If you're thinking about moving to Colorado Springs — or you just relocated here — one of the first things people ask me is some version of: "What do you actually do here?"
It's a fair question. Colorado Springs doesn't always get the same hype as Denver. But once you're here, you realize this city doesn't need it. The Colorado Springs activities available to residents and visitors are genuinely some of the best in the country — outdoor recreation, military history, food and culture, and plenty of things that don't show up in travel guides.
I've lived and worked in this area for years. I'm a former Army Ranger and a real estate agent serving buyers and sellers across the Pikes Peak region — and when clients ask me what life actually looks like here, this is what I tell them.
The Outdoor Colorado Springs Activities That Define This City
Let's start with what most people already know about, because they deserve the attention.
- Garden of the Gods is the obvious first stop — and it earns it. The red sandstone formations rise up to 300 feet, the views of Pikes Peak are unobstructed, and the park is free to enter. Timed entry slots are available between 6 am and 6:30 pm daily, and parking runs $10, or you can take the free shuttle from downtown Manitou Springs. It's one of TripAdvisor's top-rated parks in the entire country, and for good reason.
- Pikes Peak is the centerpiece of the region, visible from most of the city. You can drive up, take the cog railway, or hike the Barr Trail — a 12-mile ascent with 7,500 feet of elevation gain. The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway offers a relaxed option for those who want the summit views without the physical demand.
- The Manitou Incline is for the people who want a real challenge. It's 2,744 stairs with 2,020 feet of elevation gain in under one mile — and it takes most hikers around an hour to summit. Serious fitness community up there. If you're military, you'll feel right at home.
- North Cheyenne Cañon Park is one I recommend to almost every client moving into the area. It's free, the trails are accessible to most fitness levels, and Helen Hunt Falls is a legitimate waterfall you can walk up to in minutes. It's the kind of place you'll visit a dozen times, and it never gets old.
Colorado Springs Hiking and Trail Options Beyond The Classics
If you've checked the major boxes, there's a whole second layer of trail access in this city that doesn't get nearly enough credit.
- Ute Valley Park sits on the northwest side of town and features rocky hogback formations, diverse wildlife, and rich archaeological history. It's a genuine outdoor experience without the crowds.
- Cheyenne Mountain State Park on the southwest side offers roughly 20 miles of trails, year-round camping, and views of the city lights from the upper elevation trails. Great for families, hikers, and mountain bikers.
- Paint Mines Interpretive Park, about 40 minutes east in Calhan, is one of the most underrated natural sites in El Paso County — colorful clay formations with archaeological significance going back 9,000 years, and it's free.
If you're relocating for work at Fort Carson, Peterson Space Force Base, Schriever, or the Air Force Academy, know this: you are moving to a city where quality outdoor recreation is literally outside your front door. That matters when you're thinking about long-term quality of life — and it's one of the things that makes buying a home in Colorado Springs a different decision than buying somewhere else.
Military History and Culture in Colorado Springs
This is where Colorado Springs really separates itself — and it's personal for me.
- The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum opened in 2020 and is one of the best-designed museums I've seen. It's interactive, accessible, and tells a genuinely compelling story about American athletic achievement. Colorado Springs is also home to the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Olympic Training Center, where you can watch world-class athletes train.
- The U.S. Air Force Academy is open to visitors and worth a stop. The chapel architecture alone is worth the drive. If you're military or a military family considering the area, this gives you a real feel for the institutional presence in this city.
- The National Museum of World War II Aviation is consistently one of the most overlooked stops in Colorado Springs. It houses rare aircraft and significant WWII history — open Friday through Sunday and Thursday starting in May. If history matters to you, this one earns your afternoon.
- The Space Foundation Discovery Center gives Colorado Springs its space community context. It offers hands-on STEAM exhibits, including the Lockheed Martin Space Education Center where visitors can interact with real modeling and visualization software used in the industry. Given how much of the local economy is tied to the defense and space sectors, this place makes sense in context.
For military families doing a PCS move into this area, I put together a guide on navigating VA loans and military relocation in Colorado Springs — it covers what to expect when you're buying on a timeline. Worth reading before you start the process.
Hidden Gems: Colorado Springs Activities Most People Miss
Here's where it gets interesting. These are the places locals actually go.
- Old Colorado City is the historic neighborhood just west of downtown. It's lined with quirky shops, including the Michael Garman Museum with its street scene dioramas, a traditional Chinese tea house, the Ghost Town Museum, and a rotating farmers market every Saturday from June through October. The energy is different from downtown — quieter, more local, more interesting.
- Glen Eyrie Castle sits on 750 acres in Queen's Canyon and was built by Colorado Springs founder General William Jackson Palmer. You can tour the castle grounds and even book afternoon tea in the Queen's Parlour Tea Room. Most people drive past the entrance sign for years without knowing what's back there.
- The Money Museum — formally the Edward C. Rochette Money Museum — is run by the American Numismatic Association. It's America's largest museum dedicated to numismatics, featuring three galleries covering currency history from colonial times to the present, including its own 19th-century screw press mini-mint. It's genuinely unexpected and free to enter.
- Broadmoor Outfitters Falconry is about as Colorado as it gets. You can take a beginner or intermediate falconry class on the grounds of Cheyenne Mountain, working with hawks and falcons alongside an experienced trainer. It's one of those experiences that people remember for years.
- Cave of the Winds Mountain Park offers more than the standard cave tour. Their Caving 101 tour is a hands-on spelunking experience — roughly two hours of actual cave exploration for anyone 13 and older. Families with older kids tend to love this one.
Food, Culture, and Everyday Life in Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs has grown fast, and the food and culture scene has grown with it.
There are more than 30 regional craft beverage stops in the city — breweries, small-batch distilleries, and wine bars. The local beer culture is solid without being pretentious about it.
The Rocky Mountain Food Tour is worth doing at least once. It's a walking tour of local spots with tastings and history built in — a good way to understand a neighborhood quickly. If you're new to the area, it's one of the better ways to get your bearings.
The Ford Amphitheater handles major concerts with mountain views as the backdrop. Summer evenings there are hard to beat.
If you're relocating from out of state, one of the most common things I hear after people settle in is that they didn't realize how much was available here. Colorado Springs often gets undersold. The lifestyle is genuinely active and the community is tight — especially around the military installations.
If you're relocating to the area, start with my Colorado Springs City Guide. It breaks down the area by school proximity, commute time, and base access so you can narrow your search with real context rather than guesswork.
Colorado Springs Activities for Families
If you're moving here with kids, the activity options are strong year-round.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo sits at 6,800 feet elevation and is one of the only mountain zoos in the country. It's well-maintained, and the views from the upper exhibits are legitimately impressive.
The Broadmoor Seven Falls is a series of cascading waterfalls in a box canyon. Admission is required, but the setting is unlike anything else in the region.
The Space Foundation Discovery Center and the U.S. Olympic Museum both do well with school-age kids. They're interactive, not passive — and both cover topics that hold up over multiple visits as kids get older.
External Resources Worth Bookmarking
- Visit Colorado Springs — Official Tourism Guide — comprehensive activity and event listings for the Pikes Peak region
- Colorado.com — Colorado Springs Travel Guide — official state tourism resource for planning your visit or relocation
- Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC — Hidden Gems — curated list of lesser-known attractions from the local business and economic development community
The Bottom Line
Colorado Springs activities span every category — outdoor adventure, military history, family outings, local culture, and everything in between. There are more than 55 established attractions in the Pikes Peak region alone, and that doesn't count the neighborhoods, trails, and community events that make everyday life here genuinely good.
If you're relocating here — whether it's a PCS move, a career change, or just the right time to make the move — understanding the lifestyle is part of understanding the real estate decision. Where you live shapes how you use the city. I help clients think through both.
A few key takeaways:
- Garden of the Gods and the Manitou Incline are must-do Colorado Springs activities — they live up to the reputation
- Old Colorado City, Glen Eyrie, and the Paint Mines are the kind of hidden gems locals keep to themselves
- The military and space community gives this city a culture that's hard to find anywhere else
- Year-round outdoor access makes the lifestyle sustainable, not just seasonal
If you want a deeper look at the city before you commit — neighborhoods, schools, commute patterns, military base proximity — I put together a full Colorado Springs City Guide. It covers the things most people don't think to ask until they're already here.
View the Colorado Springs City Guide
If you have questions about what life looks like in a specific neighborhood, how to structure a VA loan purchase, or what the current market looks like, reach out. That's what I'm here for.
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