26 Best Things To Do In Colorado Springs, Colorado

Colorado Springs sits at the foot of Pikes Peak. A long weekend here splits between red-rock hiking, a trip up the mountain and a run of museums. With kids, plan the days around the zoo and the cave tours. Hiking and climbing center on Garden of the Gods, Red Rock Canyon and North Cheyenne Cañon Park, while Manitou Springs next door adds mineral springs and the Incline.

1. Garden of the Gods

Red sandstone fins rise in front of Pikes Peak at this city park and National Natural Landmark. Entry to the park and its visitor center is free. From November through April the gates are open 5 a.m. to 9 p.m..

Start at the Visitor & Nature Center, where one display covers the dinosaur Theiophytalia kerri. From there, walk the trails on your own, or book a guided climb if you want to get onto the rock.

2. Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site

You can wander Rock Ledge Ranch, at Garden of the Gods Park, without paying: the grounds are free and open year-round from dawn to dusk. Going inside is another matter. The Rock Ledge House, the 1907 Orchard House and the blacksmith shop open for a fee during summer programs and special events, so pick a date from the ranch's calendar.

3. Red Rock Canyon Open Space

Bring the dog to Red Rock Canyon: leashed dogs are welcome on all of its trails, and there are two off-leash dog parks.

The open space has 1,474 acres and more than 40 miles of trails through red sandstone and abandoned quarries. Climbers have more than 85 established routes, and mountain bikers have a freestyle practice area.

4. Glen Eyrie Castle

William Jackson Palmer, the Union general and railroad president who founded Colorado Springs, made his home at Glen Eyrie. A Christian ministry now runs the estate as a conference center and hotel, and the public gets in through guided castle tours, afternoon tea in the Castle Music Room or a night in one of the lodges.

Tours need a reservation, and they can be booked up to 30 days in advance. With renovation work under way in the castle, some rooms may be closed on the day you go.

5. Old Colorado City

Colorado Springs' west side began as its own town. Old Colorado City was founded as Colorado City in 1859, the first permanent town in the Pikes Peak region, and today it's a strip of galleries and shops. Come to browse on the way to Manitou Springs, or check the district's event calendar for festivals and workshops.

6. The mineral springs of Manitou Springs

Manitou Springs grew up around cold-water mineral drinking springs, and you can walk between them as a self-guided tour. The springs run 24/7 and are free. The next four stops are in the town too.

Bring a bottle or buy a cup. The Manitou Springs Visitors Center sells collapsible steel cups for $3 each or 2 for $5, cash only, and the money goes to keeping the springs running.

7. Manitou Cliff Dwellings

The preserve was built from stones gathered from 25 Ancestral Puebloan mesa-top dwellings near Dolores, Colorado, ruins that were set to be bulldozed for farmland. Preservationist Virginia McClurg's association began moving them in 1904 and rebuilt them under the sandstone overhangs of Cliff Canyon.

Visits are self-guided, past the dwellings and through the on-site museums and gift shop. The hours are set month by month, and the winter schedule closes some weekdays.

8. Cave of the Winds Mountain Park

Cave of the Winds pairs a show cave with cliff-edge rides over Williams Canyon. Below ground, there are several cave tours to choose from:

• Discovery Cave Tour, 45 to 60 minutes and open to all ages, the one to book with small kids.
• Haunted Lantern Tour, 90 minutes for ages 8 and up, walked by lantern light.
• Expedition Tour, three hours of spelunking for ages 13 and up.

Up top, the Terror-Dactyl drops riders about 140 feet into Williams Canyon at over 100 mph. Parking is free on site.

9. Manitou Incline

Hikers on the Manitou Incline climb a former cable-car track straight up the mountainside. It gains 2,000 feet in less than a mile on 2,768 steps.

Hiking it costs nothing, but you'll need an online reservation and a signed waiver for a set half-hour slot. Don't climb back down the steps; the city asks hikers to descend on Barr Trail or the return trail instead. Parking near the base is limited. A free shuttle runs to the Incline from the Duck Stop in downtown Manitou.

10. Pikes Peak Cog Railway

Pikes Peak's summit is reachable without driving the mountain road: the cog train leaves from a depot on Ruxton Avenue in Manitou Springs. The round trip takes 3.5 hours. Its track climbs a 9-mile route to the summit.

11. Pikes Peak Highway

Driving yourself up the highway ends at the 14,115-foot summit, which has a visitor center. On the way, the road passes through four life zones and Crystal Creek Reservoir, which has fishing and kayaking in season. Higher up is Glen Cove, a century-old cabin with a grill.

In peak season you'll need a timed-entry permit to drive past mile 7, because summit parking is limited. Off season the road may close partway up for snow, so check the current gate status on the morning you go. If anyone in the car feels unwell at the top, drive back down; descending is the only real treatment for altitude sickness.

12. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Spencer Penrose founded the zoo in 1926 to house his own animal collection, on a mountainside above the city. At the Giraffe Center, visitors can hand-feed the giraffes for $3 a lettuce bundle. Advance tickets are required for every visitor, members included.

13. Broadmoor Seven Falls

The Broadmoor resort owns Seven Falls, where seven waterfalls drop through a box canyon with 1,250-foot walls. To reach the hiking trails above, you climb 224 steps beside the water.

Restaurant 1858 serves lunch and dinner during park hours. The park is seasonal, so check the closing date before you drive out.

14. North Cheyenne Cañon Park and Helen Hunt Falls

Helen Hunt Falls sits about 2.5 miles up North Cheyenne Canyon Road from the park entrance, with parking at its base. A short path leads to a bridge over the top of the falls, and the trail beyond climbs to Silver Cascade Falls. The park has 26 miles of trails in all.

The falls area has no cell phone service, so don't plan on a rideshare back. The small visitor center beside the falls opens in summer only, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

15. Penrose Heritage Museum

Carriage and race-car fans should stop at the Penrose Heritage Museum by The Broadmoor, where admission is free. Its carriage gallery holds 30 carriages from the 1840s to the 1910s, and the Hill Climb gallery has 15 race cars that ran the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

16. U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum

Team USA's story fills the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum downtown, including the Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame, and the hands-on exhibits are the part kids will want.

17. U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center tour

Tours leave at the top of the hour and last about an hour, and stops can include the strength and conditioning gym, the aquatics center and the wrestling gym.

Tickets are sold first come, first served at the front desk, only for the next tour. The route covers about half a mile indoors and out, so dress for the weather.

18. Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum

The city's history museum is housed in the 1903 El Paso County Courthouse downtown. Admission is always free. It's open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

19. Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center

Colorado College runs the Fine Arts Center, which began as the Broadmoor Art Academy in 1919. It's an art museum, a theater and an art school in one place. The museum's free digital guide, with curator audio, runs on the Bloomberg Connects app.

20. Money Museum

At the Mini Mint in the American Numismatic Association's Money Museum, you'll see how coins were made. The display covers minting from the early 1500s to the 1800s. Kids aged 7 to 14 can join free Kids Zone classes on the third Saturday of each month, and parents tour the exhibits free during the class.

21. U.S. Air Force Academy

Start at the Hosmer Visitor Center, which sits just outside the academy's North Gate, so you don't need a base pass to go in. It's open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with interactive galleries and video on oversized screens.

Going past the gate takes planning. Visitors without a military ID must pre-register online for a 30-day pass. Only U.S. citizens with a Real ID driver's license can use the system, and the pass covers public areas only. The Cadet Chapel is closed for repairs until an estimated 2028.

22. Western Museum of Mining & Industry

Working machinery, a model mine drift and gold panning share the 12,200-square-foot exhibit hall at this museum. Outside, the campus covers 27 acres. The Yellow Jacket II stamp mill opens in warmer months, weather permitting, and the 30-minute Reynolds House tour needs booking ahead.

23. ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy

This is pro rodeo's own museum and hall of fame. From September through April it's closed on Tuesdays. Kids 5 and under get in free, and there's free parking with room for trucks and RVs.

24. National Museum of World War II Aviation

The museum's collection has 28 fully restored flying aircraft, plus working wartime vehicles and several planes still being restored. You can walk it on your own or join a guided tour for an extra $5 per person. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday.

25. Ghost Town Museum

Ghost Town Museum has an Old West town built indoors and filled with antiques. Kids can crank a butter churn and try the shooting gallery. Gold panning runs from May to September at no extra charge, weather permitting.

26. Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

Petrified redwood stumps up to 14 feet wide are the draw at this monument in a grassy mountain valley. Its fossils of insects and plants date from 34 million years ago, and some are on display. Walk the loop trail past the stumps, then visit the Hornbek Homestead, built in 1878.

Entry is $10 per adult aged 16 or older. Children 15 and under are admitted free.