A Weekend in Colorado Springs, Colorado
After having spent nearly two weeks there during our mega long road trip this past spring, we knew Colorado was one of our favorite states in the country. That's saying a lot, because we've pranced through basically every single state together with the exception of a few of those ones right in the middle (sorry, Illinois, we're gonna come see you soon, promise).
We love Colorado for a lot of reasons. The landscape is full of stunning mountains and red rock, the weather is fantastic and pretty dry (which is great for these two swamp boys), the attitude of the folks who live there is upbeat, and a love for the outdoors seems to be pretty much the norm - and there are SO many outdoor activities to do! Oh, and there are gorgeous hotels and resorts in every major city, meaning after the long day of hiking or kayaking or stuffing your face with regional cuisine, you can have the opportunity to really relax.
And we did a lot of relaxing. We had a couples massage where we got to just sit there next to each other, in silence, while two very kind ladies did all kinds of weird shit to us - lots of essential oils and scrubbing sands and things of the like. It was fantastic. That's kind of the best part of any vacation, really, is just being with the person (or people) you love most while experiencing something that's outside of your normal routine.
Here's a little outline of the things we did that we really loved - with links so you can do it yourself! Let us know if you take your own trip!
Colorado Springs Weekend Trip Guide
Where to fly into
Denver International Airport (there's a Colorado Springs regional airport too, which may have good nonstop flights if you live near enough, but the Denver Airport was our cheapest option). From here we rented a car via Hertz and made the 1.5 hour drive to Colorado Springs. It's an easy drive with nice views, so no biggie!
Where to stay
Cheyenne Mountain Resort - we stayed here - it's a fancy lodge with cabins and stunning mountain views. The main lobby area has floor to ceiling windows (which is intense because the ceilings are like 30 feet), a great bar, and a restaurant that has a nice breakfast buffet and an apparently killer Sunday brunch - though we didn't make it on Sunday! There's also a fantastic pool, massive lake and beach, a huge fitness center, and a wonderfully relaxing spa with a steam room and hot tub!
The Broadmoor - we visited this hotel based off of online recommendations on best hotel bars and we were legitimately breathtaken. It's a historic spot with the elegance that only somewhere built in a different era could have. It's a bit pricey, but if you want to feel like you're staying a 1920's swanky mountain retreat, go here.
Activities You Gotta Do
Royal Gorge Route First Class Dinner - this was hands down one of the coolest things we have ever done. You'll have to make the 45 minute drive from Colorado Springs to Cañon City, but once you do you'll climb aboard a stunning train car and take a two and a half hour long ride through the Royal Gorge. The food is absolutely amazing and totally meets the fine dining vibe of the interiors, and there's an option for a beer or wine flight (we did the wine flight hello). There are also options that don't include dinner if you're just here for the sight-seeing, and some other specialty cars have, like, murder mystery parties? Family game nights? They do a lot, and from what we saw, they do it really well.
Garden of the Gods - this is perhaps the most well-known spot near Colorado Springs. It's a big ole park filled with towering red rocks. The best part is that you can either hike the whole thing by foot OR you can do what we did (cause it was kinda hot) and drive the roads that are built into the park, and then just hike up the rocks. This way you get to do a bit of light hiking on the actual rocks, but don't need to spend hours hiking between the cool views. Using our method you could do the whole thing in an hour if you were in a rush and didn't hike up each rock, or you could take a whole day to really spend your time enjoying the views and taking all the Instagram photos.
Kayaking or White Water Rafting - there's a lot of water stuff to do over here. While we didn't make time for a day of white water rafting, that's a huge activity popular among tourists. We did, however, spend a couple hours kayaking the gorgeous lake at Cheyenne Mountain Resort, which was included in the resort fee for us so no extra cost!
Exploring Manitou Springs & Old Colorado City - the quintessential cute small town shopping areas are in these two spots, which are both right within or bordering Colorado Springs. They are filled with little stores, restaurants, and bars. If you've got an evening free, go for a stroll and see what adorable spots you discover!
Where to Eat
our note: we have very little to offer here because we were so busy that eating out wasn't a huge priority, and instead ate mostly at the bar and restaurant on Cheyenne Mountain Resort where we stayed because they were dope and convenient!
Front Range BBQ - we. have. never. had. BBQ. this. good. omg. omg. Plain and simple, this is the best BBQ we've ever eaten. It was intensely satisfying and if you don't eat this honestly shame on you (kidding) because it's just the best thing ever.
xoxo Matt & Beau