Colorado Springs & Denver, CO Travel Guide
My husband, Cory, and I took a 4 day trip in Colorado last weekend. We had so much fun on this trip, here are some of the highlights with travel tips we learned along the way!
Thursday
Travel & Denver
We landed in Denver at 12:30 then picked up our rental car through Alamo—great customer service.
Denver is a big city with way to much to see, so that afternoon we settled for lunch in Downtown. We were really hungry so we jumped for the closest place that looked good: West of Surrender. They had great service, hearty food, and outdoor seating either in the sun or shade with a heater.
Parking garages are expensive ($2 every 15 minutes) meter parking is the way to go, even if you have to park a few blocks away!
After a few hours in Denver, we took the scenic route, 83, to Colorado Springs, where we stayed with cousins in their home. It had just snowed a bunch a few days prior so their yard was covered in snow and the young boys were sledding when we arrived!
Friday
Garden of the Gods & The Broadmoor
The Garden of The Gods is a must-see. We set out for Garden of the Gods around 10:00am Friday morning and had beautiful weather with minimal crowds.
First, we just drove through the park on the beautiful, windy road that circles back to the entrance. there are a few turnouts for different trails if you want to do some hiking. We stopped at a turnout with an open parking spot and walked part of the trail that I believe goes on and on, connecting to other trials in the park.
As we realized later that weekend, Friday was a great day to visit because the crowd on Saturday was tremendous!
Our second time around, we parked in the main parking lot to see Kissing Camels and North Gateway Rock. It’s a short walk on a sidewalk from the parking lot and there’s a bathroom and drinking fountain there.
As much as I love the outdoors, who doesn’t enjoy a little luxury on their vacation? The Broadmoor hotel is a MUST. It’s seriously beautiful inside and out—even their bathrooms are impressive.
Although we didn’t stay at the hotel, you are welcome to visit for the day and explore their grounds, shops, cafe, and bar. I highly recommend sitting in the bar’s lounge where you can sip your martini and eat some lunch with a view of the lake and Pikes Peak!
You also HAVE TO check out their cafe: Julia’s Cafe, where you can get amazing gelato and patisseries! I must say, their customer service was all-around amazing at the Broadmoor, but especially in the cafe! The lady serving us gelato practically seduced us into tasting every flavor!
In the back of the cafe is a window looking into their chocolate factory where you can watch them make sculptures out of chocolate!
Saturday
Manitou Springs & Downtown
Per our cousin’s suggestion, we set out Saturday morning to check out the Airforce Academy, unfortunately, they were closed to visitors due to COVID-19 restrictions. So, we went shopping at Dillards for a little bit instead!
Of course, we had to check out the historical, bohemian Manitou Springs! We happened to be there on a very busy Saturday afternoon, so there was a quite a bit of traffic and lots of tourists, but I think it added to the fun of that little town!
There’s lots of fun stores where you can by souvenirs and The Incline is nearby!
In the early evening, we checked out Downtown Colorado Springs, where we stopped in a very cute boutique, The Local Honey Collective. After walking up and down the street, we landed in Oskar Blues for some whiskey and fried catfish, then we topped it off with an amazing brownie sunday…delish!
Sunday
LODO District & Lumnar Square, Denver
We made sure to hit up a Dutch Bros Coffee drive through on our way out of Colorado Springs. The drive through was busy but the coffee is worth the wait!
Before going to the airport, there were still a few parts of Denver we wanted to see.
First, we checked out the LODO District (lower downtown). I recommend Habit Doughnuts, they have some really unique doughnuts!
Take your doughnut to go and walk around the nearby park, there’s a bridge that goes over the river and lots of people were out running, walking their dogs, and commuting through the park!
Last but certainly not least, we went to Lumnar Square. We saw it during the afternoon, but I recommend visiting in the evening since I imagine it’s even cooler at night with the lights and nightlife! While there, we enjoyed stopping in a store/bar called Garage Sale Vintage—very fun!
Per a friend’s request, we got Denver Biscuit Co and it was oh so yummy! “The Franklin” was bomb!
All in all, my favorite part really wasn’t a specific place or thing—Denver, the Springs, it was all very beautiful and worth seeing. But my absolute favorite part was the spirit of adventure from the itinerary unknowns, and the dreamy “what if’s”. You simply can’t see everything, but you can always have a good time!
For more highlights of our trip, check out my Instagram story! Feel free to reach out if you are planning a trip to Colorado and have any questions!
Cheers,
Taylor
