Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau 515 S. Cascade Colorado Springs, CO 80903 (719) 635-7506 Population 281140 Time Zone Mountain Latitude/Longitude 38.83° /-104.82° Today's Forecast HIGH: 69 LOW: 37

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Attractions

Although the great outdoors may be the city's main allure, Colorado Springs offers several one-of-a-kind attractions as well. To get a sense of the rugged individuals who made the West grow and who keep the Western flame alive, visit the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy. The museum honors the great riders and ropers through multimedia presentations and displays of gear and memorabilia, while exhibits in Heritage Hall trace the development of rodeo over the years. Take a drive 14 miles north of the city to tour the U.S. Air Force Academy. Chief among the campus's many contemporary buildings is the stunning multi-denominational Cadet Chapel and its wing-tipped spires that glisten against a backdrop of mountain and forest.

The U.S. Olympic Training Center is used by more than 15,000 athletes yearly. Guided tours of the complex, which include an aquatics center, velodrome (cycling track), and visitors center are available. The history of ice skating from 800 AD to the present is limned at the World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame.

Other interesting stops include Colorado Springs' Pioneers Museum, which offers a notable collection of Native American artifacts and Van Briggle pottery, and the Fine Arts Center, which increased its exhibition space by fifty percent when opened its new facility in late 2007. Located adjacent to the Fine Arts Center, the American Numismatic Association's Money Museum offers one of the world's premier collections of rare ancient coins, modern coins, paper money, and similar items.

Youngsters may enjoy getting the willies looking at the giant exotic insects at the John May Museum Center. The museum, on the city's far south side, has some 7,000 "bugs" gathered from around the world and offers exhibits on space exploration as well. Kids may also like panning for gold at the Western Museum of Mining & Industry, near the Air Force Academy.

With an abundandance of natural beauty only a stone's throw away, many visitors use Colorado Springs as a jumping off point for trips into the wilderness. Stunning scenery, fanciful red sandstone formations, and fascinating flora and fauna make the Garden of the Gods a great place to start your outdoor explorations. In addition to a visitor center with multimedia shows and natural history exhibits, the 1300-acre park has walking and hiking paths, horse trails, and picnic areas.

Nearby, Manitou Springs is the home of natural wonders like the extraordinary Cave of the Winds as well as manmade wonders like Miramont Castle and the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. Manitou Springs is on the road to Pikes Peak. Towering over Colorado Springs, the monolithic peak has inspired generations with its "purple mountain majesty" and the wonder inspired by the view from its 14,100-foot summit. The road to the summit begins off Route 24, ten miles west of the city.

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