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4 DAY GETAWAY FOR $30 A DAY
Budget Vacation
day 1
Manitou Markdowns
Let your worries float away with an inexpensive day in Manitou Springs.
- Garden of the Gods Trading Post
- Manitou Cliff Dwellings
- Miramont Castle
- Historic Manitou Springs
- Total: $26
day 2
Cost Efficient in Cripple Creek
Visit the Mountains, then hit the North Pole on the way back.
- Historic Cripple Creek
- North Pole - Santa's Workshop
- Total: $0 - $32
day 3
High Altitude, Low Cost
You’re on top of the world…literally.
- Pikes Peak - America's Mountain
- May Natural History Museum
- Old Colorado City
- Total: $22 - $27
day 4
Modest Museums
Find out why we’re known as the ‘Wild West’.
- Ghost Town Museum
- ProRodeo Hall of Fame
- Western Museum of Mining & Industry
- Total: $30
Manitou Markdowns
Let your worries float away with an inexpensive day in Manitou Springs
The Garden of the Gods Trading Post
- Manitou Springs
- PLAN FOR: 1-3 HOURS
You’ve heard about the 7 wonders of the world, but what about the 9th? The Garden of the Gods was ranked the #9 best attraction in the world by Tripadvisor. Want to know the best part? It’s completely free! We recommend using the Garden of the Gods Trading Post as a basecamp for all your adventures in the park. You can pick up a free map, get a few tips from the locals, and maybe even spend some of your souvenir money if you find something you just can’t leave behind.
Manitou Cliff Dwellings
- Manitou Springs
- PLAN FOR: 1-2 HOURS
If you venture up the hill a ways, you’ll come across an amazing site built into the same rocks you saw in the garden. The Manitou Cliff Dwellings tells the story of the Ancestral Puebloans. Take a step inside the dwellings to experience what life would have been like in Colorado 1,000 years ago. Inside the museum, you’ll find even more artifacts and displays demonstrating ancient life and culture.
Miramont Castle
- Manitou Springs
- PLAN FOR: 1-2 HOURS
Your next stop will let you experience life in a different era. This Victorian Castle in the hills of Manitou Springs may seem out of place, but once you learn about its colorful history you’ll realize that it fits right into its peculiar town. The castle was built in 1895 by a seemingly indecisive architect, as it features an eclectic mixture of different architectural styles from different time periods. Still, It all somehow comes together seamlessly to create this incredible masterpiece.
Historic Manitou Springs
- Manitou Springs
- PLAN FOR: 2-5 HOURS
Visiting a new place doesn’t always mean visiting tourist attraction after tourist attraction. Sometimes you just want to play like a local, scope out the town and day-dream about mountain life. Pick up a free tasting cup and take a tour of the 7 mineral springs along Manitou Avenue. If you see a local filling gallon jugs of spring water, don’t be shy, strike up a conversation! They might just be preparing to make some killer lemonade, you’d be doing yourself a disservice not to ask for the recipe.
Food, drinks & more
Cost Efficient in Cripple Creek
Visit the Mountains, then hit the North Pole on the way back.
Historic Cripple Creek
- Cripple Creek
- PLAN FOR: 1-4 HOURS
If you thought Manitou was quirky, just wait until you see Cripple Creek. After a beautiful drive west of Colorado Springs, you will find yourself in a tiny mountain town on the slopes of Pikes Peak. If you fancy yourself a history buff, there is more than enough to quench your thirst for knowledge. Check out the Heritage Center for free or pay a visit to one of the many museums in town for a small fee. If you’re here during the summer, see if you can find the herd of free-range donkeys roaming around town or grazing in one of their fields!
North Pole - Santa's Workshop
- Cascade
- PLAN FOR: 3-6 HOURS
On your way back to Colorado Springs, turn towards one of the mountain towns lining the pass and you’ll come across a portal back in time. Okay…not really, but you’ll feel like you’ve traveled back to the 50’s when you step foot into the North Pole. This Christmas-themed amusement park tucked back in the trees of Cascade, CO features a collection of vintage rides and original buildings. Entry into the park is free, but if you feel like splurging a bit to try out these fun rides, you can get an unlimited ride pass for $32.
Food, drinks & more
High Altitude, Low Cost
You're on top of the world...literally.
Pikes Peak - America's Mountain
- Pikes Peak
- PLAN FOR: 3-5 HOURS
I bet you wouldn’t have guessed that our most popular attraction in the region is also one of the cheapest, but it’s true! If you’re here during our peak season in the summer, admission is $15 per person, and it’s only $10 in the off season! The Pikes Peak Highway is one of the most beautiful drives in the region, with tons of places to pull off and snap the perfect shot or just take in the views. If you happen to be here during a sunrise event and you’re up for a 4am wake up call, watching the sunrise from the summit of Pikes Peak is an experience to check off your bucket list.
May Natural History Museum
- Colorado Springs
- PLAN FOR: 1-2 HOURS
When you’ve made your way back to a lower elevation, head down South to find this unsuspecting little museum on a dirt road tucked back in the trees. The May Natural History Museum boasts an unbelievable collection of butterflies, beetles, and other creepy-crawlies dating back as early as 1903. It is the largest private insect collection in the world with over 7,000 different species, some of which are now extinct!
Old Colorado City
- Colorado Springs
- PLAN FOR: 2-5 HOURS
Downtown may be the heart of Colorado Springs, but Old Colorado City is the roots. It’s where our city got started, so if history is your thing, this is the place to be. Old Colorado City is also home to a lively art scene. If you happen to be here during the first Friday of the month, check out the First Friday Art Walk. There’s also tons of delicious restaurants, specialty shops, live music, galleries, you can’t go wrong in OCC!
Food, drinks & more
Modest Museums
Find out why we're known as the 'Wild West'.
Ghost Town Museum
- Colorado Springs
- PLAN FOR: 1-2 HOURS
Ghost Town is and always has been our most affordable attraction with admission at only $8.50 per person! Inside the museum, you can explore an old western town built from REAL ghost towns around Colorado. You can also practice your skills in the shooting gallery, pan for gold, and get your name printed on a wanted poster with an old printing press. If you’re lucky, you might even catch a ghost playing the old piano!
ProRodeo Hall of Fame
- Colorado Springs
- PLAN FOR: 1-2 HOURS
The ProRodeo Hall of Fame gives you a taste of our more modern wild west heritage. Inside, you can find artifacts from past rodeos and learn all about the cowboys who made history and built the sport into what it is today. If you’re here in the summer, be sure to pay a visit to the horses out back before you leave!
Western Museum of Mining & Industry
- Colorado Springs
- PLAN FOR: 1-2 HOURS
Now let’s dial back the time machine a bit and pay a visit to our early days as a town. You may have caught on by this point in your stay that mining was a pretty big deal here in the Pikes Peak Region and it played a big part in the founding of many of our cities. The Western Museum of Mining & Industry gives you a glimpse at that part of our history and even allows you to see a lot of old mining tools and machines in action!
Food, drinks & more
More ways to enjoy your days
Thrill Seeker
If your idea of vacation is getting out, trying new things, and making yourself feel truly alive — then this is the itinerary for you!
History Buff
This itinerary will take you all of our historic districts and the best museums in our region. You’ll get a taste for everything from architecture to mining, with more than our fair share of ‘characters’ along the way.
5 Day Family Adventure
We’ve put together a 5-day family itinerary in Colorado Springs to help you and your crew enjoy your vacation in all its glory!
