Tiny Town believes it can weather gas price storm

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JEFFERSON COUNTY – Just how far are you willing to drive this summer to get to your vacation spot?

It's a question on a lot of minds of people who run many of Colorado's favorite tourist attractions. With gas prices close to the $4 a gallon mark, many are worried your answer won't be the one they're anxious to hear.

Elvira Nedoma runs Tiny Town located around 20 miles southwest of Denver.

"Oh yeah, I'm concerned about gas prices," she said.

Even still, she remains optimistic the prices won't hurt her numbers. She saw more than 100,000 people come into Tiny Town last year and she expects very similar numbers this year.

AAA of Colorado says she has a good reason to feel confident about that.

"(Our travel forecasts) are holding steady when compared with last year," said Debbi Lardinois with AAA. "People just really value that time with friends and family."

Lardinois says travelers should consider specifically just how much more it's going to cost them to drive this year when compared with last.

"On average with a 15 gallon tank, it's going to cost you about $7 (per tank) more this year when compared with last year," she said.

AAA estimated nearly 38 million Americans traveled more than 50 miles away from home during the Memorial Day weekend, a small decrease from 2007.

Of course, Nedoma's optimistic her close proximity to Denver will help Tiny Town's numbers.

"You still can't beat a 30 minute drive that takes you into the mountains," she said.