Sight Seeing -any guided walking tours anywhere? (Denver, Colorado Springs: house, purchase) - City-Data Forum

MD2CO · 06-09-2010, 08:28 PM

I am visiting CoSprings for the 1st time in two weeks with my best friend. We'll be staying from Wed through Sunday (flying back early Monday morning). I am putting together an itinerary right now.. any suggestions on places we should definitely see? Currently have planned on US Olymp Trg Center, Garden of the Gods, Cave of the Winds, Cog Railroad to Pikes Peak, North Cheyenne Canyon Park, Seven Falls, Broadmoor resort. Also, would like to pair Old Colorado City in with one of the days. Does anyone know of any guided walking tours that would give us a good historical blurb? I found a guided 'food' tour listed so that is an option. Just would like some feedback. And lastly, any restarants you'd recommend not to miss while in town? Thanks for any info.. really looking forward to the trip!!!

(First time visitor but already hope to live there in the not so distant future!

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otowi · 06-09-2010, 08:52 PM

I don't know if it is true, but I heard that the Pioneer's Museum has info on self-guided walking tours.

phetaroi · 06-09-2010, 11:24 PM

Have you been in the mountain before? COS is at 6,000 feet, and I arrived last Saturday evening. Saturday evening hard on pulse rate and breathing. Sunday improved, but still huffing and puffing when doing much walking. Monday, a tad better. Tuesday, a tad better. Today -- finally a day I felt somewhat back to normal. Went house hunting today and felt fine, maybe still just a little tired, but the rest of the symptoms are much better.

Just don't count on doing much walking right away, and I have talked to several now locals who went up on Pikes Peak when they first arrived and paid a price.

Maynerd · 06-10-2010, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MD2CO

any suggestions on places we should definitely see? Currently have planned on US Olymp Trg Center, Garden of the Gods, Cave of the Winds, Cog Railroad to Pikes Peak, North Cheyenne Canyon Park, Seven Falls, Broadmoor resort. Also, would like to pair Old Colorado City in with one of the days.

Your list is pretty good. I'm not personally impressed with Cave of the Winds (your mileage may vary). The Cliff Dwellings right next door might be a decent replacement on your itinerary. I also think the view is more spectacular from the Pikes Peak Highway than the Cog Railway. I'd also add the Air Force Academy Visitors Center and Cadet Chapel.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MD2CO

And lastly, any restarants you'd recommend not to miss while in town?

WHat style of food do you enjoy? What's your price range?

otowi · 06-10-2010, 02:08 PM

Ha, I'm opposite you Maynerd - I'd prefer Cave of the Winds over The Cliff Dwellings. Cave of the Winds is real, and if you want to pay the dough there are some more involved spelunking tours you can do. Sure, it is no Carlsbad Caverns. The Cliff Dwellings kind of bother me because they took apart dwellings from the Four Corners area and reassembled them here, so it just doesn't seem quite right to me, although maybe for others that wouldn't bother them.

I think everyone should see Garden of the Gods and even Palmer Park, plus they are free. And if health permits, everyone should get up to the top of Pikes Peak one way or another - the highway or the railway or on foot. North Cheyenne Canyon is beautiful for day hiking and I love it, but day hiking may not be everyone's cup of tea. Seven Falls I personally don't think is that spectacular; if I were going to go I'd go at night at Christmas time. If you're going to do Old Colorado City, you can do Manitou Springs the same day easily - that would be I guess a "shopping" type day, but you can ride a carriage, play in the penny arcade, sample the spring water, etc. The spring water tastes a little different at the different springs and it is not yummy. However, my grandparents used it in lemonade or Kool-aid and I guess that is pretty good - kind of like using seltzer/mineral water.

There are some things to see downtown, possibly - Pioneer Museum, money museum, Fine Arts museum, restaurants, Kimball's Theater, etc.

And I would always recommend our zoo to anyone from out of town.

Maynerd · 06-10-2010, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by otowi

And I would always recommend our zoo to anyone from out of town.

Fully agree on the zoo. I'm surprised I left that out.

And, I agree in part on the Cliff Dwellings. They're real enough, just a couple hundred miles away from where they were truly authentic. The Cave just doesn't particularly push my buttons. Another option in lieu of either of these local attractions is Royal Gorge down in Canon City.

Rosie123 · 06-10-2010, 04:56 PM

If you plan a visit to the zoo.. then the visit to the Will Rogers Shrine is a MUST! It is a road through the zoo going up the hill to the shrine (you can go by car or hike up there) and it is free with the zoo ticket (only a few dollars if you have no ticket for the zoo). The shrine is very special.. beautiful setting... and the views of Colorado Springs and the surrounding areas cannot be described with words!!!

Have a wonderful time here in Colorado Springs!
PS: At our zoo.. you get to hand feed the giraffes and you can ride a chairlift !!!

beezle1 · 06-10-2010, 06:43 PM

I think Manitou Springs does guided walking tours, though never done it myself.... See this website: Manitou Springs Heritage Center (http://www.manitouspringsheritagecenter.org/index.html - broken link)

otowi · 06-10-2010, 07:32 PM

I know they do at least seasonally; I remember going on a haunted tour around Halloween one year.

MD2CO · 06-17-2010, 06:49 AM

thanks for all of the feedback! we planned on Pikes Peake for the 3rd day we are in town, so hopefully we'll have had a little time to adjust to the elevation. i hadn't added in Palmer Park but maybe we can make that a stop also.. and as suggested, we are heading to the Air Force Academy on Sunday afternoon when we head back up to Denver. had not planned on the zoo, but will tell my best friend that is an option. we have zoo's all around us here, Maryland Zoo (not huge) and Washington DC zoo (very nice) so may not make that part of the trip this time. but hey, when I move out there sometime I will be checking it out for sure! I have never hand fed giraffee's so that would be kinda cool. I left some room on the itinerary for impromtu things, so we'll see what we can get into. really looking forward to the trip. oh by the way, we did purchase tickets for the Colorado Springs Food Tour downtown (for Thursday on our trip). as far as restaurants, any suggestions would be great. price range maybe $10-25 for dinners??? all kinds of cuisine. lastly.. a friend of mine visited last summer and went to a restaurant that is the inside of an airplane? where might that be? she said it'd be good for sandwiches or a quick bite to eat one of the days. okay.. thanks all!!!