1 Day in Colorado Springs with kids

Colorado Springs is an awesome place to visit with kids, even in winter. There are so many places to explore and discover in and around Colorado Springs. In this post I will just be hitting on a few places we were able to discover in our short time there. I will include our itinerary for our 24 hours and some helpful tips for exploring with young children.

I happened to be scrolling through the weather when I saw that Colorado Springs had a projected temperature of over 60 on the upcoming Saturday. After weeks of the frigid cold in Wyoming, I decided we needed a break and had to get down to Colorado for a day. It was well worth the drive to be able to walk comfortably around Garden of the Gods without 10 layers on. The first step I took was to look up activities I thought my children would like and be able to do. Here is the list of activities I came up with we could accomplish in 24 hours.

• Paint Mines Interpretive Park

• Garden of the Gods

• Penny Arcade

• Cliff dwellings of Manitou

Accommodations

Colorado Springs is a tourist destination year round so the amount of good accommodations are endless. It was winter when we visited, so I booked us a hotel room that was close to Garden of the Gods. The hotel was pleasant and had an indoor pool that we used twice during our visit. It also offered a breakfast which helped keep the cost of the trip down.

Itinerary

The Paint Mines Interpretive Park

The Paint Mines Interpretive Park is one of the most fun and unique hikes we have been on. The Paint Mines are located about 45 minutes outside of Colorado Springs and almost 4 hours from our house in Wyoming. They are named after the brightly colored bands of clay that were collected by the American Indians to make paint for ceramics. There is evidence that the area has been visited as far back as 9,000 years.

The highlighted route on this map is the best way to get to the most colorful spots within the park. It is less than a mile to hike to these amazing structures. I would recommend parking in the main lot and taking the trail right beside the bathroom for the quickest route to the formations. The park's other trails equal 4 miles if you are up for the walk. It is an easy hike with a couple of rolling hills and views of the Paint Mines from above. It is worth drive to the Overlook Parking lot to see the whole park from above and admire the colorful formations.

Garden of the Gods

We were up early, of course, so I decided to grab a quick breakfast and head to Garden of the Gods for sunrise. We drove to a great spot on the loop around the park and saw only 1 other photographer there. We came back a couple hours later to walk around the formations once it had warmed up a bit. I took my kids on the Perkins Central Garden trail because of the accessibility. My arms were sore from carrying my 2 year old through the Paint Mines the day before so this trail allowed use of a stroller through the 1.5 mile hike.

There are a few spots to leave the stroller to explore the formations closer, which my children really liked. The park also offers other trails from easy to moderate in level if you are looking for a more traditional hike. This is a very busy park, but if you are there early enough the crowds aren't bad.

Penny Arcade of Manitou

We drove over to the quaint town of Manitou after our morning hike. We arrived around 11 a.m. which happened to be right when the Penny Arcade opened up. There are over 400 games located in the Penny Arcade. Each room offers different games including modern and classic. This place was much bigger than I expected! My son was in heaven. He is six years old and found the Ghostbusters pinball machine almost immediately. The kids were eager to ride the mechanical rides and we had a great time walking around looking at all the games. You need to bring plenty of quarters for this stop.

We then strolled around Manitou for an hour. The town is full lovely shops and restaurants. We stopped for a quick treat at the candy store and happened to stop by the Karma Cafe for a potty break. I am so happy we went in. I ordered a delicious coconut amaretto soy milk latte. The owner of the shop helped me and we had a great talk about the area and Wyoming. Love this cafe and recommend everyone stop by!

Manitou Cliff Dwellings

Last Stop! We rounded out our weekend at the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. This amazing site is comprised of Ancestral Puebloan ruins that are 800-1000 years old. The site was relocated from southwest Colorado to Manitou in 1904 to protect the architecture from relic hunters and looters.

The site is comprised of 40 rooms of varying sizes. There is a lot of information throughout the dwellings to read as you take on this self guided tour. My son really enjoyed learning about the history of this ancient site. The building with the museum and gift shop is worth stopping by to learn more about the history and see the beautiful pottery displayed. Strollers are not allowed in the Cliff Dwellings.

Final thoughts

I cannot wait to come back to Colorado Springs in the summer. I have my heart set on hiking Pikes Peak and exploring the Red Rock Canyon open space. Leave a comment below if there are any other great areas for the family to check out.