Fort Carson, CO Road Trips

The Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau: Visitor Information Center, 515 S. Cascade Ave. Off-season: M-F 8:30AM-5PM, summer season: daily 8AM-6PM.

1 Garden of the Gods, 1805 N 30th St (I25 Exit west 2.5 mi, then south on 30th St), ☏ +1 719 634-6666. 5AM-11PM. A series of dramatic sandstone formations, enclosed by a city park. Excellent for hiking and technical rock climbing. Free. 2 Pikes Peak (West about 10 miles on Cimarron St./Rt 24), toll-free: +1-800-318-9505. May-Sept 7AM-7PM. The most famous peak in Colorado, inspiring the song "America the Beautiful", dominates over the city to the west. Drive to the top, or ascend by Cog Rail. Feeling fit? Hike up Barr Trail to the summit, especially beautiful in the summer with all the wild flowers. Feeling really fit? Run up during the Pikes Peak Ascent or run up and down in the Pikes Peak Marathon. $10 per person/$35-$50 per car. 3 Rock Ledge Ranch (across 30th St from the Garden of the Gods visitor center, left at the main entrance to Garden of the Gods), ☏ +1 719 578-6777. June–August and special events. A seasonal living history museum ranging across four time periods encompassing authentic American Indian, early settler, Victorian and Edwardian eras. $4-8. 4 Cave of the Winds, 100 Cave of the Winds Rd, Manitou Springs (West about 6 miles on Cimarron St./Rt 24), ☏ +1 719 685-5444, [email protected]. 9AM-9PM. A series of caves near Manitou Springs, offering tours. ~$20. (updated Dec 2020) 5 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, 4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Rd (I-25 Exit 138, west to the Broadmoor Hotel, then right and follow signs), ☏ +1 719 633-9925. 9AM-6PM. A small, scenic mountain zoo with many exotic animals. $12.

3 Sky Zone Colorado Springs. Hiking, the Pike National Forest to the west, Pikes Peak, and numerous city parks offer ample hiking opportunities. Horseback Riding Academy Riding Stables, toll-free: +1 888 700-0410. Enjoy a ride through beautiful towering sandstone rock formations in the Garden of the Gods. Mark Reyner Stables Inc, 3254 Paseo Rd, ☏ +1 719 634-4173. Cycling Challenge Unlimited-Pikes Peak by Bike, toll-free: +1-800-798-5954. Bike down over 7,000 feet from the top of Pikes Peak with professional guides, mid-April–October. Bike helmet, all-weather gear and meals are included. Rock Climbing, at Garden of the Gods and Red Rock Canyon (non-marking chalk only, register first at the Garden of the Gods visitor center), and in North Cheyenne Cañon City Park. The Colorado Climbing Company, ☏ +1 719 209-6649. Climb with certified, professional guides in the Garden of the Gods, Cheyenne Cañon, Red Rock Canyon, and more. Whitewater Rafting on the Arkansas river, about an hour south of town. Pets, Colorado Springs is very dog friendly, with excellent areas for off-leash hiking at Red Rock Canyon Open Space, Palmer Park, and Bear Creek Regional Park. Skate World Arena Ice Hall. Volleyball IVP at the Beach House Volleyball. Sand Card Games ACBL Unit 360 Bridge Center, 901 N.17th St, ☏ +1 719 634-7250. Sanctioned duplicate games most afternoons and many evenings (except Sunday). 4 Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts, 190 S Cascade Ave. (updated Dec 2020)

Il Vicino Wood Oven Pizza & Brewery, 5214 N Nevada Ave, ☏ +1 719-590-8633. Great gourmet pizzas. Shuga's, 702 S. Cascade, ☏ +1 719 328-1412. M-Sa 11AM-1PM. Funky. Biaggis (shops at briargate). Great gourmet Italian food. A little on the expensive side but well worth it. Jake and Telly's, 2616 Colorado Avenue in Old Colorado City, ☏ +1 719 633-0406. Great Greek food; under $15 for lunch, over $20 for dinner. Sit outside on their second floor patio and enjoy the gorgeous Colorado Springs weather. O'Furry's, 900 E. Fillmore, ☏ +1 719 634-3106. Hole-in-the-wall Irish-style pub, featuring some of the best burgers in Colorado Springs. Frankie's Bar & Grill, 945 Powers & Galley, ☏ +1 719 574-4881. Neighborhood bar/grill since 1984.Burgers and wings. Perfect for watching all the games. Jun Japanese, 1760 Dublin, 3276 Centennial, ☏ +1 719 531-9368. Very good Japanese - Popular happy hour Rico's Coffee and Wine Bar, 324 N. Tejon, ☏ +1 719 632-7721. Wine, chocolate, coffee, tapas, and great music. Pueblo Viejo, 5598 N. Academy, ☏ +1 719 266-1999. Authentic Mexican food. Run by a family from Jalisco, Mexico who specialize in chile rellenos. Great salsa and atmosphere. The Airplane Restaurant, 1665 N. Newport (Powers & Fountain), ☏ +1 719 570-7656. Ok diner, and you can eat inside a KC-97 aircraft, lots of aviation decor. Sheldon's Luncheonette, 204 Mount View Ln #16 (off N Nevada, south of Garden of the Gods Road), ☏ +1 719 599-0887. M-Sa 6AM-2PM, Su 7AM-1PM. Awesome breakfast and daily meat sandwiches or plates for lunch.

Bristol Brewing Company, 1604 S Cascade Ave, ☏ +1 719 633-2555. In an old elementary school. Quite charming and unique. 1 Phantom Canyon Brewing Co., 2 E. Pikes Peak Ave, ☏ +1 719 635-2800. M-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 10AM-2AM. Wide variety of excellent brews made on premises. Also serves high quality food for lunch and dinner daily. Brunch is available Sunday only. Jack Quinns Irish Pub, Tejon St (Downtown). Great Irish and English beers, decent Irish food. Stay for the Irish band! Trinity Brewing Co, 1466 W Garden off Gods Rd (Mile or so west of I 25 on Garden off Gods Rd), ☏ +1 719 634-0029. Great micro brewery! Has 4-6 of their own beers on tap as well as an ever changing selection of 28 Plus other micro beers. Great food. Great crowd. Free Wi-Fi.

1 The Broadmoor, 1 Lake Ave, ☏ +1 719 634-7711, toll-free: +1-855-634-7711. A resort just outside Colorado Springs, covering 3,000 acres with 700 hotel rooms and suites, 15 restaurants, cafés and lounges, three championship golf courses, a tennis club, and world-class spa. Even if your budget won't allow you to stay there, it's worth touring the lavish grounds at the base of Cheyenne Mountain. Cheyenne Mountain Resort, 3225 Broadmoor Valley Rd, ☏ +1 719 538-4000, toll-free: +1-800-428-8886. Offers 316 rooms and suites in eight residential lodges, each with a private balcony and views of Cheyenne Mountain. 2 Colorado Springs Marriott, 5580 Tech Center Dr, ☏ +1 719-260-1800. Luxury hotel near the Air Force Academy with mountain vistas and Southwestern dining. Silverwood Hotel and Conference Center, 505 Popes Bluff Trail, toll-free: +1-866-602-8120. Remodeled facilities off I-25 in the Rocky Mountain foothills. 3 DoubleTree by Hilton Colorado Springs, 1775 East Cheyenne Mountain Blvd, ☏ +1 719 576-8900. Hampton Inn & Suites Colorado Springs/I-25 South, 2910 Geyser Dr, ☏ +1-719-884-0330. (updated Feb 2020)

1 Colorado Springs Municipal Airport (COS IATA) (11 miles east of downtown Colorado Springs). This is a full-service airport, but small enough to be able to get in and out quickly. Free wireless internet. It's a very nice place to wait for an hour or two if you arrive early for your flight. The airlines that serve Colorado Springs are American, Delta, Frontier, United and Southwest. (updated Apr 2020) Denver International Airport (DEN IATA) - 80 miles north of Colorado Springs. Groome Transportation has hourly shuttle service between Colorado Springs and DEN; it is also possible to take the A Line rail to downtown Denver and then Bustang or Greyhound to Colorado Springs. Interstate 25 is the only Interstate, running north-south through the city. Colorado Highway 83 provides a secondary route between East Denver and The Springs. US Highway 24 connects the city with mountain communities to the West and Limon, Colorado on the Eastern Plains. Denver is 70 miles north on I-25. Albuquerque is about 380 miles south on I-25. Greyhound runs bus services up to five times per day from Denver and at least once daily from other cities in Colorado and neighbouring states. The 2 Greyhound bus terminal is located at 120 S Weber St in downtown. Bustang also runs service from Denver and Pueblo.

Colorado Springs lies along the foothills east of the Rocky Mountains. It runs north-south along I-25, with the Air Force Academy to the North, downtown to the south, and Pikes Peak rising in the west. Since 2022 is the public transport in Colorado Springs from June to August free of charge. Outside this period, a single ticket costs USD 1.75, reduced price (from 60 years and up to 18 years) USD 0.85. A free shuttle bus (THE ZEB) runs throughout the city center all year round. Mountain Metro Transit Taxi Services

The town is about as safe as Denver, though be aware that Colorado has one of the highest death rates via automobile accidents in the US. So just remember to drive defensively and you'll be fine. Colorado Springs is infamous for speed traps also. Watch out for motorcycle cops (around 5 or 6) along with one or more cruisers waiting to catch you speeding. The southeastern part of town is generally less safe than the western or northern part. Ft. Carson, on the southern edge of town, is a large Army installation bringing in thousands of young, energetic men and women. The businesses that these clients would frequent sometimes attract a rougher crowd. Stay north of Platte or west of Wahsatch, and all should be well.