The majority of the attractions and activities in the Pikes Peak region are family oriented and kid-friendly. However, there are many that are especially popular with families with young children.
North Pole – Santa’s Workshop
North Pole – Santa’s Workshop is a Christmas-themed amusement park with rides for every age in the family. Santa sits in his cozy house next to a warm fire waiting to talk to good girls and boys about their heart’s desire for Christmas. Photos can be taken and pictures are made available. There are gift shops galore that sell unique ornaments, dolls, toys and souvenirs, lots of entertainment (live magic shows, animated elf and moose), and plenty of food so you don’t have to play around the workshop hungry. Young kids and young-at-heart kids will love this magical place.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is the ONLY mountain zoo in America! This zoo was built directly into the mountain region, giving the animals the most natural habitat possible. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo also has one of the world’s most famous giraffe herds that you can touch, feed, and pet. Get up close to the grizzlies, mountain lions, moose, great apes, lions and tigers, and let the kids play on their renovated kids’ activity area. The also have a Mountaineer Skyride which allows you to see the zoo from a panoramic point of view from high in the sky.
Manitou Cliff Dwellings
You won’t find any “DO NOT TOUCH” signs at the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. Preserved under a protective red sandstone overhang, these authentic, 700-year-old Anasazi cliff dwellings were moved from their original location in Mesa Verde, Colorado by the State of Colorado over 100 years ago and reconstructed into the cliff sites of Manitou Springs, Colorado piece by piece, stone by stone. You are free to touch and even go inside these fascinating architectural remnants of an American Indian culture that roamed the Four Corners area of the Southwest from 1200 B.C. to A.D. 1300.
Ghost Town Museum
Ghost Town Museum will take you and your family back to the 1800s and the time of the Old West. It’s a town frozen in time and preserved indoors. You will step back into time and be able to pan for real gold (seasonal) and do lots of hands-on activities. This amazing place has thousands of authentic artifacts on display and is a great place for kids. When you visit Ghost Town Museum, you get to really experience the Old West.
May Natural History Museum
The locals call the John May Natural History Museum “The Bug Museum” because of the thousands of giant tropical insects and their relatives that they have on display, not to mention the huge beetle that is along the roadside to get to the Museum. See more varieties of perfectly preserved insects in one place than you’ve ever seen before. The Museum also has a Space Exploration exhibit. Take advantage of their convenient RV park and campground, too! This is a great place to pitch a tent, make delicious smores and tell stories around the campfire into the night.
Other family-friendly attractions include:
Academy Riding Stables
Cave of the Winds
Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railway
Flying W Ranch
Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center
Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway
Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine
Pikes Peak Highway – America’s Mountain
Royal Gorge Bridge and Park
Seven Falls
Western Museum of Mining and Industry
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