Unique Things To See In Colorado Springs

An Overview of Colorado Springs

Found on the Easternmost slopes of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado Springs is a wonderful city with a laid-back lifestyle and numerous activities making the region popular with outdoor enthusiasts. With stunning mountains, numerous hiking trails and excellent parks to the west and vast plains and Native American heritage sites to the east, there are many unique things to see in Colorado Springs.

Unique Things To See In Colorado Springs

Garden of the Gods

Undoubtedly the most iconic feature of Colorado Springs, Garden of the Gods is a popular natural landmark made from narrow crests of red rocks rising straight from the Earth. The unique formations were caused by heavier sediments resting on bed of sand, which eventually shifted, causing the formations to rise. The location earned it’s name when two surveyors arrived in the region, with one stating it would be a “capital place for a beer garden”. His companion, named Rufus Cable retorted “Beer Garden! Why, it is a fit place for the Gods to assemble!”

Paint Mines Interpretive Park

Found in the wide open spaces to the east of the city, this park is home to unique formations with impressive colors. The Paint Mines were named for the colorful clays that were collected by Native Americans in the region. The park is home to slot canyons, colored clay cliffs, small caves and hoodoos.

Western Museum of Mining & Industry

This is a museum dedicated to the mining history and industrial technologies of the region.

Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center

This is a fossil museum dedicated to Late Cretaceous organisms, including dinosaurs, marine reptiles, fish and pterosaurs. The museum includes a large gift shop and a fossil preparation lab.

Cripple Creek Heritage Center

Found near the base of Pikes Peak, this is a popular tourist attraction focusing on the region’s mining history alongside modern casinos and gambling dens.

Cave of the Winds Mountain Park

This is a unique cave complex found in the Pikes Peak Region.

Starr Kempf’s Kinetic Sculptures

These elegant, gleaming wind-moving sculptures were built by sculptor Starr Kempf prior to taking his own life in 1995. The gleaming metal structures are still preserved in excellent condition on a private lawn. The motion of the sculptures is caused by the wind.

Pikes Peak

This is the highest summit of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains and centerpiece of Pike National Forest, known for hiking routes, scenic drives and the town of Manitou Springs at its base.

Cheyenne Mountain Nuclear Bunker

This is a Space Force installation and defensive Buner designed to withstand a nuclear strike. The Cheyenne Mountain NORAD is not open to the general public.

The Airplane Restaurant

Found directly outside the Colorado Springs Airport, this restaurant can seat forty-two people inside a remodeled plane decorated in aviation history photos and memorabilia.

Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun

Dedicated to both the memory of Will Rogers and Spencer Penrose, this large, commemorative tower is an operational chapel found on Cheyenne Mountain. The incredible structure offers uninterrupted views of the lands below.

Novis Mortem Collective

This is a unique curioso shop and collection full of handmade objects which preserve unique, natural specimens.

The Broadmoor Seven Falls

This is a series of seven cascading waterfalls found along South Cheyenne Creek. The falls are part of a privately owned tourist attraction which has been operating since the 1880s.

Red Rock Canyon

This is a wonderful city preserve known for numerous rugged walking and biking trails, following unique and beautiful red-rock formations.

Balanced Rock

This is one of the most astonishing geological features of the region. An enormous boulder stands atop a small, natural point, giving the appearance of a huge rock sitting slanted on a ledge. The Balanced Rock isn’t precariously balanced at all. It’s actually attatched to an eroding pedestal of Dewey Bridge mudstone.

Manitou Cliff Dwellings

This privately owned tourist attraction showcases a strange, yet compelling Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwelling structure. The structure isn’t authentic, but rather a replica of the cliff dwellings found at Mesa Verde. Despite the lack of authenticity, the model is modern enough to allow self-guided visits where touching and wandering through the recreated ruins is possible.

Ghost Town Museum

This museum is filled with a model town showing the historic buildings and artifacts used during the Gold Boom in the west. The mini-town is enjoyable to walk through, though many of the activities (including gold panning) are primarily aimed at children.

Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center

About an hour drive away from Colorado Springs, this nonprofit sanctuary and education center protects wild wolves and other wild canines in a beautiful mountain setting.

Helen Hunt Falls

This is a strong waterfall found after a short hike along Cheyenne Creek.

Pulpit Rock Park

This extended hike is roughly 7 kilometers, leading to open space preserves with unpaved trails and unique geological formations.

Magic Town

This is a tiny, unique venue filled with realistic miniature dioramas of city life, complete with changing lights and other immersive special effects.

Read more about unique things to see in Colorado Springs by checking out the Leftfade Trails Blog

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