STEP OUT INTO A CITY SUMMER ADVENTURE Ways to celebrate the Springs’ Sesquicentennial for all ages

An official summer break from school may be primarily for kids, but mid-year excursions don’t have to be just for the younger set. And in 2021, it’s easy for residents of all ages to honor the 150th anniversary that celebrates the founding of Colorado Springs with some targeted adventuring. Read on for five ways to get out and about and celebrate both warmer weather and a very special sesquicentennial.

Roam around Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site

In order to fully understand how Colorado Springs came to be, make a trip to Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site (rockledgeranch. com), an educational living history farm and museum. Whether or not you visit on one of the nonprofit’s Living History Program days when the buildings are open and docents are hard at work, there’s plenty to see. Imagine and wonder about life in the Pikes Peak region as you walk from exhibit to exhibit, beginning with a late-1700s area occupied by the Ute people, and ending with original homes that were built by Springs’ founder General William Jackson Palmer.

Experience Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum

While the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum (cspm.org) isn’t quite as old as the city itself, both its founding as a collecting institution (1896) and the building in which it resides (built in 1903) are darn close. Formerly the El Paso County Courthouse, the location houses both permanent and temporary exhibits, culled from a 60,000-object collection; a fully restored Division 1 courtroom; and a 1913 Otis cast-iron birdcage elevator. This year, a special “COS@150” exhibit examines the 150 years of the city through 150 objects.

See Art Across the City

Make a pilgrimage to the northeast corner of downtown’s Acacia Park to get a good look at a statue of General Palmer atop a horse in the intersection of Nevada and Platte avenues. But don’t let your tour of the city’s public art end here. Grab an Art on the Streets map from Downtown Colorado Springs (downtowncs.com/live/ arts-and-entertainment/aots) and tour the more than 50 permanent pieces in the downtown area by foot or PikeRide e-bike (pikeride. org). As you head north out of downtown, drop by the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (fac.coloradocollege.edu) to see more outdoor sculpture that graces the museum’s landscape, and Ent Center for the Arts at UCCS for the AWOL: Art WithOut Limits

(gocadigital.org/outdoor-exhibitions) site-specific outdoor exhibits.

Get to Know Our Neighbor to the West, Manitou Springs

The history of Colorado Springs, and General Palmer, is very much tied up with that of Manitou Springs — as Palmer cofounded it as a resort town, with incorporation happening in 1876. Plan a day here: Shoot some Skee-Ball at the Manitou Springs Penny Arcade right in the middle of downtown; wander from mineral spring to mineral spring with a free map from the Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce (manitousprings.org/tour-the-mineralsprings), tasting the same cold healing waters residents and tourists would have drunk from 150 years (and more) ago; and, if you’re up for a physical challenge, make a reservation to climb the 2,744 steps of the famous Manitou Incline (manitousprings.org/where-to-play/ manitou-incline).

Fuel Athletic Fire at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum

What better way to celebrate the long history of Colorado Springs than to spend some time focusing on its continued growth? In 2020, the city’s newest attraction — the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum (usopm.org), a 60,000-square-foot facility that had been under construction since 2017 — opened with pandemicappropriate fanfare. Its galleries and interactive exhibits tell the history of the United States’ participation in the Olympics and Paralympics as well as the stories of many of America’s top athletes. View the complete collection of Olympic torches, learn about the equipment (and food) athletes rely on, and follow a timeline of Olympic and Paralympic history paired with that of world events.

Looking for more learning adventures this summer? Take advantage of the Library’s Pikes Peak Culture Pass!

Since Pikes Peak Library District launched the program in collaboration with local organizations last year, you can explore museums and attractions in the region at no cost with a library card. Simply check out free admission passes, similar to how you check out a digital book, and gain access to cultural learning and educational experiences right in your own community. Learn more and reserve your pass at ppld.org/culturepass.

Time for fun!

Are you ready for your adventure? Complete the activities on this page to warm up for the fun to come this summer! Don’t forget about our coloring pages available online. Sign up for your own adventure and learn more at ppld.org/SummerAdventure.

Spot the Difference

Can you find the five differences in these photos? Once completed, you can color and cut out the photos!

Answers: backpack on the raccoon, book stack on the llama, bird in the sky, rocks by the water, leaves on the right tree