🏛️ CulturalDay trip · from Colorado Springs, CO

Manitou Springs Spa District & Old Colorado City

Manitou Springs, 5 miles west of Colorado Springs at the foot of Pikes Peak, was one of the most fashionable health resorts in the American West from the 1870s through the 1920s — visited by Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Edison, Walt Whitman, and the Queen of England's physician for its eight naturally carbonated mineral springs, each with different iron, calcium, and sulfur mineral compositions. The springs are still publicly accessible from ornate Victorian drinking fountain structures throughout the historic spa district; drinking from each spring (all free) is a tradition that has continued since the resort era. The adjacent historic Old Colorado City was the original settlement of Colorado Springs (established 1859 as a mining supply camp, predating the planned Colorado Springs resort city by 12 years) and retains its Victorian commercial strip. The Garden of the Gods Visitor Center and the Pikes Peak region's natural history fill the morning.

Day 1 — Garden of the Gods Visitor Center, Manitou Springs historic mineral springs (8 free carbonated springs), Old Colorado City 1859 commercial district, return
Day 1 — Garden of the Gods — Manitou Springs

Day 1 — Garden of the Gods — Manitou Springs

🚗 35 min driving📍 3 stops
🌅
Morning
🚗
Drive
Colorado Springs, CO → Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center
15 min8:00 AM → 8:15 AM
Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center
Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center
★ 4.8
The free visitor center for Garden of the Gods — a LEED-certified building with natural history exhibits on the park's geology (Fountain Formation Permian sandstone pushed from horizontal to near-vertical by the Laramide Orogeny, 65 million years ago), ecology (mountain lion, mule deer, prairie falcon habitat), and human history (Ute and Cheyenne use of the formations, Colorado Springs resort development). The center's two-floor exhibit hall and geology diorama are the best preparation for the park; a film and live raptor demonstration program runs daily.
8:15 AM📍 See location
🍽️
Lunch
🚗
Drive
Garden of the Gods → Manitou Springs, CO
10 min9:15 AM → 9:25 AM
Manitou Springs — Mineral Springs Walking Tour
Manitou Springs — Mineral Springs Walking Tour
The eight naturally carbonated mineral springs of Manitou Springs — each with a distinct mineral composition and flavor, accessible from Victorian-era drinking pavilions throughout the walkable spa district. Cheyenne Spring (iron, lithium), Navajo Spring (calcium), Iron Gleneyrie (strongly ferruginous), and Shoshone Spring are the most distinctive; Stratton Spring and Twin Spring are the most centrally located. The springs were the economic foundation of the Manitou resort from 1872 forward; they are all still free and publicly accessible.
9:25 AM📍 See location
☀️
Afternoon
Old Colorado City — 1859 Commercial District
Old Colorado City — 1859 Commercial District
The original 1859 Colorado City commercial strip along Colorado Avenue — the settlement that predated Colorado Springs by 12 years as a gold rush mining supply camp. The 19th-century brick commercial buildings now contain a dense concentration of art galleries, studios, and restaurants; the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum (free) on the east end of the strip has the best collection of regional Pikes Peak area history. The Miramont Castle (1895, 14,000 square feet, nine distinct architectural styles in one building) is a 10-minute walk north.
12:00 PM📍 See location
🌙
Evening
🚗
Drive
Old Colorado City → Colorado Springs, CO
10 min5:00 PM → 5:10 PM
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