into a movie with Jack Nicholson as the lead male actor, and later into a mini series, which was filmed at The Stanley. This was unlike the original movie, which was filmed in England. If you never saw The Shining, it runs continuosly on T.V. at the Stanley. The Stanley Hotel added a new Shining inspired hedge maze on its propery this year. The hotel also has a restaurant, cafe, gift shop, spa, and even a wonderful, very gifted, and beautiful resident psychic: Madame Vera. At The Stanley Hotel you can also take several tours, which are all great and informative. The Archive tour has some great artifacts, original furniture, and pictures that are a treat for anyone interested in The Stanley history. The tour guides are all great in all the tours. The Ghost tours take you to some of the most haunted areas at the property. The Paranormal investigation with the Stanley investigators is a must for all those who want to experience paranormal activity, which is not guaranteed, but does occur almost every time. For those who like art, Stanley has a great sculpture garden. Finally, for butterfly fans, there is a butterfly encounter one can do. Whatever your reasons may be for visiting The Stanley Hotel, you will be happy you did. Maybe like Jack, you may never wanna leave. Its porch is a wonderful place to kick back and enjoy the magnificent views all around the beautiful Stanley Hotel.
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