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
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.teamusa.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
