Attractions: Yeah, you’ll be attracted

CULTURE IS KING

Museums, natural wonders and history await

BY JOHN HAZLEHURST

Alittle over century and a half ago, Colorado Springs was an unremarkable tract of treeless prairie, relieved only by Fountain Creek, nearby mountains and the snow-capped summit of Pikes Peak. Visionary city founder William J. Palmer saw things differently — the barren prairie would be the site of a distinguished and beautiful city, where residents and visitors alike could enjoy splendid scenery, abundant sunshine and healthful lives. A farsighted railroad baron, Palmer also founded Manitou Springs and Salida, laid out the city’s street grid and lived in the city he founded in 1871 until his death in 1906.

Half a million of us live Palmer’s dream, and millions more visit every year. In keeping with Palmer’s entrepreneurial origins, we haven’t been shy in figuring out how to welcome visitors, inform our community or create interesting experiences. There are scores of museums, attractions and curated experiences available to all — so here are a few.

Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center

Located a few blocks north of Downtown, the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College is housed in a 1936 pueblo modernist building designed by John Gaw Meem. The FAC’s superb collection includes Native American (Pueblo Plains, Plateau and Great Basin cultures), Hispanic and Spanish Colonial, and 20th-century American art (fac.coloradocollege.edu). Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.

Manitou Springs

Manitou Springs sits literally at the foot of Pikes Peak. As Manitoids love to point out, there are no Springs in Colorado Springs, but seven in Manitou. The historic little city is home to Miramont Castle Museum, Cave of the Winds, Manitou Art Center and what may be the region’s premier attraction: The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway (cograilway.com).

National Museum of World War II Aviation

Not to be missed: The National Museum of World War II Aviation (worldwariiaviation.org). It displays 27 fully restored flying aircraft in its hangar, including a B-25 Mitchell and a Lockheed P-38 Lightning. Not all are on display at one time, but it’s quite a time machine.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Especially if you have kids in tow, consider spending a day at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (cmzoo.org). Literally located on the slopes of Cheyenne Mountain, the zoo started as Broadmoor hotel founder Spencer Penrose’s private menagerie. It’s now one of the best zoos in America (ranking No. 4 on USA Today’s Readers’ Choice 2021). Giraffe feeding daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum and Hall of Fame

The Olympic & Paralympic Museum (usopm. org) is 60,000 square feet “dedicated to America’s greatest athletes and their compelling stories, with the artifacts, media and technology behind the athletes who make the United States proud.” The museum includes interactive exhibits, to include a virtual reality experience replicating the Opening Ceremony’s Parade of Nations.

Pikes Peak Cog Railway

First opened on June 30, 1891, the beloved Cog was designed and built by inventor/entrepreneur Zalmon Simmons. It operated continuously until 2017, when it was closed for a four-year, $100 million rebuild. During that time, Colorado Springs tore down the junky 1965 Summit House and ancillary buildings, replacing them with the new summit complex, a light-filled architectural masterpiece.

Half a million of us live Palmer’s dream, and MILLIONS MORE VISIT EVERY YEAR.

Western Museum of Mining & Industry

The Western Museum of Mining & Industry (wmmi.org) has a remarkable assemblage of working mining machinery, plus a model mining drift and gold panning stations. The museum is dedicated to “interpreting the rich mining history of Colorado and the American West.”

Old Colorado City National Historic District

Going west? Start with the Old Colorado City National Historic District, a restored 19th century downtown. Parking is easy, and OCC features dozens of locally owned galleries, bars, clothing stores, restaurants and shops of all kinds. It’s the heart and soul of its diverse, much loved Westside neighborhood. Visitors beware — you may never leave.

Pikes Peak Highway

If trains aren’t your thing, there are plenty of options. Drive the Pikes Peak Highway, stroll 14 miles up the Barr Trail (starting just across from the Cog station), ride a bike or go all 1889 and rent a donkey… up to you to find one! Or you can skip the summit entirely, and head up Ute Pass to Woodland Park, Divide and Cripple Creek.

Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum

The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum (cspm.org) is located in the resplendent 1902 El Paso County Courthouse in the heart of Downtown. There’s plenty of metered parking along the streets, admission is free and the collections and exhibits — like COS@150, which explores the city’s 150-year history through objects — are fabulous. Plus, its Starsmore Center for Local History is a treasure trove for researchers. But it’s far from the only Downtown and near-Downtown attraction. A few blocks to the southwest, check out Weidner Field (weidnerfield.com), a new soccer stadium that’s home to the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC professional soccer team.

Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center and the Wolf and Wildlife Center

The Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center (rmdrc.com) is a science-friendly, kid-friendly dinosaur museum up Ute Pass in Woodland Park. A few miles farther on, the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center is just west of Divide (wolfeducation.org). It’s an extraordinary outdoor wolf sanctuary that’s home as well to other endangered canids. Visitors can directly interact with wolves and learn about these splendid, muchmaligned apex predators.

Cripple Creek

Think you’re lucky? Drive 18 miles south from Divide to Cripple Creek (visitcripplecreek.com), once the greatest gold camp in the world. They’re still mining, but with gigantic machines instead of picks and shovels. If the gambling gods are kind, maybe you’ll hit a jackpot at one of the Creek’s many friendly casinos. Have fun, but remember the old adage: “Casinos were not built by the winners.” Win or lose, visit the Outlaws & Lawmen Museum (tinyurl.com/ymzw3nfk) in the heart of the casino district. It’s located in the 1901 jail building, which was in use for 90 years. Talk about serving some hard time — yet it’s fun, instructive and inexpensive ($3 for adults, kids free). And if the jail isn’t open, try the Cripple Creek Heritage Center (facebook.com/cripplecreekheritagecenter), the free city-owned history museum.

Bryan Grossman