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10 Family Friendly Places to Go in Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs is an amazing place to visit or live, but there are some things you must do before leaving. Here are the top 10 places you should go in Colorado Springs before you leave!
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We moved to Colorado the beginning of 2018, so we have lived here recently as “tourists” exploring our new terrain. But we’ve also lived here long enough to get to know the area. We have hiked a lot and gotten out to enjoy many things Colorado has to offer.
This post is broken up into 2 parts: Outdoor Places and Indoor Places.
10 Places to Go in Colorado Springs
Outdoor Places to Go in Colorado Springs (or nearby)
Painted Mines is a great place for an adventure!
In Colorado Springs, the great outdoors is our specialty. The options are endless, but here are some outdoor places to go in Colorado Springs. These are hikes rated as easy, so it’s a great way to keep your kids active!
Special things to bring along…
Make sure you wear good shoes or hiking boots as some hikes are off roading.
Also, the weather here is really variable. It can be 40 in the morning and 80 in the afternoon. So wear layers of clothes, even in summer.
It’s easy to get scrapes and cuts when hiking, so remember to bring along (our favorite!) non-toxic, quick healing Correct-X.
Garden of the Gods is a phenomenal sight with red rocks everywhere. They have gorgeous hikes and beautiful views. Once when I went with my kids, we saw a lynx trying to hunt a mother deer and her two fawns. He didn’t succeed, but he did get a powerful reminder that the mother deer was bigger than him.
The Painted Mines is a colorful canyon. It’s not all that deep, but the colors of orange, pink and white are amazing. It is a great place to climb around with fun caves and rock shapes. If you go, though, make sure you wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty because the rocks are chalky and may discolor your clothes.
If you are looking for a fun way to see Colorado Springs and for a super unique stay that all your friends will be jealous of, check this out! We lived in an RV for a few months and absolutely loved it. It's a fun way to travel and see the sights!
Looking at Pikes Peak from the Springs is a beautiful sight, but imagine going to the top of that mountain. It probably isn’t the best idea to do if you aren’t used to really high elevation because many people get sick while up there.
But if you do go, read up on what to bring like LOTS of water and what the signs of elevation sickness are. You can drive up/shuttle up much of it, and the views are priceless. Plus there is a building at the top with oxygen being pumped in to help with elevation related breathing issues should you get sick.
We always take our Breathe along on hikes as well. It helps open up our airways which you need at high altitudes. Plus it’s great if someone gets stuffy on the trip as well!
The Cliff Dwellings are houses carved into stone made by the Anasazi tribe of Colorado. You can go inside the houses, and the ruins date back to about 800-1,000 years ago! This is a fun place to explore for sure.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is an amazing zoo, and it has been voted the 4th best zoo in all of North America. Plus it is the only zoo in the US that is on the side of a mountain. Although it is on the side of a mountain, the walking isn’t too bad or too steep. They recently (around April-June 2018) have had several new arrivals of babies as well. We bought a zoo membership and use it to its full potential!
Red Rock Open Space is exactly what the name sounds like: a valley with red rocks on all sides. You can go onto the red rocks, walk through an old rock quarry, field, trails, and so much more! There are horseback riders, too, so be on the look out!
Indoor Things To Do in Colorado Springs
Whit's End is a great place to go play!
Colorado Springs is a great place for the outdoors, but the weather can be unpredictable. Also you may get tired of the great outdoors. That’s okay; there are still some indoor places to go in Colorado Springs, too!
Whit’s End is a really great place for kids to go and play. They have a 3 story slide that goes outside the building and loops around quite a bit. There is also an indoor playground.
On top of that they have a The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe room, puppet show theater and a search and find throughout the entire place.
Even better, it’s free! The only thing that isn’t free is the soda shop. But they have ice cream, food, and drinks if you need something to eat while there.
It’s really fun according to my daughters. (This is closed on Sundays.)
You wouldn’t expect to find Santa and his workshop by the Rockies, but you can! The North Pole is a Santa themed amusement park. This attraction is mainly outside, but it has some indoor things to it. It has fun rides for the kiddos and other family rides as well!
The Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs covers many sports like swimming, shooting, wrestling and gymnastics. Features include a video, a tour, a gift shop, and sometimes athletes training. (We went on the weekend and no one was training at the time.)
The tour can be a little pricey, but it’s really fun. You also get a free picture along with the price of admission.
Do you need a hotel for your trip to Colorado Springs? Hotels.com is a great and easy to use website that I recommend. They don’t charge for cancellations, you can easily filter your search for hotels near certain places like airports, breakfast included, etc.
Colorado Springs is known for their amazing Air Force Academy. They are the “Falcons” and (if you’re lucky) you can see them doing actual falconry bird demonstrations.
They have a visitor center with the history of the Academy and a documentary about what the cadets do there. There is an old war plane, trails, sporting event at specified times, and an amazing view. We also enjoyed the lovely chapel that houses Christian, Catholic, Jewish, and Buddhist faith rooms, pictured at the top of this post. Everything is free.
See ya there!
Colorado Springs is an amazing place to be, so make the most out of your trip! Please comment below with your favorite place to go in Colorado Springs and what you liked about it. And don’t forget to share on Pinterest.
10 thoughts on “10 Family Friendly Places to Go in Colorado Springs”
I’ve heard that Mountaindale Cabins and RV is good, but it’s a few minutes out of town. Since we live here, we’ve never needed to camp here. Please comment back if you find somewhere you like so we can all know, too! Thanks so much.
Make the hour trip out to the Royal Gorge! Take the scenic train trip through the gorge from Cañon City or go to the Royal Gorge Park for a gondola ride across or just walk across the suspension bridge! You will be happy that you did!
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Colorado is on my bucket list! The Garden of the Gods is on my list too! I haven’t heard of these other places, but adding them to my list!
Oh, fun! I am so glad you found it helpful. It is a beautiful place!
Where are the best RV camping spots near Colorado Springs?
I’ve heard that Mountaindale Cabins and RV is good, but it’s a few minutes out of town. Since we live here, we’ve never needed to camp here. Please comment back if you find somewhere you like so we can all know, too! Thanks so much.
Make the hour trip out to the Royal Gorge! Take the scenic train trip through the gorge from Cañon City or go to the Royal Gorge Park for a gondola ride across or just walk across the suspension bridge! You will be happy that you did!
Great additions! Thank you so much.
Helen Hunt Falls, rainbow falls, 7 falls, manitou springs arcade, splash pads.