You’d be remiss if you thought the only big city in Colorado worth visiting was Denver. Colorado Springs, the second-largest city in the state, has been coming into its own in recent years.
In August 2024, the 8,000-seat Sunset Amphitheater will open with big-name concerts including the Beach Boys. This year also sees the arrival of the 375-room Hotel Polaris at the U.S. Air Force Academy, which is billed as the only hotel in the United States with flight simulators, not to mention that two historic hotels, the Mining Exchange and Garden of the Gods Resort & Spa, just unveiled major renovations.
On top of that, there’s all the Olympic and Paralympic Games excitement. Nicknamed Olympic City USA, Colorado Springs is home to the Team USA training facilities and 24 National Governing Bodies of Sport, which nominate athletes to the Olympics and Paralympics, among other duties. Throughout this summer, the city is inviting visitors to experience the Paris Games through watch parties downtown and at events at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum, which opened in 2020.
It’s a far cry from how the city started. Initially, people only came to Colorado Springs because they had to—the city was originally founded in 1871 as a tuberculosis town. The thought was that the dry mountain air would either serve as their recovery Hail Mary or would at the very least alleviate their sufferings in their final days. At the peak of the disease (the 1880s and 1890s), one in three people in the Springs (as it’s known to locals) was a T.B. patient.
However, today the city is an exciting mix of outdoor adventures, wellness activities, dynamic breweries, and an up-and-coming restaurant scene. It’s so sought after that it’s become one of the hottest real estate markets in the nation. So expect to be surprised by the Springs. Read on for some of the best things to do in Colorado Springs.
1. Explore Old Colorado City
In the early 1900s, Colorado City was considered its own town. Today, it’s been rechristened Old Colorado City and is a suburb of Colorado Springs.
It’s worth ambling down Colorado Avenue, where there’s a high concentration of funky dog-friendly shops, galleries, restaurants, and drinking establishments. Paravicini’s Italian Bistro and Cerberus Brewery & Restaurant are local favorites. And if you find yourself there on a Saturday during the summer, be sure to stop by the Old Colorado City Farmers’ Market, where vendors sling artisan coffee, indulgent baked goods, and fruits and vegetables. (Be sure to get the Palisade peaches and the Pueblo green chiles, if they’re in season.)
In true Colorado fashion, Garden of the Gods got its name from a conversation about beer.
Photo by Oleg Kovtun Hydrobio/Shutterstock
2. Marvel at the Garden of the Gods
Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center, a National Natural Landmark, is best known for its sandstone cathedral spires. While the same vein of 290 million-year-old red rocks is visible throughout the Front Range mountains (including the nearby Red Rocks Open Space), arguably nowhere is as striking as here. Visitors can hike, bike, ride horseback, drive, and even Segway their way through the iconic park.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum opened in 2020.
Photo by EQRoy/Shutterstock
3. Visit the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum is an ode to all things sporting. It leads guests through the complete history of the games and features well-curated exhibits, including an interactive one in which visitors can challenge gold medalists in their sport (virtually, at least).
One particularly fun piece of memorabilia is the scoreboard from the “Miracle on Ice” U.S. vs. Soviet Union hockey game during the 1980 Olympics. The match, which the underdog, the U.S. team, narrowly won, is considered one of the greatest upsets in hockey history. The board is set with three seconds remaining—the moment when sportscaster Al Michaels famously asked, “Do you believe in miracles?”
4. Walk (or bike) around downtown
Colorado Springs’ compact downtown neighborhood is a vibrant home to art, shopping, creative eateries, and swanky speakeasies.
One of the most interesting is The Carter Payne. Built in 1897, it was originally the first Black church in town. When the congregation’s size outgrew the space, they built a larger church elsewhere, and the chapel was converted into a multiconcept bar and restaurant. Within, you’ll find a wine bar, a cocktail lounge, two eateries, and a brewery. The latter is particularly interesting because it never brews the same batch twice.
Other top picks: Lumen8, where draft beers are always local and the views of Pikes Peak are stellar; Four by Brother Luck, whose namesake celebrity chef has appeared on Top Chef and Chopped and is creating seasonal menus inspired by local Indigenous foods; and The Rabbit Hole, a trendy subterranean restaurant where dishes and drinks revolve around an Alice in Wonderland theme.
Be sure to keep an eye out for public artworks that dot downtown, like the AdAmAn Alley, a walkway decorated in 2022 with murals and an LED installation to commemorate the 100th anniversary of a local mountaineering club. You can walk from one attraction to another or opt to use the PikeRide bike-share program.
Round-trip, the Pikes Peak Cog Railway takes about 3.5 hours; 130-year-old trains aren’t particularly fast.
Photo by Arlene Waller/Shutterstock
5. See America’s mountain
Colorado Springs’ marquee attraction is Pikes Peak. The views from the top of the 14,115-foot-tall mountain are so impressive that they inspired the song “America the Beautiful.” There are a couple of ways to see them for yourself. First, you can hike. Fair warning: It’s 13 miles. One way. Alternatively, you can drive your personal vehicle or catch a Gray Line bus—though, if you do, it might be worth taking some Dramamine, because there are 156 twists and turns in the 12.42-mile road. Finally, you can book a seat on the 130-year-old Pikes Peak Cog Railway, which has been around since 1889 and is the world’s highest cog railway. Whatever you do, be sure to get a famous cinnamon-sugar doughnut from the cafeteria at the top; they’re made from a secret recipe specifically formulated to be fluffy and delicious at high elevation, but they’ll go flat if you wait until you’re back down at the bottom to eat them.
Goat Patch Brewing is one of the many businesses in what was once Lincoln Center Elementary School.
Photo by Bailey Berg
6. Go back to school . . . kind of
When Ivywild, a nearly 100-year-old elementary school on the south side of town, closed in 2009, it didn’t take long for new development to start. Within a couple of years, the classrooms were transformed into a pizzeria, a bakery, a brewery, salad and empanada shops, a collection of boutiques, a whiskey tasting room (which doubles as an ax-throwing venue), and the cheekily named Principal’s Office cocktail bar (set in the area that really was the principal’s office).
While Ivywild was the first, it’s not the only reimagined school. More recently, Lincoln Center Elementary School (which taught kindergarten through fifth-grade students from 1948 to 2015) has been remade as a community center featuring a brewery, a coffee roaster, a café, a chiropractic office, a pilates studio, a bakery, a barber shop, and more.
7. Explore Manitou Springs
Whether your definition of restorative means communing with nature, participating in retail therapy, soaking in rich mineral waters, or enjoying a snack alfresco with a craft beer in hand, you’ll find what you’re looking for in this nearby city.
If you’re keen on hiking, one of the most popular trails in the area is the Manitou Incline. Be warned: This hike is a humbler. Although it’s only a mile one-way, the former cable car track is now a hiking route that gains 2,000 feet of elevation. With 2,768 steps, it’s comparable to climbing the Eiffel Tower twice, the Washington Monument three times, or the Statue of Liberty six times. We recommend waiting until you’ve adjusted to the altitude (Colorado Springs is roughly 6,000 feet above sea level) before giving this a go.
Another popular spot to visit is the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. Carved into an overhang in the nearby red-rocks mountains, these Ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings are believed to be more than 700 years old. The archaeological wonders include adobe facades, beamed ceilings, and impressive grain-storage turrets.
It wouldn’t be surprising if you were feeling a bit sore after romping around outdoors. You may want to consider seeking out the regenerative properties of the local mineral waters for which the community was named. SunWater Spa features private cedar hot tubs filled with mineral water, where guests can purchase 90-minute time slots to soak. And don’t forget to fill up your water bottle from one of the eight mineral-springs–sourced drinking fountains downtown; they dispense naturally carbonated water that is said to have healing properties.
The Broadmoor Hotel used to have elephants and monkeys roaming the lawn.
Photo Jim Lambert/Shutterstock
8. Stay at a storied hotel
Colorado Springs has a handful of excellent hotels, each with its own unique story.
For example, The Broadmoor is one of the first destination resorts in the country, and its founder, Spencer Penrose, was fairly eccentric. In the early days of the hotel, he had an assortment of animals walking loose on the property, including elephants, monkeys, seals (which were known to swim in the pool), and more. Eventually, they were given a proper home, which is how the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo started.
Today there are still some animals on the property, though they’re more feathered than their predecessors. Each day, the Broadmoor invites guests to meet with its full-time falconer and get a lesson on some birds of prey (which include falcons, ospreys, and owls). During the demonstration, visitors can watch the feathered fleet train in the flying field and can even request that a bird land on their arm.
The 784-room resort has three golf courses (which frequently host PGA Cups and the U.S. Women’s Open), a full-service spa, a collection of pools, a movie theater, and 17 restaurants, coffee shops, and bars (including Golden Bee, an authentic 19th-century English pub that was shipped over and rebuilt at the Broadmoor in 1961). It’s also close to Seven Falls, one of the most popular hikes in the area.
The Garden of the Gods Resort and Club, which has been around since 1951, unveiled a $40 million renovation in 2023. Many of the 117 rooms offer balconies with views of the serrated red-rock formations of the nearby Garden of the Gods park. When not staring at the views, guests can spend time at two pools, three restaurants, a fitness center, tennis and pickleball courts, and a golf course.
And then there’s the Mining Exchange, a Wyndham hotel, which unveiled its renovations this year. The 1902 building was originally a stock exchange for miners, a history it nods to with gold accents throughout and doors that look like bank vaults. The 128 rooms have exposed brick walls, custom wallpaper, white oak flooring, marble bathrooms, and an art deco vibe. Don’t miss the new artisanal coffee shop Blk Mgk in the lobby where the creative concoctions (or “potions,” according to the menu) range from a banana s’more latte with a toasted marshmallow to the Martiki, a cold brew with coconut cream and rum.
This article originally appeared online in 2022; it was updated most recently on June 21, 2024, to include current information.
