Heading to Colorado for your next vacation, road trip, or business trip? If you’re in southern Colorado, you have to visit Manitou Springs. It is one of the cutest mountain towns we’ve ever been to. It has it all: great coffee shops, terrific food spots, dog parks, tons of hiking trails and the cuteness of a small town. Here are the 6 things to do in Manitou Springs, Colorado:
#6 Visit the natural water springs
We love bubbly water! In Manitou Springs eight different mineral springs can be enjoyed throughout town. We walked to each enjoying a variety of flavors ranging from sweet to salty, bubbly to flat. Needless to say, we were very hydrated!
Read more: Mineral Springs Scavenger Hunt – Manitou Springs, CO
#5 Bear Creek Dog Park
By far, the coolest dog park we’ve ever been to! It’s a 25 acre (yes, that’s right 25 ACRES) off leash dog park that is entirely fenced in. It offers hiking trails through the woods, up hill running trails,a stream for the dogs to cool off in, and even a separate small dog park. If you have your pup, this place is magical.
Read More: Easy Hikes and Open Spaces – Colorado Springs
#4 Cave of the Winds
We have dreams of being explorers but to be honest we only pretend to be that hardcore. Cave of the Winds gave us a taste of adventure without the hardcore-ness. We did the Lantern Tour which was amazing. They give you a candle (pictured above) and off you went exploring different caverns, walking through 4 foot crevices, and hearing ghost stories. The history of this place is bizarre and you can without a doubt feel a presence on the tour. Great Halloween/fall adventure!
#3 SunWater Spa
If you need to get away from it all and just unwind, SunWater Spa was incredible. We found a coupon in the local”Independent” newspaper that included 5 free yoga classes and a free 2 hour soak. We’ve learned that if you check the local newspaper you can find some really great giveaways. This coupon was worth about $150 so it was an awesome find.
#2 Garden of the Gods
A great easy hike to help acclimate to the elevation. It has “easy” paved trails throughout the park and the walkways are relatively flat. Don’t let the level ground fool you though, we were out of breath the entire time! Also bring water along for you and the pups.
Read more: Wandering Garden of the Gods
#1 Pikes Peak Cog Railway
This is the tallest Cog Railway in the world, taking you up to 14,100 feet! This trip was a bit of a splurge but totally worth it! At the top they serve fresh doughnuts, coffee, and french fries. Now doughnuts at ground level are delicious, but baking goods at 14,000 foot elevation, how were they? Meh, not very good, but impressive indeed!
Do you know other hidden gems in this area? Share your thoughts in the comments down below!
