Military discounts

On the south side of Colorado Springs you’ll find Fort Carson, an army installation that covers thousands of acres and is home to the 10th Special Forces Group, the 4th Engineer Battalion and, of course, the 4th Infantry Division. And that’s just to name a few. Fort Carson started out as a small camp on land donated by the city in 1942. Over the next several decades, it would grow to become a critical deployment and training installation for the army. It also happens to be one of the most-requested duty locations, which means our military loves us back in equal measures! It’s close to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, multiple open space areas and parks, and attractions like white water rafting and the Royal Gorge.

The south side is also home to the Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station. In fact, the station is right near Fort Carson and even closer to our famous mountainside zoo. Once the home of NORAD and the United States Space Command (more on those in a minute), it now trains personnel and stands ready to serve as a command center in the event of an emergency. The complex sits a whopping 2,000 feet below ground and has some pretty wild structural fortifications to keep it from being impacted by explosions and earthquakes. It’s got all sorts of features that would make any doomsday prepper proud, like food, medical and even a gym. And another fun-but-scary fact? It has blast doors that can withstand a nuclear explosion. More than one set.

East of Colorado Springs is Peterson Space orce Base which, as of 2008, has added the cred of housing NORAD and Space Command (Cheyenne Mountain SFS was only a little sad to lose them, but they did get to keep those fancy doors). Peterson Space Force Base has been around for quite a while — long enough to have provided air support to Fort Carson when it was just Camp Carson (of course, Peterson also had a different name at the time). Peterson shares an airfield with the Colorado Springs Airport and despite being right on the edge of town, it’s a pretty quick trip to get to the nearby mountains and fun places such as Old Colorado City via Highway 24.

Even further east is Schriever Space Force Base, which is home to the 50th Space Wing, the Missile Defense Agency and many other military entities dedicated to cyber and space-related missions. Many civilian contractors also work on the base as part of these efforts. Although Schriever Space Force Base has added family housing for personnel in recent years, families still must use Peterson Space Force Base for things such as grocery shopping and other common base privileges. However, that doesn’t stop the base from being a popular request, especially since Highway 94 makes for a pretty easy drive for the 14 miles to Colorado Springs.

Last, but certainly not least, is the United States Air Force Academy. This beautiful installation sits west of I-25 on the north end of Colorado Springs against the backdrop of Pikes Peak and the Rocky Mountains. Since its move to Colorado Springs in 1958, thousands of cadets have graduated from its sweeping grounds (you can catch the Thunderbird flyover each year if you plan ahead). If you aren’t stationed on the USAFA you can still tour it and visit for Air Force Falcons games. If you do live there, it’s certainly fun to play in your own backyard, but if you decide to venture out, it’s a quick trip to visit the nearby Museum of Mining and Industry (like, right out of the North Gate), or the Space Foundation Discovery Center. Of course, being right off of I-25 means it’s really close to everything fun when you think about it.