The neighborhood known as Old Colorado City is where the original town was founded in 1860. It's former Wild West dens of vice (21 saloons in four blocks!) now host restaurants and souvenir shops, and the area is good for a stroll.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
2.34 MILES
This gorgeous vein of red sandstone (about 290 million years old) appears elsewhere along Colorado's Front Range, but the exquisitely thin cathedral…
9.93 MILES
Pikes Peak (14,110ft) may not be the tallest of Colorado's 54 fourteeners, but it's certainly the most famous. The Ute originally called it the Mountain…
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College
1.82 MILES
This expansive museum and 400-seat theater originally opened in 1936. The museum’s collection is surprisingly sophisticated, with some terrific Latin…
3.77 MILES
Set on the rim of a craggy canyon is this developed cavern concessionaire. You’ll forgive the cheesy entry and elevator music because here are the…
5.13 MILES
High up on Cheyenne Mountain, the largest private zoo in the country was launched with holdovers from the private animal collection of Spencer Penrose …
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
23.33 MILES
In 1873 Dr AC Peale, as part of the USGS Hayden expedition, was on his way to survey and map the South Park area, when he reputedly discovered these…
10.03 MILES
A visit to this campus, one of the highest-profile military academies in the country, offers a limited but nonetheless fascinating look into the lives of…
Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Center
14.51 MILES
This fun dinosaur center is located in Woodland Park, 14 miles west of Manitou Springs. The kids won’t want to miss this private museum owned by working…
Nearby Colorado Springs attractions
1. Old Colorado Historical Society
0.1 MILES
Located in a former Baptist church, this tiny museum and bookstore introduces visitors to the history of Old Colorado City and is a good way to add…
0.13 MILES
There's a small historical display in leafy Bancroft Park, which is set smack in the middle of Old Colorado City. The centerpiece is the Old Pioneer…
0.75 MILES
A former quarry and part of the sandstone vein that runs through the Garden of the Gods, this 787-acre park was nearly developed into a golf course and…
4. Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College
1.82 MILES
This expansive museum and 400-seat theater originally opened in 1936. The museum’s collection is surprisingly sophisticated, with some terrific Latin…
1.86 MILES
Yes, museums dedicated to coin collecting do exist. This museum, operated by the American Numismatic Association, has gold coins from the early 19th…
1.92 MILES
Colorado College’s striking, $30-million LEED–certified arts complex sits across the street from the Fine Arts Center. You’ll see sculpture on the front…
2.08 MILES
Home to the much loved Uncle Wilbur’s Fountain, a lifeguard-monitored pop jet fountain with over 200 water jets, 52 of which are part of a play area where…
8. Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum
2.24 MILES
Colorado Springs’ municipal museum is set in the old El Paso County Courthouse, built in 1903. The collection and exhibition of some 60,000 pieces sums up…