There’s nothing like a blizzard in South Louisiana to allow your imagination to transport you to another place in the world. In the last few years, the Bayou Observant’s family has traveled to several places that are well known for snowy days like what we’ve seen here. While these destinations are all wonderful in their own way, Colorado Springs reaches out as an especially unique place and quickly became one of our favorites.
What would you say is a quintessential symbol of Western America? Buffalo, Indians, gold rushes, and mountains probably all jump to the top of the list. And while that’s true for many places in Colorado and beyond, Colorado Springs has a very neat combination of all those and more in a fairly tight area.
Colorado Springs is located south of Denver on the fringe between grasslands and mountains. A flight into Denver and a beautiful scenic interstate drive builds the anticipation of arrival into town. The historic district, Old Colorado City, is especially close to some of the best sights and parks available. Garden of the Gods Park was a ten minute drive from the little apartment we rented in the Old City and the best way to kick off vacation in Colorado Springs. Beautiful large red rock formations with several trails for hiking and exploring. The Garden of the Gods Trading Post is located on another side of the park and includes a restaurant with great food, a gift shop, fudge shop, and more. The trading post lunch menu included a great buffalo burger and good seasonal beer from the local breweries.
Indian culture is very strong in this area, but arguably strongest at the Manitou Cliff Dwellings, where you can walk inside and explore cliff dwellings that were created by ancient Puebloan Indians and relocated to this site. The actual structures have information about what sort of purpose each building likely served when it was designed and inhabited. There is a museum next to the cliff dwellings as well with a lot of great information and artifacts to help educate visitors what life was like 1000 years ago.
Gold is everywhere and makes a visitor eager for another gold rush to kick off. Louisianians are most familiar with oil as a natural resource and huge money maker, but there is also a sense of detachment due to the process of drilling and producing oil wells. Much different in Colorado where museums have gold panning interactive exhibits, there are still active commercial gold mines, and anyone can still go pan for gold (provided they are not on someone else’s staked claim). It’s much more tangible in these areas, and anyone with an appreciation for natural resources and precious metals can have a field day immersing themselves in the history of the industry. Western Museum of Mining and Industry in Colorado Springs is a great location for this as well.
Mountains are, of course, a major site that’s hard to miss in this area. Pike’s Peak is a constant on the horizon, it’s hard to ignore. Nothing beats the sights at the peak, if the weather allows you to make the trip to the top. And if you have time, make an excursion back north to Boulder where the Mother Cabrini shrine is located. An extraordinarily beautiful drive up leads you to the serenity where the chapel, shrine, and museum are all located. You can walk the ground that a Saint walked, and learn the history of the site and Mother Cabrini herself. One of the most peaceful places this writer has ever been to. This shrine also serves as a great reminder to thank God for the creation He made for us.
These are just a few of the sites that stand out compared to similar trips to similar areas in the past. Going to Colorado when there isn’t any snow really allows folks to explore in the fullest sense. And there are plenty of other sites that took our breath away, took us back in time, and provided great buffalo meals. We had a ball and we were barely able to scratch the surface of things to do in that area. Be sure to make room for a trip to Colorado Springs when you are planning your next vacation.
Bayou Observant 