Planning a trip to Colorado Springs. Advice appreciated

[Frank]

We have decided on a roadtrip to Colorado Springs this next month sometime and I am planning the trip. We'll be traveling with a 4 & 5 yo and no, we don't have DVD players in the van.

I was thinking Amarillo was prob the 1/2 point. About 7 hours from Dallas? Besides Cadillac Ranch or the Big Texan, is there anything to see between Dallas and there or between Amarillo and Colorado Springs?

What about lodging in Colorado Springs? We will be there about a week. A simple cabin of our own might be cool. What are the best options on a budget?

[Grimpala]

There is a volcano out in NM called Mount Capulin. Pretty neat stop. There are no gaurd rails up the sides, and as we were making our way back down a fuckin sparrow flew in the window and hit my buddy in the face then crawled up under my dash. Other than that it was a fun side trip. There are some painted dinosaurs in some podunk town out that way that we stopped and photographed.

[HarrisonTX]

Avoid "cave of the winds".
7 falls is nice but a tad pricey.

Garden of the Gods, FREE, and you can spend hours there.
The Cheyenne Mountain ZOO is AWESOME. Hands down, best zoo I have ever been too. It's on the side of a mountain, and you can take a chair lift over the lions.


lived there for 2 years, loved it intensely for 2 years.

[mystic96]

My aunt used to live there. We'd visit every other summer. I loved going out there. Colorado is beautiful.

Driving up to the top of Pikes Peak was pretty cool. Garden of the Gods on horseback was fun. Pro Bull Riders Hall of Fame is there. Haven't been in a long time, probably 15 years, but that is the stuff that stands out that I enjoyed doing.

But inbetween pretty much Dallas and Colorado is a whole lot of nothing. Long straight flat highways.

I'd definately recommend a portable TV/DVD combo for the trip, or drive at night so the kids are asleep most of the way. Those two made the trip to Disney World last year bearable for us. Plus I got to watch Smokey and the Bandit in the car while the kids were asleep LOL

[cobrajet69]

Avoid "cave of the winds".
7 falls is nice but a tad pricey.

Garden of the Gods, FREE, and you can spend hours there.
The Cheyenne Mountain ZOO is AWESOME. Hands down, best zoo I have ever been too. It's on the side of a mountain, and you can take a chair lift over the lions.


lived there for 2 years, loved it intensely for 2 years.

Agreed with everything but Cave of the Winds. It's a "decent" tour and much cooler if you're wanting to get out of the heat.

Also, a MUST DO is the Sky Coaster at Royal Gorge Bridge (and get the vid). But also, Royal Gorge in it's self is a must.


David

[JC316]

There is a volcano out in NM called Mount Capulin. Pretty neat stop. There are no gaurd rails up the sides, and as we were making our way back down a fuckin sparrow flew in the window and hit my buddy in the face then crawled up under my dash. Other than that it was a fun side trip. There are some painted dinosaurs in some podunk town out that way that we stopped and photographed.

That podunk town is Clayton New Mexico. Otherwise, there isn't much going up that way.

[Grimpala]

That podunk town is Clayton New Mexico. Otherwise, there isn't much going up that way.

Tell me about it. Other than a fucking Dairy Queen every 5 miles there's nothing past Wichita Falls.

[BP]

The Big Texan is okay, little kids will probably love it. Don't bother stopping at the Cadillac Ranch though, it's literally just a bunch of cars buried in the dirt. There isn't a gift shop, no rest rooms, nothing but a turnout on the access road and a field.

[Sean88gt]

Cadillac Ranch is way out of the way.

If you want cabins or small dives, try Manitou Springs. It is at the edge of Garden of the Gods park and has a very local feel to it. Buffalo Lodge is a pretty neat place, tucked away and quiet.

Try to hit up the Flying W Ranch. They do a western show and the BBQ literally rapes texas bbq in the mouth.

What else are you in to? You can drive up Pikes Peak which is a full day as you can stop along the way. At the base of Pikes Peak is 'The North Pole with Santa's workshop' that is great for kids. My son had just turned two when we went last August and still talks about it. You can hit the Air Force Academy and see the various sites around that and so forth. It's a decent sized place, El Paso county surpassed the million citizen mark a few years ago, so it has everything.

If you have any questions on where to eat, give me a shout.

[Magnimike1]

Spend the night in Clayton, NM at the Kokopelli Inn(included Hot breakfast). Then get up in the morning at hit up The Capulin Volcano first thing in the morning. Proceed to CO springs.

[Frank]

Cadillac Ranch is way out of the way.

If you want cabins or small dives, try Manitou Springs. It is at the edge of Garden of the Gods park and has a very local feel to it. Buffalo Lodge is a pretty neat place, tucked away and quiet.

Try to hit up the Flying W Ranch. They do a western show and the BBQ literally rapes texas bbq in the mouth.

What else are you in to? You can drive up Pikes Peak which is a full day as you can stop along the way. At the base of Pikes Peak is 'The North Pole with Santa's workshop' that is great for kids. My son had just turned two when we went last August and still talks about it. You can hit the Air Force Academy and see the various sites around that and so forth. It's a decent sized place, El Paso county surpassed the million citizen mark a few years ago, so it has everything.

If you have any questions on where to eat, give me a shout.

Pikes Peak is def on the to do list, but I had no idea it was a full day. That's fine though. I really like the sound of the ranch and the Santa's workshop you mention. We wanted to try the train up Pikes Peak, Royal Gorge, Miramont Castle museum? I would personally like to camp one or two nights but not sure yet.

I'm trying not to get all Clark Griswold with a strict itinerary, but this is the first vacation in a while so looking forward to getting the most out of it.

[HarrisonTX]

Agreed with everything but Cave of the Winds. It's a "decent" tour and much cooler if you're wanting to get out of the heat.

Also, a MUST DO is the Sky Coaster at Royal Gorge Bridge (and get the vid). But also, Royal Gorge in it's self is a must.


David

Check with the Sky Coaster first, to see if its running, because it wasnt when I went there. We went out there, and paid like $10 to walk across the bridge... still totally worth it. Its about a two hour drive or so from the springs.

[red95gts]

We went last summer and had a great time. Pikes Peak is a must. The cog railway is expensive but a neat way to see it, especially with young kids. My kids had a blast going up the mountain on the train.

Make sure you eat at Fargo's Pizza. Really cool place and damn good pizza.

[YALE]

Clayton is gross, IMO. Too many nasty ass feed lots. When I was driving through, I just wanted to leave.

[JC316]

Just thought of something, there is a nice water park in Amarillo. Pretty cheap to get in and it's a lot of fun.