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Colorado:
Colorado Springs,
Great Family Adventures.
From riding
a cog railway or spelunking in a techno cave to hearing cowboy
stories around a campfire or cheering at an Air Force Academy
parade, Colorado Springs embraces family vacations with a passion.
Go for the fun of it.
 Rockin’
the red. Experienced rock-climbers
and tourists alike are drawn to the Garden of the Gods, 1,364
acres of breathtaking rock formations. Winding through the unique
red sandstone formations are trails, and all of the one-way
roads in the park feature paved bike lanes. There are wheel-chair
accessible walking paths and numerous picnic areas in and around
the sandstone formations. Discovery:
Just say giddy-up and enjoy
the natural
splendor and serene landscape by horseback guided by cowboys
from Academy Stables. For younger children there are pony rides.
It is America the beautiful.
Pikes Peak is the same peak that inspired Katherine Lee Bates
to write an anthem to the natural beauty in the United States:
“America the Beautiful.” The mountain soars into the sky 14,110
feet above sea level and offers infinite opportunities to explore
its naturally stunning beauty. Visitors to Pikes Peak can enjoy
a variety of activities: hiking, driving, biking, and riding
the cog railway.
Go techno in a cave.
“Just beyond
the darkness lies the thrill discovery.” This brazen statement
greets visitors to the Cave of the Winds Website, along with
up-tempo techno beat and a feeling that something exciting has
been stumbled upon. Visitors to the cave won’t be disappointed
either. Discovered again in 1881 the Cave of the Winds was once
known as the home of the Great Spirit of the Wind, who would
cause whirlwinds, sand devils, and tornadoes if angered in any
way. Now the cave is open to the public for a variety of interesting
tours and experiences, including an awesome lantern tour.
 Into
wild blue yonder.
The motto of the Air Force Academy is “Integrity, Service, Excellence.”
Yearly, the Academy graduates 900 seniors, and is respected
as an academically stellar military academy. It is the number
one man-made attraction in Colorado Springs, attracting about
1.4 million visitors every year. Visitors may tour the base
and learn more about the Academy and the men and women of the
United States Air Force.
Citius, altius, fortius!
The Olympic motto is Latin for “Swifter, higher, stronger.”
Generations of athletes have followed this mandate, and visitors
to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs can get information
on all of the men and women who have participated in the ultimate
of competitions. The center houses the U.S. Olympic Hall of
Fame Rotunda which celebrates the achievements of America’s
premier athletes and is a lasting tribute to the American pursuit
of excellence and the Olympic ideal: the ultimate integration
of mind and body.
Happy trails again.
Specializing in western entertainment and western food since
1953, the Flying W Ranch is a working mountain cattle ranch
just outside of Colorado Springs. The ranch has the added advantage
of beautiful natural surroundings, and features an authentic
old western town.
Holy bears!
Serving as a window on nature, the Bear Creek Nature Center,
which opened in 1976, educates visitors about all the different
aspects of the ecosystem. Outside of the center are two miles
of self-guided nature trails, which wind through scrub oak woodlands,
short grass prairie and cottonwood riparian communities.
 Find mountains of money.
Located in a two-level gallery, the American Numismatic Association
Money Museum is a tribute to money, and the role it played in
Colorado’s history. Coins, currency, and a gigantic Denver Mint
scale, once used to weigh gold and silver to a 1/100th
of an ounce, are all on display.
Try buggin’ out.
The John May Museum Center features seven thousand of the worlds
most unusual and beautiful invertebrates. They come from all
of the tropical areas of the globe and represent over eighty
years of traveling and exploring the world. The May collection
is considered one of the world’s most outstanding collections
of giant tropical insects, related creatures, and rare artifacts.
Discovery:
The John May Space Museum features hundreds of NASA photographs,
which document the story of America’s space program from its
beginnings.
Hold coils of fun.
A new attraction in Colorado Springs, Colorado Gators Reptilian
Adventure offers visitors the opportunity to learn about the
vast variety of unusual reptiles in the world. Visitors can
also find out which reptiles make good pets, and get their picture
taken while holding a live alligator.
Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico
in Colorado. The famous photograph
by Ansel Adams, Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, (also
his most popular image), was recently acquired by the Colorado
Springs Fine Arts Center. With a tradition of excellence in
art this unique fine arts center celebrates the rich cultures
of the Southwest: Native American and Hispanic art, tactile
art collection, 20th century fine art, and traveling
exhibits with artists ranging from Ansel Adams to Henry L. Standley.
Discovery:
The Center has a performing arts program, which includes a children’s
theatre focusing on age-appropriate stories and fun presentations.
Alongside the children’s theatre are stellar performances and
productions for young adults and adults.
Making a patchwork house.
Featuring nine styles of architecture, ranging from Byzantine
to English Tudor, the Miramont Castle is an architectural oddity.
The original owner was Father John Baptist Francolon, a French
Catholic priest who lived there with his mother. The entire
“castle” is constructed of locally quarried green limestone
with yellow pine framing. Today Miramont is dedicated to preserving
the Victorian heritage of the Pikes Peak/Manitou Region.
Ghost Riders in the Sky.
The wind once
whistled through the abandoned buildings off 21st
street caressing the remnants of an earlier time when gold mining
thrived in Pikes Peak. Today in the same buildings that
stood when Colorado was the frontier, there is a replica of
the old western town. Travel back in time one hundred years
and explore a general store, a sheriff’s office, a jail, a saloon,
a Victorian-era home, and even a blacksmith shop. Relive the
days of the Old West; feel the same thrill that the miners and
cowboys felt in those long-gone days.
Riding high to the sky.
The home of the world’s highest
(altitude) Ferris wheel, Colorado’s North Pole Amusement Park
is located on the side of a mountain, 7,500 feet above sea level.
Modeled after the nation’s first theme park, North Pole New
York, North Pole Colorado has twenty-five rides each designed
with a different fn-factor. Discovery:
Besides the considerable rides, the park is the “home” of Santa
Claus as well as Santa’s happy llamas: Thunder, Primetime, Dutch,
Papacho and Lucky.
Details
Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center.
1805 N. 30th Street at Gateway Road, Colorado Springs, 80904.
1 (719) 634-6666 or www.gardenofgods.com
Academy Riding Stables.
4 El Paso Boulevard, Colorado Springs, 80904. 1-888-700-0410
or 1 (719) 633-5667 or
www.academyridingstables.com
or arsriding@adelphia.net
Colorado Gators Reptilian Adventure.
2416 S. Academy Blvd, Colorado Springs, 80904. 1 (719)
392-5101.
United States Air Force Academy.
2304 Cadet Dr # 324 USAF, Academy,
80840. 1 (719) 333-7482 or
www.usaf.af.mil/visitorinfo.cfm
United States Olympic Training Center.
One Olympic Plaza, Colorado Springs, 80909. 1-888-659-8687 or
1 (719) 632-5551 or
www.usoc.org/about_us/visitor_ctr.html
ARAMARK Pikes Peak.
1312 Pecan Street, Colorado Springs, 80904. 1 (719) 473-0208
or www.visitpikespeak.com
or info@visitpikespeak.com
The Cave of the Winds.
Manitou Springs,
80829. 1 (719) 685-5444 or
www.caveofthewinds.com
or info@caveofthewinds.com
Flying W Ranch. 3330 Chuckwagon Road, Colorado
Springs, 80919.
1-800-232-3599 or 1 (719)
598-4000 or
www.flyingw.com or
flyingw@rmi.net
Bear Creek Nature Center.
245 Bear Creek Rd, Colorado Springs, 80906. 1 (719) 520-6387 or
www.adm.elpasoco.com/parks/nature/bcnc/bcnc.asp
The American Numismatic Association Money Museum.
818 North Cascade Avenue, Colorado Springs, 80903. 1-800-367-9723
or 1 (719) 632-2646 or
www.money.org/moneymus.html
or ana@money.org
John May Museum Center.
710 Rock Creek
Canyon Rd., Colorado Springs, 80926. 1-800-666-3841 or
1 (719) 576-0450 or
www.maymuseum-camp-rvpark.com/museum_center.htm
The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center.
30 West Dale Street, Colorado Springs, 80903. 1 (719) 634-5581
or www.csfineartscenter.org
North Pole Amusement Park.
5050 Pikes Peak Hwy, Cascade, 80809. 1 (719) 684-9432 or
www.santas-colo.com
Miramont Castle.
9 Capitol Hill Avenue, Manitou Springs, 80829. 1 (719) 685-1011
or www.pikes-peak.com/Castle
Ghost Town Museum.
400 S. 21st St., Colorado Springs, 80904. 1 (719) 634-0696 or
www.ghosttownmuseum.com
Content
researched an provided by Travel Communications Inc. Images provided by Colorado
Springs CVB. Copyright 2005.
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