Attractions

1 Lake Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80906

The grande dame of Colorado resorts — a Forbes Five-Star, century-old hotel with a private lake, a dozen restaurants, championship golf, and public spaces anyone can wander through whether or not you're staying the night.

515 Ruxton Ave, Manitou Springs, CO 80829

The highest cog railway in the world, climbing from Manitou Springs to the 14,115-ft summit of Pikes Peak in about three hours round-trip — a completely different experience from the drive, and far less white-knuckle.

100 Cave of the Winds Rd, Manitou Springs, CO 80829

Guided cave tours since 1881, plus cliffside thrill rides suspended over Williams Canyon. Somewhere between natural wonder and old-school roadside Americana, in the best way.

10 Cliff Dwellings Rd, Manitou Springs, CO 80829

A preserved set of Ancestral Puebloan-style cliff dwellings you can actually walk through — relocated here in the early 1900s from Southwest Colorado, paired with a small museum and gift shop at the mouth of Williams Canyon.

9 Capitol Hill Ave, Manitou Springs, CO 80829

A 14,000-square-foot, four-story Victorian castle built in 1895 by a French priest — a delightfully strange self-guided tour through 30 rooms of period furnishings, plus a tea room that's as popular as the museum itself.

1045 Lower Gold Camp Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80905

A 181-foot cascade split into seven distinct drops in a narrow box canyon, with 224 staircase steps to the top for those who want the view and two hiking trails continuing above the falls.