Colorado Springs is my favorite city that we lived in while travel nursing! It is a cute mountain town one hour south of Denver. The city is not too big or too small. It’s widespread, but the downtown area feels intimate. Downtown is my favorite part of COS! Our all-time favorite breakfast restaurant, coffee shop, AND ice cream place out of all the cities we have traveled to are all located in downtown COS- Denver Biscuit Company, Story Coffee, and Josh and John’s Ice Cream! I highly recommend these places, as they are each phenomenal! You can also find many other great restaurants, candy shops, breweries, local shops, and more downtown! Besides amazing food, there is a lot to do in Colorado Springs for fun, especially if you enjoy being outdoors!

Garden of the Gods

COS is home to Garden of the Gods Park, which is a National Natural Landmark. It is one of my favorite parks to date, and it is free to visit! It is filled with giant red rock formations that date back to 1330 BC. There are multiple ways to explore Garden of the Gods. You can drive your vehicle along the paved roads, walk through, or purchase one of the tours offered. Walking allows you to explore deeper and even climb up on some of the rock formations. You can access a free self-guided audio tour on Garden of the Gods website that enables you to listen through your car speakers or headphones. Another way to explore is by bringing your personal bike or renting a bike at The Visitor and Nature Center. Open-air safari or jeep vehicle, electric bike, and segway tours are all available to book in advance online or in person. You can even book a guided horseback riding tour through Acadamy Riding Stables.

Garden of the Gods Café

One of our favorite restaurants for breakfast/brunch in COS is Garden of the Gods Café! It is conveniently located close to Garden of the Gods Park, so you could eat there before or after visiting the park! They serve a variety of food that is made from scratch using high quality ingredients! Drew’s favorite dish is the Banana Bread French Toast! He still talks about it. This restaurant also has a grab-n-go market where you can buy their prepared meals, homemade pastries and desserts, and a unique selection of Colorado local food and beverage items!

Garden of the Gods Resort and Club

This is one of the nicest places Drew and I have ever stayed. It has consistently won various reputable awards over the years, such as #1 Place to Stay in Yelp’s Top 100 Hotels in the U.S.! This mountain retreat is stunning and luxurious, as it overlooks Garden of the Gods and is so cozy with fireplaces in every room. There are a few different restaurants on-site that we can attest are delicious for breakfast and dinner with breath-taking views of Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak Mountain range! The spa on-site offers an extensive menu of relaxing spa and salon services to resort guests and visitors. Guests of the spa get access to the relaxation lounges that include a Pink Himalayan salt-inhalation room, an herbal sauna for aromatherapy, and an indoor hot tub with mountain vistas!

Denver Biscuit Company

This was my favorite restaurant to eat breakfast at while living in COS! We still rave about how amazing their cinnamon roll is and jokingly say we would fly out there just to eat the cinnamon roll! The biscuit sandwiches are incredible, too! Salty AND sweet for breakfast? Yes please! We always ordered The Ellsworth, The Franklin, and a cinnamon roll! This is a must go to while visiting COS or Denver. They also have locations in Kansas City, MO and Overland Park, KS if you are ever out that way. Check out the menu and be sure to try the cinnamon roll if you go!

Story Coffee Company

This was the first coffee shop in the world to be in a tiny home! The married couple owners dreamed up this coffee shop design after living out of a 99 sq ft Rialta van for four years with their two young kids! They learned how to live very minimalistic lifestyles after their plan to live in the van for one year unexpectantly turned into four years. With this lifestyle, they experienced a lot of quality family time, traveling the country, and drinking lots of coffee! What a story! I personally love this story because we do not need much in life! The menu at Story Coffee Co is kept minimal, only including two specialty drinks, espresso, and drip coffee. My go-to order is the Iced Honey Vanilla Latte and it is still my most favorite latte! Drew, being a “black” coffee guy, also says their coffee was so good! Check out this tiny home coffee shop in downtown or their second location in Old Colorado City, which is quite larger!

Olympic & Paralympic Training Center

USA Olympic and Paralympic athletes train here year-round in preparation for The Olympics and Paralympics. Some of the greatest athletes in the world have trained here and excelled to win awards! Visitors can take a guided tour of the facility and gain insight of what olympian training conditions are like! From boxing and wrestling rings to indoor shooting ranges, you will get to see where these athletes train. You do not need a reservation for a tour if your group is less than 10 people. The cost is currently $16 per person and $14 for military, first responders, healthcare workers, teachers, and students.

Pike’s Peak

Pike’s Peak is considered “America’s Mountain” and the highest mountain peak of the Southern Front Range of The Rocky Mountains. It is one out of 96 fourteeners in the United States. It sits at 14,115 feet with the adorable mountain town Manitou Springs at its foothills, which is only about 5 miles from Colorado Springs. There are several ways you can reach Pike’s Peak from Manitou Springs. You can take a shuttle or more luxurious train ride. You can also hike to the top (23-miles round trip) from Manitou Springs via the Barr Trail, but this is only recommended during the summer months or when weather permits. You can also drive your personal vehicle (or rental) to the summit. If you decide to do that, check out this guide beforehand. If you desire to travel by foot, here are more tips I recommend reading to help you prepare for that journey. There are a several different private tours and rentals, like a Mountain Jeep and even a Polaris Slingshot car, you can check out here.

Coffee & Tea:

Story Coffee Company
Building Three Coffee
Switchback Coffee Roasters
Loyal Coffee
Yellow Tea House-

Breakfast/Brunch:

Denver Biscuit Company
Garden of the Gods Café & Market
Mountain Shadows Restaurant

Lunch/Dinner Restaurants:

Rabbit Hole- one of a kind restaurant located underground in downtown COS! Reservations are required since it is so popular. They serve small bites, American food entrees, like steak and chicken dishes, cocktails, and dessert. Menu
Red Gravy- Italian restaurant Menu
Paravicini’s Italian Bistro Menu
T-Byrds Tacos & Tequila- really good tacos/Mexican food! Our other favorite! Menu
Skirted Heifer- my personal favorite! Grass-fed burgers with “skirted” cheese, house-made fries and dipping sauces, and Boylan’s handcrafted sodas on tap! Menu
Piglatin Cocina- amazing fast-casual Latin-American food! A favorite of ours! Menu
Odyssey Gastropub- a good variety of appetizers and entrees, as well as cocktails, wine, and draft beer and a weekend brunch; Happy Hour daily 3-6pm Menu
Rudy’s “Country Store” and Bar-B-Q- great BBQ that originated in Texas! Menu
Front Range BBQ- local restaurant featured on the famous TV show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives; live music on some nights; event schedule and menu
Shuga’s- eclectic restaurant that serves charcuterie boards, sandwiches, salads, and soups; also great cocktails and coffee, and a weekend brunch! Menu
The Mate Factor Cafe- in downtown Manitou Springs; great for a variety of sandwiches, salads, and teas! Menu

Sweets:

Josh & John’s Ice Cream
Cacao Chemistry Chocolatier and Patisserie
Boonzaaijer’s Dutch Bakery

Activities:

Garden of the Gods Park
Olympic Training Center Tour
Red Rock Canyon Open Space - trails for walking, running, or mountain biking
Pikes Peak - drive, hike, shuttle, ride the train, and more options for reaching the summit (weather permitting); view info here and see info above in this blog post

Hiking:

Seven Bridges Trail- moderate 3.5 miles round trip along North Cheyenne Creek; dogs are welcome
Mount Cutler Trail- moderate 1.7 miles round trip at North Cheyenne Canon Park; dogs are welcome
The Manitou Incline- challenging 2,768 steps “staircase to heaven”; 4-mile loop trail with 8,550 summit; best hiked April-October to avoid slippery ice or snowy conditions; dogs not allowed
Palmer Trail (Section 16)- moderate 5.7-mile round trip in Bear Creek Canyon Park with beautiful mountain vistas; dogs are welcome
Sand Canyon, Mesa, Greenlee, Red Rock Canyon Trail- moderate 5.4-mile loop trail in Red Rock Canyon Open Space; great for running or walking; dogs are welcome
Pikes Peak via Barr Trail- difficult 23-mile round trip; I only recommend doing this while the weather permits, as conditions can get dicey. Here are helpful tips!

Day Trips:

Denver, Colorado is about 1.5 hours away by car.
Boulder, Colorado is about two hours away by car.
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is 2.5 hours away by car.

Colorado Springs, Colorado