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Things to do in Colorado Springs
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items We spent 5 days in Colorado Springs in October and fell in love with it. There's something about having all the amenities of a big city with stunning mountains and open spaces minutes away. We went mostly to hike and spend time with family and found ...
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Coffee Shops
Breweries and Restaurants
Things to Do
Coffee Shops
Coffee is always our first stop before heading out for the day. Luckily Colorado Springs has a lot of cute coffee shops to get you ready for the day! All of the places we visited had really good coffee and food.
Story Coffee Company has 2 locations- 1 downtown and 1 in Old Colorado City. We visited the Old Colorado City location. Our coffee was great and the baked goods were delicious as well. I had a cheese danish with apple butter and my Pennsylvania heart was happy lol. You can buy bags of their coffee to take with you as well.
Story Coffee Company
This is a really small coffee shop but excellent as well. I had a pumpkin spice coffee that was great. The baked goods are made by the same people who make them for Story Coffee Company so I was able to get another danish with apple butter!
Frankly Coffee
La Baguette is more of a sit down restaurant. We had regular drip coffee and it was solid. The breakfast sandwiches were delicious. The baked goods were the stars of the show. I had a lemon tart that was out of this world!
La Baguette French Bistro - Colorado Springs
Carnelian Coffee combines 2 of my favorite things- coffee and crystals. I loved the vibe of this place and the staff was so nice. The breakfast sandwiches and coffee were great. They have unique merch for sale including crystals and I couldn't leave without adding to my collection!
Carnelian Coffee Co
Breweries and Restaurants
Colorado Springs is the place to go for beer. You can throw a stone and hit a brewery. Luckily our family members knew some of the best places to eat and drink.
The Grateful Gnome is actually in Denver, a few miles from the airport. This is a very unique bar with a gnome/WVU/Grateful Dead theme…and it works! I had a beer flight and all the beers were solid- Tenn Street Coffee Amber was our favorite and we go... The NY/NJ deli-style sandwiches were out of this world! I had the meatball parm and my hubby had the roast beef. We also got the loaded fries which I highly recommend as well. One thing is for sure, you will not leave hungry!
The Grateful Gnome Sandwich Shoppe & Brewery
We went here for our anniversary dinner. The one thing you HAVE to get here are the brussel sprouts- best I have ever had. Even if you don't normally like them, just try them- trust me. I also had The Prefect chicken sandwich and my husband had the shrimp tacos which were both delicious. Th...
Odyssey Gastropub
We went here for dessert after eating at Odyssey. They have so many unique flavors of ice cream as well as vegan and gluten free options! The flavors do change but I highly recommend getting one of their homemade waffle cones or bowls. There was a long line when we were there but they moved everyone...
Ice Guys Homemade Ice Cream
Best hot dog I have ever had! We each had a chili cheese dog and I could have eaten 10 of them. I didn't think a hotdog could be special but this tiny place makes it happen. Lots of varieties to try and you can't beat the prices.
Margo's Vienna Station
This is an old school converted into a marketplace with multiple restaurants and bars. We went to Bristol Brewing and only had beer but it was a really cool atmosphere and the beers were solid. Unfortunately a lot of the restaurants were closed at th...
Ivywild School
OCC Brewing is a neat restaurant/brewery with a rooftop patio. It was too chilly to be up there when we were there but it looks like it would be amazing in the summer. Food was solid and they have decent vegan options. Highly recommend the vegan Bahn...
OCC Brewing and Restaurant
We stopped in here for drinks before dinner. They do have 2 locations- Lincoln Center and Northgate. We were at Lincoln Center. The beer was solid and it's a veteran owned brewery. It is also dog friendly! There was an event while we were there and s...
Goat Patch Brewing Company
This restaurant is completely vegan. I am not vegan but this was some of the best food I have ever had! I had a taco salad and my hubby had a cheesesteak sandwich. If you wouldn't have known it was vegan, you would never be able to tell. Their cocktails were delicious as well- highly recommend the summer sangria.
Burrowing Owl
We spent a lovely evening on their patio and got to see a beautiful sunset. The beer was great and they also have a lot of vegan options available. Highly recommend the smoked brisket grilled cheese. They are also dog friendly and have a puppy patty ...
Cerberus Brewing Company
We stopped here for some after dinner drinks. They have a large selection of beer- the Oktoberfest was solid! They have popcorn and pretzels available as well as food trucks. They have a really nice outdoor area as well!
Mash Mechanix Brewing Co
When I tell you I would move here soley for this restaurant, I'm not lying. I've never had El Salvadorian food before and I'm upset that it took me 41 yrs to discover it. I had a chicken and chorizo pupusa and I still dream about it. It was one of th...
Monse's Pupuseria
This was our final stop on our trip. This speakeasy has a gothic vibe with unique, high-end cocktails. If you're in to whiskey they also have 110 types of American whiskey and 120 types of single malt Scotch whiskey. You do enter off the alley and it...
Shame & Regret
Things to Do
There are a ton of things to do in the Colorado Springs area. We mainly focused on the outdoor/hiking activities but there is something for everyone!
Of course, the majority of people come here for the concerts at the ampitheater but that was not in our plans this time. They were setting up for a show when we were there and closed things down around 2pm but we were able to go in and look at the am...
Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre
When you're in Colorado, you have to see Pike's Peak. You can hike, drive or take the cog railway to the summit. We took the cog railway and loved it. It's about 80 mins to get to the summit and then we had an hour to walk around before taking the railway back down. Our guide was very knowledgeable and ...
Explore Pikes Peak & Colorado Springs | Family Fun & Adventure
Cave of the Winds has a lot of different activities in the park. We did the Discovery cave tour. This tour is family friendly but if you have difficulty walking, navigating steps or get claustrophobic I would do some more research if this is for you....
Cave of The Winds Mountain Park in Colorado Springs
Garden of the Gods is the perfect name for this place. The beauty is breathtaking. The red rocks against a bright blue sky is are truly majestic. We ended up spending most of the day here just hiking around. We grabbed lunch at the trading post and h...
Garden of the Gods
My husband is a firefighter so it was important we stop and see this. There's no visitor center, just the memorial itself. It is so peaceful and a beautiful place to pay respect to the fallen.
Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial
We spent a lot of time in North Cheyenne Canyon. It is a beautiful area with lots of trails. We attempted the lower, mid and upper Columbine trail but the altitude got to me and we had to turn around about a mile into the mid Columbine trail. We went... The next day we did the Seven Bridges Trail and absolutely loved it! It was about an 8 mile out and back hike with beautiful scenery, waterfalls and of course, bridges. The 1st bridge was out so there is a detail at the moment (Oct 2025). We also explored North Cheyenne Canyon open space and had a lovely walk through that as well.
North Cheyenne Cañon Park | City of Colorado Springs
We spent a lovely late afternoon watching the sunset over the mountains from our hot tub. There are multiple decks with hot tubs as well as a sauna, cold plunge and saline pools. All the tubs and pools are filled with mineral spring water from Manito...
SunWater Spa
Red Rock Canyon Open Space is a beautiful area with several hiking trails. The hikes were fairly easy and we were able to watch several people rock climbing.
Red Rock Canyon