Colorado Springs Things to Do: A Local’s Guide to the Best Experiences

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The best things to do in Colorado Springs are Garden of the Gods, a free city park full of towering red sandstone formations; the summit of Pikes Peak at 14,115 feet; the Manitou Incline, a straight-up climb that gains about 2,000 feet in under a mile; Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, billed as America’s mountain zoo; and the shops and cafes of historic Old Colorado City. After twenty years living here, those are still the five I point visitors to first. Together they cover everything from an easy stroll to a hard climb. Garden of the Gods has been free to the public since it was deeded to the city in 1909, so you can start without spending a dime.

How this page was put together: the shortlist and triage come from living here about twenty years, plus specific visits I logged for this update (Garden on the e-bike every couple of weeks, Manitou pinball with friends in early September 2026, a recent Broadmoor grounds walk with family, Boo at the Zoo in fall 2025, and the Cog Railway up Pikes Peak in 2025). Hours, fees, elevations, and current operating details were checked against the city’s Garden of the Gods page, the city’s Pikes Peak page, VisitCOS Things to Do, plus the official sites for the Cog Railway, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Garden of the Gods, and The Broadmoor, all reviewed Sep 27, 2026. Where something can change (hours, tickets, highway status), use those pages before you drive.

You can spend a whole trip outdoors alone, hiking in Garden of the Gods, riding the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, exploring the red rock formations at Red Rock Canyon Open Space, or rafting and ziplining through the canyons south of town. There’s history and culture too. The U.S. Air Force Academy and the art galleries downtown are both worth the time if you want a break from the outdoors.

Exploring the Natural Beauty

Colorado Springs sits on some genuinely unusual geology. You get scenic parks, towering rock formations, and challenging hiking trails all within a short drive of downtown.

Red Rock and Canyon Country

Garden of the Gods is the one attraction almost nobody skips. This city park shows off massive red rock formations you can walk right up to. I get out there about every couple of weeks on my e-bike, using the bike-lane path that loops the park, and that regular lap is why I still put it first for visitors. Entry stays free, hours and visitor-center details are on the city’s Garden of the Gods page and gardenofgods.com, both checked Sep 27, 2026. Red Rock Canyon Open Space gives you similar views on a smaller scale, with quieter trails. North Cheyenne Cañon Park is the third piece, steep canyon walls, waterfalls, and forest, and a solid picnic or short hike when the bigger parks are packed. Palmer Park, on the east side, is a fourth option locals use more than visitors, mesa-top views and trails like Grandview and a network of equestrian trails if you want to get away from the main loop entirely. VisitCOS lists all three under its outdoor bucket if you want the official tourism overview.

Pikes Peak: Drive It, Ride It, or Hike It

Pikes Peak sits at 14,115 feet right over the city, and you’ve got three real ways up. I see that mountain out my window most mornings, so I watch the snow line and weather change on it year-round before I send anyone up. Drive the highway yourself and stop for photos. Ride the Cog Railway out of Manitou and let someone else drive, book ahead in summer because it sells out (current tickets and schedules on cograilway.com, checked Sep 27, 2026). I took that train up in 2025 and still recommend it when you want the summit without the switchbacks. But if you’re deciding same-day in July or August and haven’t already got Cog tickets, drive instead, the train can be sold out by the time you get to Manitou and the highway will still sell you a spot at the gate. Or hike the Barr Trail, about 13 miles one way, if you want to earn the view and you’ve given your body a day or two at city elevation first. Highway status, summit-center notes, and activity options are on the city’s Pikes Peak page, also checked Sep 27, 2026.

The Manitou Incline is a different animal, a straight climb of roughly 2,000 feet in under a mile on old railway ties. It will wreck you if you’re not ready. Mueller State Park is the other end of the spectrum, over 50 miles of easier trail through forest and meadow. And if you want history mixed with the walk, Manitou Springs has its old penny arcade and mineral springs district at the base of the mountain. About three or four weeks ago (early September 2026) I was back in Manitou with friends just to play pinball at the arcade, and I still eat at a Himalayan restaurant there when I want something warmer than another burger.

More Than Walking the Trails

If you want more than a walk among the red rocks, the area has that too. Bridge walks, jeep roads, caves, and river trips are all within about an hour of town.

Thrills Above and Below

Royal Gorge, about an hour south near Cañon City, is worth the drive if you have the time. VisitCOS and most visitor guides put it in the day-trip bucket. The bridge sits hundreds of feet above the Arkansas River, you can walk across it, and there’s a zip line over the canyon if you want the adrenaline version. Confirm current bridge and ride hours on the operator’s own site before you go.

Cave of the Winds, up in Manitou Springs, is the underground option, real caverns plus an above-ground ride called the Terror-dactyl that swings you out over the canyon edge, a Wind Walker Challenge Course if you want more than one ride, and a candlelit Lantern Tour through the cave in the evening. Adventures Out West runs Jeep tours through the rougher backcountry if you’d rather ride than hike. Tour times and prices change, so use each operator’s site the week you visit.

Climbing, Rafting, and the Easy Train Ride

Rock climbers have plenty to choose from too, Garden of the Gods and Red Rock Canyon Open Space both have routes for climbers at every level. The Arkansas River runs everything from a calm float to real whitewater, and the outfitters along it run guided trips for beginners and experienced rafters alike. The Royal Gorge Route Railroad is the mellow version of all this, a train ride through the same gorge that gives you the scenery without the effort.

History, Culture, and a Military Town

Colorado Springs has more history and culture packed in than people expect. Art museums, historic sites, an Olympic legacy, and a serious military heritage all sit within a short drive of downtown.

Arts, Museums, and Historical Sites

The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center has a solid collection of local and national work, with exhibits that rotate through the year. Old Colorado City started life as a gold mining town in the 1800s, and its old buildings now hold shops and restaurants instead, a good stop for browsing between the bigger sights. Glen Eyrie Castle and Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site both give you a look at how people actually lived here in the 1800s, one grand and one working ranch. Miramont Castle is the Victorian version, full of period furniture, and the Dinosaur Museum next door has fossils and life-size models that kids genuinely love.

Olympic Sites and the Air Force Academy

Colorado Springs calls itself Olympic City USA for good reason. The Olympic Training Center hosts athletes training for the next Games and runs public tours, and the World Figure Skating Museum nearby has costumes and medals from decades of champions.

The U.S. Air Force Academy is worth the drive out, you can tour parts of the campus, watch cadets in training, and see the Cadet Chapel, 17 spires and one of the more striking pieces of architecture in the state. If you time a visit for late May, the graduation ceremony usually comes with a Thunderbirds airshow overhead. This is a genuine military town too, Fort Carson, Peterson, Schriever, and NORAD are all nearby, so expect military traffic and a lot of active duty and veteran families in the mix. It shapes the culture here more than most visitors realize.

Downtown Food and Daytime Stops

Downtown has a real food scene now, and a night wandering the shops and patios there is a good way to close out any day here.

A Taste of Colorado Springs

Downtown has restaurants for every budget and cuisine, my full where-to-eat guide breaks it down by price if you want the specifics. Phantom Canyon Brewing Co is a solid stop for craft beer and pub food in a historic building, and Rocky Mountain Food Tours runs guided tastings if you’d rather have someone else pick the stops. Farm-to-table spots have grown here too, alongside a good mix of Mexican, Italian, and Asian restaurants, plus enough cafes and bakeries to cover breakfast and dessert.

Daytime Arts and Attractions

The Manitou Springs Penny Arcade mixes vintage machines with modern games and is genuinely fun for kids and adults both. If you’d rather sit down, local playhouses run matinee shows worth checking the schedule for. And the art galleries downtown and in Old Colorado City are an easy way to spend an hour, most rotate exhibits from local Colorado artists through the year.

Family Stops That Actually Work

Families do well here. The zoo, the science museum, and a few easy waterfall walks cover most kids without forcing a full tourist itinerary.

Zoo, Waterfalls, and Easy Family Stops

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo bills itself as America’s mountain zoo and the highest-elevation zoo in the country. That claim, animal counts, giraffe feeding, and sky-ride details come from cmzoo.org, checked Sep 27, 2026. My last visit was Boo at the Zoo in fall 2025, the Halloween evening event, so it has been a while, but that night is still what I remember when families ask. Cheyenne Mountain State Park next door is quieter for a wildlife walk, deer and birds are common, with easy trails for little legs alongside tougher ones for older kids. Seven Falls, a stack of waterfalls dropping through a 1,250-foot box canyon sometimes called the Grandest Mile of Scenery, is another Broadmoor-area stop, with the Inspiration Point Trail if you want the overlook above the falls. Confirm step counts, elevator status, and tickets on the attraction’s own page the week you go, since those change.

Museums Kids Actually Sit Through

The Space Foundation Discovery Center is a good stop for young space fans, with hands-on exhibits on rockets and satellites and a chance to try on a space suit. The Ghost Town Museum brings an old-west town back to life, kids can pan for gold and see how people actually lived here in the 1800s. And the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum covers the area’s first settlers and Native American history in a building that’s free to walk through, one of the better deals in town for a rainy afternoon.

How to Spend One, Two, or Three Days Here

The question visitors ask more than any other is simple: “We’ve only got a couple of days, what should we actually do?” This is how I’d lay it out after twenty years here. It is a decision framework, not a claim that I walked every stop on a single dated trip. Shuffle it for weather and how much driving you want.

One Perfect Day

Start early at Garden of the Gods, ideally before 8 a.m. when the light on the rocks is best and the lot hasn’t filled up. The paved central loop only takes an hour and gets you right under the big formations. From there it’s a ten minute drive into Old Colorado City for lunch and a wander through the shops. Spend the afternoon on Pikes Peak, either driving the highway or riding the Cog Railway up from Manitou, both are fine for one day since neither asks much of your body. Then cap the evening with dinner downtown, my where-to-eat guide has picks for every budget.

A Full Weekend

Day one, run the plan above. Day two, slow it down. Grab a coffee at one of my favorite local shops, then pick one real outdoor thing: an easy hike at Red Rock Canyon or the quieter Ute Valley Park, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo if you have kids, or a soak at the hot springs over in Manitou. In the afternoon, walk the grounds at The Broadmoor even if you aren’t staying there. It’s worth seeing. Then treat yourself to a nice dinner. My where-to-eat guide sorts it by budget.

Three Days or More

With a third day you can get out of the city a bit. Spend a morning exploring Manitou Springs, with its mineral springs, penny arcade, and the base of the Incline if you’re feeling ambitious and you’ve had a day or two to adjust to the altitude. Then knock a few big ones off the local bucket list, the things worth doing before you leave. If the weather turns, that’s the perfect afternoon for the museums and indoor spots I list below.

Where to base yourself

Where you stay shapes how these itineraries feel. Downtown puts you closest to the restaurants and shops for the evening plans above, while Manitou Springs drops you right at the base of Pikes Peak and the Incline, handy if you’re doing the Cog Railway or an early hike.

Find a place to stay in Downtown Colorado Springs

Find a place to stay in Manitou Springs

If you’d rather have the Cog Railway tickets locked in before you arrive, especially in summer when it sells out, check current availability here.

When to Visit, Season by Season

There’s no bad time to come, but each season has its own feel. The notes below are local judgment plus what VisitCOS and the city park pages flag for access and weather, not a personal diary of every month.

Summer (June to August) is peak season for a reason. Everything is open, Pikes Peak is fully accessible, and the afternoons are warm. Just plan around the near-daily afternoon thunderstorms in July and August, do your high stuff in the morning.
Fall (September to October) is my favorite. The crowds thin out, the aspens turn gold up in the high country, and the weather is close to perfect. If you can only pick one time, pick this.
Winter (November to March) is quiet and often surprisingly mild down in town, with plenty of sunny days. The Cog Railway still runs, the hot springs are at their best, and it’s the cheapest time to visit. Snow up on Pikes Peak makes for great photos.
Spring (April to May) is unpredictable, we can get a warm day and a snow squall in the same week, but it’s green, the farmers markets start up, and the trails are wide open before summer crowds arrive.

One tip that applies year round: we sit at over 6,000 feet, so drink more water than you think you need and take the first day easy while you adjust to the altitude. If you’re coming for the trails, it’s worth throwing in a packable layer since mornings and summits run 20 to 30 degrees cooler than downtown even in summer, a water bottle you’ll actually refill, and real SPF 50 sunscreen, the UV up here is noticeably stronger than at sea level even when it’s cloudy.

Quick Picks by What You’re Looking For

Free Things to Do

You can fill a whole trip without spending much. Garden of the Gods is free to enter, and there’s a lot more where that came from. Start with my roundup of 50-plus free things to do, plus free activities with kids and the best dog-friendly parks and trails if you’re traveling with a pup.

With Kids

Families do well here. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is the highest-elevation zoo in the country and a genuine highlight, the farmers markets are an easy free morning, and in summer there are plenty of day camps if you’re staying a while.

Rainy Day and Indoor

When an afternoon storm rolls in, don’t waste it. The Pioneers Museum is free and genuinely good, the shops in Old Colorado City keep you dry, and a slow hour at one of the local coffee shops is never a bad call.

For Couples

For a couples-friendly day, I’d point you toward a nice dinner downtown, a soak at the hot springs in Manitou, or an afternoon walking the grounds at The Broadmoor. A slow stroll through the shops and patios of Old Colorado City is a nice, quieter option too.

Go Deeper: My Full Colorado Springs Guides

This page is the big-picture overview. When you’re ready to dig into one thing, here are the deeper Springs Local Guide posts that sit under this hub:

Insider Tips From Living Here

I’ve lived in Colorado Springs for two decades. The tips below are local judgment about timing, altitude, and where not to waste a meal stop. For anything that changes (park hours, Cog tickets, highway closures), re-check the city and VisitCOS pages linked above before you go.

Garden of the Gods, timing is everything. It’s the number-one thing to do here, and it’s completely free, but do not show up on a summer weekend when the weather’s perfect. You’ll sit in traffic crawling around the loop with half the city. Go early in the morning before the crowds, or in the evening, and ideally on a weekday: you’ll practically have the red rocks to yourself. And here’s a trick almost nobody knows: take Rampart Range Road out of the park. It’s a dirt road that opens up views of Garden of the Gods you’ll never get from the main loop.

The altitude will get you if you’re not careful. City elevation is about 6,035 feet and Pikes Peak tops out at 14,115, figures published on the city’s Pikes Peak page. Driving up or riding the Cog Railway is fine on day one, you’re sitting either way. If you want to hike the Barr Trail or the Incline, give yourself a day or two at city elevation first. Drink more water than feels necessary, and take day one easy if you plan to push later.

Don’t stop at the famous spot. Ute Valley Park is a local favorite, a really nice place to get outside, especially for mountain biking, with a fraction of the crowds.

The Broadmoor is worth seeing even if you’re not staying there. It’s the five-star resort locals point visitors to for a walk of the grounds and lake. I was there again recently with my nephew and his family. We walked the grounds a long time, poked into the bowling alley, and looked at the artwork on display. Current guest and dining info lives on broadmoor.com, checked Sep 27, 2026. Here’s the fuller Broadmoor guide on this site.

Skip Powers Boulevard if you’re looking for real food or character, it’s mostly chains and strip malls. Old Colorado City, downtown, Manitou Springs, and the Ivywild district are where the actual local businesses are.

Some of the best stuff is a short drive away. Take the Pikes Peak Cog Railway to the 14,000-foot summit, the view is incredible, especially in summer, and yes, the train runs all winter. And about an hour out, the Royal Gorge is spectacular; you can ride a train right through it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Garden of the Gods really free?

Yes. It’s a city park, free to the public since it was deeded to Colorado Springs in 1909. That free-entry fact and current hours are on the city’s Garden of the Gods page, checked Sep 27, 2026. Go early morning or evening on a weekday if you want fewer crowds.

How many days do you need in Colorado Springs?

One day covers Garden of the Gods, Old Colorado City, and Pikes Peak if you move at a decent pace. Two days lets you slow down and add a hike, the zoo, or the hot springs. Three or more gives you room for Manitou Springs and a day trip out to the Royal Gorge.

Should I drive, ride the Cog Railway, or hike Pikes Peak?

Drive the highway yourself if you want to stop for photos along the way, or check the city’s Pikes Peak page for current highway conditions before you go. Ride the Cog Railway out of Manitou if you’d rather not deal with the switchbacks, book it ahead in summer since it sells out. If it’s summer and you’re deciding the same day without tickets already booked, drive instead, the highway sells you a spot at the gate when the train can’t. Hike the Barr Trail only if you’ve given your body a day or two to adjust to the altitude first.

Do I need to worry about altitude in Colorado Springs?

A little. The city sits at 6,035 feet and Pikes Peak tops out at 14,115. Driving or riding the train to the summit is fine any day, that’s low effort. If you’re planning a hard hike, save it for day two or three, drink more water than usual, and take it easy on day one.

Can you visit The Broadmoor without staying there?

Yes. Locals walk the grounds without booking a room. Park, walk in, and enjoy the lake and gardens. You do not need to be a guest unless you want a restaurant reservation. Confirm any current access notes on broadmoor.com before you go.

What’s the best time of year to visit?

Fall, if you can only pick one, the crowds thin out and the weather is close to perfect. Summer has everything open but comes with afternoon thunderstorms. Winter is quiet and cheaper, and spring is unpredictable but green.

More Colorado Springs Guides

Keep exploring: more Colorado Springs local guides

This guide is your starting point, here are the deep-dive local guides behind it:

Author: Dominic