What to Do and Where to Eat in Colorado Springs

Hi T.,

Be sure to visit Manitou Springs, Adam's Mountain Cafe is great. There is a great park for kids very close to the cafe. The newest state park is on Hwy 115 sout, near Ft. Carson, lots of nice trails. Red Rocks Park is the 'sister' to Garden of the Gods, lots of trails, very nice gentle hiking.

If you go west on Hwy 24, your toddler would love Santa's Workshop, a fun little amusement park for little kids, little gentle rides for little guys. Also very pretty, and very close to the entrance to the Pikes Peak Hwy. Visit Green Mountain Falls, and The Pantry, the favorite of the locals, feed the ducks and walk around the little lake. There is a little park there too.

Enjoy the colors!

S.

This weekend is supposed to be nice so one place I would suggest is Garden of the Gods, and it's free! The rock formations are beautiful and there are trails for hiking and areas to picnic. A great drive could be through the mountains on Gold Camp Road, has tunnels and great views of the whole city, also a waterfall (Helen Hunt Falls) that you can walk to the top of. Not a very long drive and it starts and ends in town.
Hope you enjoy our Beautiful city!
A.

I can't see the other responses so probably this is just one more of the same. If so, sorry.

Take the kiddos to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo for an up-close and personal encounter with the giraffes. It's the only zoo where you get to feed the giraffes, so it's an experience they won't get anywhere else.

Nearby the zoo you might want to take in Seven Falls, a box canyon with a cascade of seven waterfalls at the far end. There is a modest admission charge to go there.

Then go to Manitou Springs and board the train to ride up to the top of Pike's Peak. It's the only way to go. The drive costs less but the train is so much more relaxing and enjoyable. You'll want a small amount of cash in your hand to buy one of the photo books you can only buy on the train itself. I think the cost is $5.

Colorado Springs is known for its great Mexican food and there are many locally-owned Mexican restaurants. I've enjoyed every one I've sampled.

However the most unique dining experience doubles as an evening's family entertainment as well. The Flying W Ranch is currently operating Thursday through Sunday. Admission (which includes a chuckwagon supper) is $20 for adults. Children 5 and under are free. The cowboy band is truly talented and even in Western music is not your cup of tea, I think you would enjoy the show very much anyway.

Hi T., What a cool place you are visiting!!! I completely agree w/ the other people as to the Garden of the Gods and the zoo.

I also would suggest riding the cog railway up to the top of Pikes Peak. You can drive up to the top but it is very hard on the car and there are hairpin turns w/o guard rails.

The other thing I would suggest is going to the Air Force Academy. The chapel is a great and beautiful place to visit. It is a one of a kind with breath taking stained glass.

As far as places to eat I would suggest getting a picnic and then heading to Palmer Park. It is located inside Colorado Springs and has trails that are kid friendly. I thought it was just right for my little ones ablity. Granted it isn't the hardest hike you will ever be on but it's beautiful and you can see the whole city, it is free, easy to get to and fun for the whole family. I would say you'd have to have the littlest one in a carrier of some type though the trails are not made for strollers. Here is the address if your interested. 3650 Maizeland Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80909.

Another thing you could try is googleing hiking trails 80909. I got lots of hits. Pick what you think would be fun. Good luck and enjoy the city.

I agree with the previous posts about Garden of the Gods and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo for places to visit.

If you've never been to the top of a mountain, then the cog railway is a bit overpriced, but still a nice thing to do. Your 14 month old might be too young for the North Pole Santa's Workshop.

Red Rock Canyon is another nice place to hike - wide trails with some great rock formations. Bear Creek Nature Center is fun, too.

As for places to eat, here are some faves of ours for date nights -

The Blue Star
La Petite Maison (has a nice patio outside)
Craftwood Inn

Downtown, one of our family favorites is Il Vicino, which serves wood oven pizzas, pasta and sandwiches.

Afterwards, we walk over to Josh and John's for ice cream - that's a Colorado original :)

All of these have websites where you can view the menu and locations.

Our daughter loves the zoo. It is above the city, so you can get some nice views (And she likes that she gets to feed the giraffes). Also, if you are going to check out Garden of the Gods, see if you can get a tour of the Glenn Eyrie castle that is near the Trading Post. If you google "Glenn Eyrie" you should be able to find their website. I believe the tours are free, you just have to book ahead. Even if you can't get a tour of the castle, it is a very pretty drive through their grounds. And that was free, when my mom and I stumbled upon it (on our way to GoG) all I had to do was give my driver's license info to the guard house and they give you a day pass. Have a good trip! If I think of anything else I'll let you know!

we moved here from Dallas about 4 years ago! We love the restaurant Salsa Brava - homemade Mexican (but I guess you get a lot of that in TX). The zoo here is really unique - only mountain-based zoo and they have a new rocky mountain exhibit that is great. Seven Falls is pretty and the walk is optional. Garden of the Gods (the main path off the primary parking lot) is gorgeous and baby/stroller friendly. enjoy your trip!

If you like italian, Biaggi's was our favorite place to eat when we lived in Colorado Springs. I don't know the exact adress but it's inthe Shops at Briargate in NE Colorado Springs.

I would definatly visit Garden of the Gods Park, it is so beautiful, and I still visit it after living here 12 years. There is also North Cheyenne Canyon, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Seven Falls, and Cave of the Winds, which are all easy to walk and very beautiful(bring a camera and coats). I can't think of any restraunts exclusive to Colorado Springs, and as far as indoor activities, well this city is a very outdoors kind of beautiful.