Things to Do in Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs Things To Do Guide
Situated at the edge of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado Springs is a mecca for outdoor sports enthusiasts. With a thriving cultural scene and a range of historical sites, the city has more to offer than just skiing and hiking. There is rarely a shortage of festivals or community events in Colorado Springs.
Colorado Springs was an important stopping point for miners who were headed to the gold mines at Pikes Peak and Cripple Creek. For people who are interested in the region's gold mining history, the Ghost Town Museum provides an interactive look at the Old West. The museum has replicated the buildings and trappings of a historic town inside a large building, so people can investigate the site year round. Admission includes access to interactive exhibits, such as a working butter churn, and allows people to try gold panning.
The U.S. Air Force has an established presence in Colorado Springs, and uniformed officers are a regular sight around town. Residents who are looking for stuff to do in Colorado Springs can tour the U.S. Air Force Academy to get a taste of the military experience. From the welcome center, people can walk through the grounds and check out the distinctive Cadet Chapel or the Honor Court. On Sundays, members of the public can attend religious services at the chapel when it is not closed for private events.
The climate is temperate in Colorado Springs, and it is sunny year round. The weather and natural surroundings allow a variety of outdoor activities in Colorado Springs. For people who aren't interested in adrenaline-inducing adventure sports, the area includes plenty of attractions that are physically demanding without being dangerous. At the Garden of the Gods, the various hiking trails and red rock views are accessible to people of all ages and abilities. The park is free to enter and is least crowded in the early mornings.
Whether people are looking for an exciting outdoor adventure or a calm afternoon learning about the city's history, there is no shortage of things to do in Colorado Springs.
Things to Do Deals
Paintball International Atlanta
- Multiple Locations
Equipped with rental paintball guns and masks, groups vie for supremacy over outdoor fields
Allstar Paintball
- Downtown Colorado Springs
Participants blast opponents with Tippmann 98 paintball gun during refereed contests held on either indoor or outdoor fields
Sun Pilates
- Downtown Colorado Springs
Body barre’s low-impact blend of Pilates and ballet tones and lengthens muscle; mat Pilates strengthens core with floor exercises
Challenge Unlimited - Pikes Peak by Bike
- Old Colorado City
Guides outfit tourists with Jamis mountain bikes, weather gear, and helmets to descend Pikes Peak
Aiki-Kenjundo
Students of any age or ability level learn the internal and external martial art of kenjundo, which focuses on discipline and self-awareness
Brunswick Bowling
- Multiple Locations
Long-time bowling-industry leader opens its oiled lanes for pin-punishment sessions including cosmic bowling
D'Vine Wine Colorado Springs
- Multiple Locations
Vintners and staff guide palates through tastings of wines handcrafted, bottled, and fermented onsite in a historic bathhouse
Recommended Things to Do by Groupon Customers
Looking to put a new spin on a classic family activity, the minds behind Glowgolf decided to give the game a phosphorescent update. Incandescent courses place friends and family amid a tropical-fantasy golf world of neon orange, green, and violet surroundings. Players putt luminous orbs through vibrant treasure chests and glimmering windmills while negotiating tricky obstacles near walls portraying black-light-lit aquatic scenes. With more than 20 locations spread over 10 states, Glowgolf's fluorescent labyrinths challenge human players and traveling gnomes.
Voted “Best Ice Rink” by the Colorado Springs Gazette in 2009, and sweeping the category ever since, The Sertich Ice Center houses an NHL-sized ice rink and seating for up to 2,000 inside a 35,000 square foot facility. The Center regularly hosts open skating for the public, as well as birthday party packages, lessons, figure skating, and youth and adult hockey.
The artificial-pond curators at Washington Park Ice Arena cultivate year-round winter sports with a smooth, indoor ice rink designed for blade-footed glides. Public-skate sessions pop up day and night, and private rentals make for memorable birthday parties or helping pet rocks make the curling team. Ravenous ice dancers can gently stride over to an attached food dispensary to replenish on a sampling of food available for purchase. In addition to daily public-skating sessions, the arena and its helpful staff offer lessons for youth ice trotters, speed skaters, and pubescent snowmen learning to shave with skate blades. The oft-zambonied arena also plays home to a yearly smattering of University of Missouri hockey games, entertaining recitals, and seasonal festivals.
After taking up the game as an adult, real-estate broker Shawn Jardine started Diva Golf to bring women of all ages and abilities together in a golf club that emphasizes fun and fellowship. The club lets members enjoy golf in a pressure-free, socially oriented atmosphere with its weekly Nine and Wine events, during which members test their swing in a nine-hole round before sipping a dulcet vintage, networking with fellow ladies of the links, and trading suspenseful golf-ball rescue stories at the clubhouse. Members also meet for group lessons, practice sessions, and community events such as wine tastings and charity gatherings. With optional events scheduled regularly at both public and private courses, Diva Golf provides members a path to new friends and improved golf skills without having to pose as Scottish socialites.
Nestled in the cool shadows of Cheyenne Mountain, Cheyenne Shadows Golf Club’s 18-hole course invites clubbers with its scenic layout cleaved through high-desert terrain. Drives knife through the air with a little extra gusto, as the dry desert air—at an elevation of 6,224-feet above sea level—and golf angels conspire to add length to shots. The club’s verdant expanse also encompasses a multifaceted learning center, including a driving range with grass hitting areas, a short-game green flanked by a practice bunker, a putting green, and a three-hole children’s course. The casual dining room of Mulligan’s Grill awaits to quench hunger pangs with a menu of burgers, Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, and salads.
Snow-capped peaks peer over Springs Ranch Golf Course, adding a scenic backdrop to a 7,107-yard layout that reflects the player-friendly design philosophy of course architect Richard M. Phelps. In a gesture of sympathy for golfers who crush seemingly perfect drives only to find their ball in the angry grip of a well-concealed bird watcher, Richard placed hazards in plainly visible locations with few to no blind spots. However, transparency doesn't always transfer to success on the course—Springs Ranch packs plenty of hazard-ridden holes that demand precise shots, including the 404-yard, par-4 third hole, where golfers must avoid a pond off of the tee and clear a waste bunker with their approach shot or a perfectly timed kick. Along with two ponds and a gauntlet of bunkers, tall grasses line the fairways, tempering aggressive play and adding an authentic, Scottish feel to the links-style layout.
Springs Ranch also offers a driving range, lessons, and clinics taught by resident aces. After a day at the links, golfers can revive muscles weary from bench-pressing golf carts with a burger, bratwurst, or platter of fish 'n' chips at the Springs Ranch Bar and Grill.
Course at a Glance:
- 18-hole, par-72 course
- Length of 7,107 yards from the farthest tees
- Course rating of 72.9 from the farthest tees
- Slope rating of 136 from the farthest tees
- Five tee options
- Scorecard
