# Colorado Springs - must visit suggestions please **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 13, 2003, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-springs-must-visit-suggestions-please/174855 "2003-05-13T02:30:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Adoptamom\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Adoptamom\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adoptamom_II)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-springs-must-visit-suggestions-please/174855/1 "2003-05-13T02:30:12Z")
We’re heading there next month to see the Air Force daughter and would love your advice on the coolest things to see and do! Dad, Ma, AirForce kidlet and two smaller kidlets, ages 10 & 11. Can anyone tell me what the weather will be like? I’ve heard cool at night, perhaps into the 40’s and warmer during the day - mid 80’s. We’ll be camping so your camping advise is welcome, too! Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-springs-must-visit-suggestions-please/174855/2 "2003-05-13T02:47:34Z")
LOTS of stuff! Central City for gambling 7 (or is it 9) falls for water and touristy stuff Cog rail to the peak (expensive, but worth it) Road to Pikes Peak Royal Gorge (also expensive, also worth it) Cave of the winds Garden of the Gods I think Santa’s Villiage is near there too. Face it, Colo Spgs is a tourist MECCA! (and I didn’t even mention Focus on the Family!:dubious: ) ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-springs-must-visit-suggestions-please/174855/3 "2003-05-13T03:16:55Z")
Nicola Tesla’s workshop! ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-springs-must-visit-suggestions-please/174855/4 "2003-05-13T03:24:21Z")
Olympic center If you like big bugs, there is the May natural history museum. (The nearby space museam is kinda fun in a pathetic way, model rockets and planet photos I’m sure you could get off the web) Coin museum Brian ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-springs-must-visit-suggestions-please/174855/5 "2003-05-13T13:26:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Trigonal Planar \* > \*\*Nicola Tesla’s workshop! \*\* Explain please. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-springs-must-visit-suggestions-please/174855/6 "2003-05-13T13:29:51Z")
I spent a few hours in the Chilli’s bar in Colorado Springs. It was pretty much the same as the Chilli’s bar in every other town. 😉 Sorry. MeanJoe ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-springs-must-visit-suggestions-please/174855/7 "2003-05-13T13:34:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Unintentionally Blank \* > \*\*LOTS of stuff! > > Central City for gambling > 7 (or is it 9) falls for water and touristy stuff > Cog rail to the peak (expensive, but worth it) > Road to Pikes Peak > Royal Gorge (also expensive, also worth it) > Cave of the winds > Garden of the Gods > I think Santa’s Villiage is near there too. > > Face it, Colo Spgs is a tourist MECCA! > > (and I didn’t even mention Focus on the Family!:dubious: ) \*\* Most of this stuff you mention is in Manitou Springs, not Colorado Springs, but it is close. Santas village has the highest ferris wheel in the world, and you can buy pure rasberry juice at the gift shop. There is also an alpine slide, nearer denver. Denver has a great Natural history museum, as well as Ettlich Gardens. The home of (the unsinkable) Molly Brown is in Denver and open to the public. ---
**Author:** ![Woeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Woeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Woeg)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-springs-must-visit-suggestions-please/174855/8 "2003-05-13T15:07:15Z")
If you go to Seven Falls, make the side trip to see the metal sculptures on Cheyenne Mountain. Right as you get to the entrance to the seven falls park, there is a road that hooks to the left and goes up the hill for a ways. As you drive up this road, there will be a yard filled with amazing metal sculptures on the left hand side of the road. The artist was a former college professor for CC who went mad, and ended up killing himself… The Tesla Museum is very cool…do a Google if you don’t know anything about Tesla. There’s a Rodeo museum on the north end of town, near the Air Force Academy that’s pretty neat, if you dig that kind of thing. I don’t know if they are doing public tours of NORAD anymore, but they used to. There is an Auto Racing Hall of Fame near Manitou, if you like car racing. Miramont Castle in Manitou is very cool as well; a very neat building that also has a museum of old toys and such in it. Speaking of museums, downtown Colorado Springs is home to the Pioneer museum, which has a lot of neat exhibits and things to look at, and is free (unless things have changed since last I was there.) If you want some spectacular Mexican food, hit Senor Manuels…it’s located off Garden of the Gods Road and Nevada Avenue. You can reach it by heading east on Garden of the Gods off I-75, then turn north on Nevada. It will be on your left almost immediately after you turn. Their food is spectacular, and their service is usually decent. Downtown Colorado Springs is home to Il Vicinos, a decent wood baked pizza place with some rather tasty beer as well. For absolutely marvelous food, try the Pepper Tree, one of Colorado Springs’ five star restaurants. It’s located off of 8th street, a little difficult to find, and rather expensive…but the food is heavenly. You can also try the Briarhurst Manor in Manitou…the people who own it are very cool, and helped me to host a “clue” murder mystery for my 18th birthday. Their food is also top notch, and a little less pricey than the Pepper Tree. ---
**Author:** ![Adoptamom\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Adoptamom\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adoptamom_II)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-springs-must-visit-suggestions-please/174855/9 "2003-05-14T02:55:07Z")
Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-springs-must-visit-suggestions-please/174855/10 "2003-05-14T03:08:54Z")
Hmm, is it actually called The Tesla Museum? Tesla had his infamous workshop here and I know they have some sort of tribute to him. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2003, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-springs-must-visit-suggestions-please/174855/11 "2003-05-14T11:48:02Z")
I believe the public tours of NORAD were stopped in the 1980’s. Great tour! After that, depending on who you were, or who you knew in the Air Force, some special tours were available. Today, after 9-11, I doubt that any non-Air Force person can get in. Too bad, but that is the price we must pay if you want open borders. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-springs-must-visit-suggestions-please/174855/12 "2003-05-15T03:54:26Z")
**Edelweiss** puts the “manic” back in Germanic food. Actually, they have a fine Wienerschnitzel and some good beer. Outdoor seating and kid friendly too. Does anyone know the name of a place outside of town that serves Mexican food and is owned by a Swedish / Mexican couple? Their marnigritas were pretty dang good. Sadly, Cray Reasearch is no more. Got a tour of that place last time I was there. Friends used to work with Seymour. Make sure to walk out onto the suspension bridge at Royal Gorge. If that doesn’t pucker your sphincter, nothing will.