Colorado Springs is home to many attractions that you can’t experience anywhere else. From one-of-a-kind outdoor landmarks like the Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak, to a theme park where it’s always Christmas, to historic museums and one of the country’s most epic churches, there’s something new and exciting for everyone. Here are six things you can only do in Colorado Springs.
- Garden of the Gods
Garden of the Gods is a designated National Natural Landmark which surveyor Rufus Cable called “a fit place for the gods to assemble” when he came upon it in 1859. The stunning landscape is now a public park that allows guests breathtaking views as they participate in hiking, rock climbing, road and mountain biking, or horseback riding across its 1,300 acres.
- Pikes Peak: America’s Mountain
Just twelve miles west of Colorado Springs, the mountain the Ute Indians call “Ta-Wa-Ah-Gath,” or “Sun Mountain Sitting Big,” sits above its neighbors, Ormes Peak, Almagre Mountain, and Cheyenne Mountain, at 14,115 feet. Though initially deemed impossible to summit by the explorer Lieutenant Zebulon Pike, for whom it’s named, the mountain is now a popular spot for climbers today.
The mountain also inspired Katharine Lee Bates’ poem that became the song “America the Beautiful” that we know today.
- North Pole
Nestled in the beautiful forest at the base of Pikes Peak is Santa’s Workshop North Pole, an amusement park packed with Christmas cheer from mid-May through the holiday season. North Pole offers something for people of all ages, with over 20 rides, ranging from infant-friendly rides like the train and ferris wheel to the wild Tilt-o-Whirl. Children can visit with Santa Claus, meet and feed his reindeer, and everyone can enjoy carnival fare like corndogs and burgers, and sweet treats like ice cream and funnel cakes.
- Air Force Academy
The prestigious Air Force Academy is one of the premiere military institutions in the country. It hosts events year-round from conferences and symposiums, to daily planetarium shows, to sports. Cadets compete as the US Air Force Academy Falcons on 27 NCAA Division 1 teams in sports that include football, basketball, volleyball, and hockey.
The campus’s most famous attraction is the 150-foot all-faith chapel, which made CNN’s list of most epic churches, and features four separate chapels with separate entrances that can host worship for multiple faiths simultaneously.
- Glen Eyrie Castle
Glen Eyrie, an English Tudor-style castle, was built by the founder of Colorado Springs, General William Jackson Palmer, in 1871. Today it serves as a hotel and conference center. Guests can reserve tea, tours, or an overnight stay in the historic castle, which sits inside over 700 acres of stunning nature.
- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
At 6,714 feet, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is the highest zoo in the country, with views of Colorado Springs and the mountainside. Its 140 acres are home to 750 animals, including the largest giraffe herd in North America. Visitors can meet and even hand-feed the giraffes. In 2021, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was rated the fourth best zoo in North America by USA Today’s 10 Best Reader’s Choice Awards.
There are many, many more of my favorite places and things that you can only do in Colorado Springs that I haven’t even mentioned yet. Do yourself a favor and check out some of these fantastic, one of a kind sites the next time you are in Colorado Springs!