Hey y’all! My husband and I just returned from a week in Colorado, and it was definitely one of our favorite vacations together. The weather, the mountains…everything was so beautiful there! A great change from the humid weather in Louisiana! We were excited for a vacation together and also spent time scoping out the area to move. We are both from Louisiana, lived here our entire lives, and have really just outgrown it, so we’ve been on the hunt to find the “perfect place” to move. And long story short, we fell in LOVE with Colorado, and it has definitely jumped to the top of possible destinations!
We spent a week in Colorado Springs and the weekend in Arvada (outside of Denver) with family. The Springs is absolutely beautiful, and even though we were there for 5 days, we never ran out of things to do! We could have spent another week! You get to wake up to mountains everyday. How could anyone be in a bad mood with those views?? The Springs has so many things to do and is within an hour of many other cites (Royal Gorge, Denver, etc.) to check out.
Where we stayed
We did a great job staying on budget with this trip and utilized some good resources for accommodations. My husband works for Hilton, so we were able to get a killer deal on a Hilton DoubleTree hotel for a 3 night stay. The rest of our stay we spent at this Airbnb for only $65/night (good location and great deal) complete with full bathroom and kitchenette. If you’re not familiar with Airbnb, check it out here. I try to use it wherever I go! I’ve never had a bad experience to date, and I’ve used Airbnb around the world. I’m always encouraging people to use all of their resources when traveling, (employee discounts, Airbnb, family, etc.) especially if you’re staying budget-friendly like us! We also snagged a pair of round trip flights from Dallas-Denver for $450 TOTAL and rental car for just $300 for the week.
What we did
Basically, everything we could cram into 5 days!!! We did some “touristy” things, but the dates we went were just after the summer rush season, so nothing was very packed! I wanted to concentrate more on relaxing with this vacation, so we planned major things on some days and just explored the rest of the time!
Glen Eyrie
If you should know one thing about me, it’s that I’m OBSESSED with castles! So when I learned that The Springs had its very own Tudor-style castle, it jumped to the top of my wish list! Glen Eyrie was built by General Palmer, the founder of CO Springs, with the help of a Scottish architect, so there’s a lot of rich history on the property! We went all fancy and booked a super cute afternoon tea there-even the husband loved it! A little taste of high society – why not? The experience was right up there with the teas I’ve had in England, and I highly recommend it if you’re visiting. Not a bad price for $45 for us both and a great way to relax and take in our first day.
We sat outside on the terrace…it was 75º and had a phenomenal view of the property, so we couldn’t pass it up! There are also many hiking trails on the property for guests as well as access to the majority of the castle and grounds if you have time.
Garden of the Gods
Of course, a trip to The Springs wouldn’t be complete without a drive or hike through Garden of the Gods, the national park known for its towering sandstone rock formations and one of the most well known sites in the city. I was thinking it was going to be one of those overrated destinations, but it did not disappoint! You could spend hours walking around or spend a little bit driving through. We opted to just drive through and got these awesome views of the huge rock formations. Don’t miss it!
Whitewater Rafting
The next day we booked a rafting trip on the Arkansas River through Royal Gorge in Cañon City, which is about an hour away from CO Springs. I was honestly a little nervous after watching some YouTube videos, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I think they hype the Royal Gorge trip a lot…granted we didn’t float the river when the flow was super strong, although we still paddled some good class IV and V rapids! Especially if you’ve never been, I’d suggest rafting if you’re looking for a little adrenaline rush, yet something not too overwhelming.
The Royal Gorge Bridge, one of the world’s highest suspension bridges, is also a cool place to check out while you’re in Cañon City. They have zip lining and aerial gondolas that run over the gorge and also a huge swing if you’re looking for more of that adrenaline! We considered going, but it’s almost $30/person just to park and visit the bridge…meh…BUT we got an awesome surprise when we rode across the bridge on our way to the rafting due to some road closures blocking the usual route! Score!! That’s something I’ll definitely never forget and something few get to do!
Eeeek! So on our way home from rafting, we took a turn down the “Skyline” drive in Cañon City, which follows along a winding razorback ridge with hundred foot drops on both sides! I’m really not making this up when I say everything here is picture perfect, and best of all, it costs absolutely NOTHING to just drive around and enjoy the gorgeous views!
Rock Climbing
We woke up early (and sore!) the next day to meet our guide in North Cheyenne Cañon for some rock climbing! North Cheyenne Cañon was easily one of our favorite places to hang out in The Springs, so don’t miss it even if you’re not interested in hiking or rock climbing. It’s very easy to drive and has dozens of picturesque pull over spots to park and take in the Colorado mountains. We spent most our evenings here…we’d pick up some dinner to-go and just chill at one of the many look out spots.
This was my husbands favorite part of our trip! Our guide was super chill and a great teacher, so he really gave us an awesome experience. We did 2-3 smaller climbs and then 1 large climb toward the end of the day, while learning to tie knots and belay each other. So rewarding when you reach the top of your climb…and a great workout!
Horseback Riding
Yes, we basically did it all! So on our last full day in Colorado Springs, we went horseback riding at Old Stage Riding Stables, a family run stable. I feel like every day we woke up more sore than the last, but we really didn’t care because it was all totally worth it! The stable takes a while to get to and definitely gives you that secluded feel you imagine for a 1 1/2 hour trail ride.
The stable is on the same side of town as The Broadmoor Resort and Seven Falls, a series of seven consecutive waterfalls you can hike. The resort seemed very posh if you ask me (not really my style), but I would have loved to climb Seven Falls if we had the time.
Another landmark around Colorado Springs many people visit is the infamous Pikes Peak, whose views from the summit supposedly inspired “America the Beautiful.” I know it has a lot of historical significance, but $40/person to ride a train to the summit for a few hours?…naw y’all can have that one! Maybe I’m missing the buzz, but there’s also 50+ Fourteeners (peaks more than 14,000 ft) in Colorado. I remember going as a kid, so it wasn’t a big deal that we didn’t go, plus you can see it from a dozen spots around the city. For a different adventure, I’d recommend driving yourself to the summit instead!
Above is beautiful Bear Creek Park, another park we loved. Caught this great sunset here one night!
And honestly, the best thing about writing this post, is that these aren’t even half of the things to do in Colorado Springs! I would have loved to climb Seven Falls, check out Red Rock Open Space, or visit Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. If you can pick up on a common theme here, you’ll know I’m always staying budget conscience too…I prefer the term “thrifty!” 🙂 But it’s really how we plan our trips; I’m not going to spend $100 on a train ride if I can go whitewater rafting instead! Just personal preference…You could eliminate some activities we did for a tighter budget or splurge on accommodations/activities for a more luxurious trip! I think our total was about $500 for all the “fun stuff.”
There were also an endless number of parks and dog parks around the city. Bear Creek Park alone has a 24 acre dog park FTW! I know my pups (and me) would have been in heaven! I also just got a really good vibe from the city – friendly, open-minded people, tons of outdoors stuff to do, and great food everywhere (with the exception of some horrible Chinese takeout)! I’d recommend catching brunch at Over Easy one morning too. They have a few locations around the city and offer some delicious pancakes and egg dishes! We also like that it still felt smaller, even though The Springs has almost 500,000 people. I really can’t brag on Colorado Springs enough, and I think it’s perfect for anything from a weekend getaway to a 2 week stay. Be on the lookout for Denver and surroundings coming next!
Do you have a favorite activity in Colorado Springs??? Leave it in the comments below!
Down the Highway My Way 
Sounds like y’all had an awesome time!