I’ve long fantasized about taking my family to The Broadmoor for a summer week.
Seven blissful days in Colorado Springs. Horseback rides and soaks in the pool … tennis lessons for Sara and bicycle rides for Mark. Massages and hikes and good meals for the adults. Being waited on hand and foot, in beautiful surroundings. I could get used to that.
The reality is a bit more troublesome. Seven nights in July in a standard room (starting at $305 per night, according to the hotel website) will set us back $2,849.87 including tax. That’s not including parking, meals, manicures, the tennis pro or any poolside umbrella drinks.
So we rethink. Here are half-dozen fun things to do in Colorado Springs that are free or very cheap:
Sky Sox baseball: The Colorado Rockies’ Triple-A farm club offers $7 tickets and many fun promotions to get people down to Security Service Park in northeast Colorado Springs for games. You can rent the hot tub in right field or bring your dog to Bark in the Park on Wednesdays and sit on the grassy left-field berm to watch the game. It’s Girls Night on Thursdays and fireworks night every Friday. My favorite: $2 Tuesday, where admission, parking and bottled beers are all two bucks.
The Money Museum: Is there a child in America who isn’t fascinated with moolah? The American Numismatic Association’s museum in downtown Colorado Springs is the only museum in the United States entirely dedicated to the collection and study of cash – and admission is free. A new exhibit, “Faces of Money: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” opens Friday.
Manitou Springabouts: Take a two-hour fitness tour of all the natural mineral springs in Manitou Springs. Sample the water from each – they really do taste different – and decide which is your favorite, while getting fresh air and exercise. Springabouts convene at the Town Clock in downtown Manitou at 9 a.m. every Tuesday through the summer starting May 29. They’re free.
Van Briggle Art Pottery: Free tours of the pottery, located in the 1888 Midland Terminal Railroad Roundhouse on the Springs’ west side, gives collectors and artists a good look at the techniques begun by
Artus Van Briggle, who came to Colorado Springs to cure his chronic lung congestion in 1899. The cure didn’t work, and he died in 1904. There’s a showroom too.
Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum: Plenty of history has happened in the shadows of Pikes Peak, and you can find out about it for free. The imposing 1903 El Paso County Courthouse hosts world-class collections of quilts, regional art and American Indian art and artifacts. New exhibits include “Pikes Peak in the Popular Imagination” and “Maravillas de los Tejedores/Wonders of the Weavers,” the work of 19th-century Rio Grande Valley weavers from the Albuquerque Museum. The exhibit opens Saturday.
Uncle Wilber Fountain: Follow the sound of music and giggling children to the north side of downtown, and you’ll discover Uncle Wilber, who emerges from a giant blue dome to play music every half hour. The kinetic sculpture, designed by Kat and Bob Tudor, poses a riddle amid streams of water, flashing lights and bright colors. To find the answer, you’ll have to take the plunge, joining dozens of boogeying little ones in swimsuits, diapers and soggy underpants. Acacia Park, where Uncle Wilber has been tooting his tuba since 2001, is Colorado Springs’ oldest park.
Lisa Everitt is a freelance writer who lives in Arvada. Contact her at lisaeveritt@comcast.net.
The details
Colorado Springs Sky Sox host the Fresno Grizzles (the San Francisco Giants farm team) Monday through Thursday, then the Sacramento River Cats, Friday through May 28. Security Service Park, 4385 Tutt Blvd., Colorado Springs, near the intersection of Barnes Road and Powers Boulevard. Tickets are $7-9. Information: www.skysox.com or 719-591-7699.
The Money Museum, 818 N. Cascade, Colorado Springs (money.org, 800-367-9723 or 719-632-2646). Open Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 12-5 p.m. Closed Mondays.
Van Briggle Art Pottery, 600 S. 21st St., Colorado Springs, on the corner of U.S. 24. Open to the public Monday-Saturday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Information: vanbriggle.com or 800-847-6341.
Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, 215 S. Tejon St., Colorado Springs (cspm.org or 719-385-5990). Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
The Uncle Wilber Fountain, Acacia Park, 115 E. Platte Ave., Colorado Springs, at Tejon and Bijou streets (unclewilber.com). The pop-jet fountain operates continuously 10 a.m.-10 p.m., and Uncle Wilber performs every 30 minutes 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
For information on the region, visit experiencecoloradosprings.com or call 877-745-3773.
