History and culture - Front Range
The Plains Conservation Center preserves shortgrass prairie in Aurora
The Plains Conservation Center in southeast Aurora protects shortgrass prairie and keeps replica homestead and tipi sites that show late-1800s life on the plains.
Published June 10, 2026 - Last verified June 12, 2026
It is easy to picture Arapahoe County as all suburbs, but its eastern side opens onto the high plains. The Plains Conservation Center in southeast Aurora keeps a large piece of that landscape the way it once looked.
The center protects shortgrass prairie, the low, tough grassland that covers much of eastern Colorado. On the grounds are a replica sod homestead village, with simple buildings like a school and a blacksmith shop, and a replica tipi camp. Together they help visitors picture two ways of living on these plains in the late 1800s. Trails let you walk the prairie and see the grasses, birds, and wide sky that shaped life out here.
Why a newcomer might value this: the prairie is a real part of the county, not just a backdrop. It comes with its own weather, wind, and wildlife, and the homestead sites are a calm way to understand how people once made a living from this dry, open land. It is also a quiet outdoor option close to the metro.
The center is run by the City of Aurora, and hours and programs change with the seasons. Check the City of Aurora’s Plains Conservation Center page before you visit.