How to spend 4 full days in Colorado Springs with small kids and still see beautiful scenery, take in a few hikes, keep everyone entertained, and enjoy your vacation!
How to Spend 4 Full Days in Colorado Springs
…with three small kids in tow!
We were visiting family over the 4th of July holiday and planned to extend our trip with a nice little road trip out to Colorado Springs! Up to this point, I hadn’t spent much time in Colorado outside of a few trips as a kid and driving through at other points – and never to the Colorado Springs area.
I was so excited to get to spend a few days exploring a new-to-me city with my family.
Colorado Springs 4-Day Itinerary
At the time of our trip, our kids were 8, 6, and almost 4. You should know that my toxic trait is always thinking my kids can handle “real” hikes and will thoroughly enjoy spending most of our time outside.
I am almost always wrong, haha!
That said, we were still able to see some beautiful scenery during our four full days. Knowing the kids wouldn’t be able to hang, we sprinkled in some very kid-friendly activities throughout the trip and ended up having a wonderful time.
And, that just gives us all the more reason to go back some day to explore some more!
Day 1 – Drive Time
Our home base is Kansas City but since we were visiting family in Lincoln, NE, that was the start of the trip. It’s almost 8 hours straight across the state of Nebraska and into Colorado to reach Colorado Springs. There really isn’t a whole lot to do or look at along the way but we made the most of it!
Our kids ride in the car very well; we’ve taken a handful of long trips to places like Gulf Shores and Destin so we felt comfortable taking the day to get to our destination.
If you happen to find yourself in the area, we did make a pit stop at the Fort Cody Trading Post in North Platte to stretch our legs. It’s very much something you’ll find highlighted on a “Best Roadside Attractions” list but we really enjoyed it! There is a store with all kinds of trinkets and goodies and an old fort set up for the kids to explore so it made for a good stop.
After a bit, we loaded back into the car and eventually made it to The Drury Inn for our stay.
And let me be the first to applaud this particular Drury Inn – there was a pool, there were free drinks, there was enough free food every night that we fed our family onsite multiple times versus trying to drag three tired kids to a restaurant. Best of all, they offered a two-room suite which meant we could put our youngest to bed and still watch a movie or a show at night. If an Airbnb or Vrbo isn’t an option, hit up the Drury Inn, ya’ll!
Day 2 – Garden of the Gods
Our first stop was Garden of the Gods which is a must see when visiting Colorado Springs. We arrived and parked at the visitor center and took the free shuttle into the park, which was just a short drive. Our son is disabled so even at almost 4 years old we usually have a stroller or wagon with us for outings. We were able to load our stroller onto the shuttle which made the park very accessible.
Most of the trails we stuck to were paved which was SO wonderful. The girls could run ahead and wait for us to catch up and there were plenty of spaces to climb rocks to get a better view of the scenery.
Hiking Trails at Garden of the Gods
Here are a few of the most recommended trails in the park:
- Perkins Central Garden Trail: Paved, easy, 1.5 mile roundtrip path; we did this trail and loved it as we could see a lot of the area and walk around the base of the formations
- Siamese Twins Trail: Easy, 1-mile roundtrip with a neat view of Pikes Peak through the natural rock window. Not paved (we used this hiking backpack for our son) and we actually went back the next day to do this hike and loved it.
- Ridge Trail: Moderate, 1/2 mile loop that wanders amongst the rocks.
- Gateway / Central Gardens Trails: Easy, 2.5-mile hike that starts at the overflow parking lot and paved Foothills Trail that connects to the paved Gateway Trail.
- Scotsman / Buckskin Charlie Trail: Moderate trail loops through the park
After exploring the park for the morning, we headed to lunch at Adam’s Mountain Cafe in Manitou Springs for food and, most importantly, a flight of beer. Once we were all fed and rested, we drove over to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings Museum to wander around for a bit.
The kids were all pretty much cashed after that so we headed back to the hotel for some down time. We ended up taking full advantage of the free “happy hour” and got everyone fed for dinner at the hotel, the kids swam for a bit and then it was time for bed.
Day 3 – Cave Tour
Every vacation we tend to have an activity that we (I) think will be amazing – but that actually turns out to be a bust. You would think it would have been the cave tour or a hike but nope… miniature golf got us this time!
After sleeping in and grabbing breakfast at the hotel, we decided to hit up Adventure Golf for some “fun”. The girls lasted maybe 4 holes before getting frustrated with their strokes and eventually giving up all together. We bribed them to finish promising ice cream before lunch so that’s exactly what we did! Josh and John’s was just what we needed to repair our spirits 😉
After ice cream and an attitude adjustment, we went back to Garden of the Gods to do the Siamese Twins Trail we had seen the day before. There’s a great view of Pikes Peak through the rock window. It was a quick and relatively easy hike and the kids handled it great.
We found a spot in the park after the hike to have a picnic lunch (another perk of The Drury Inn – a small kitchen so we could grab a few groceries and snacks for the week! Next up was a 60 minute cave tour at Cave of the Winds!
I had done one other cave tour in Arkansas when our oldest was a baby so I was a bit nervous trying to wrangle all three underground. Thankfully we had also packed our son’s soft carrier so we took turns wearing him through the cave. The girls loved it – we even got to experience a few seconds of “cave darkness” which was cool.
The girls were begging to do some of the other attractions at Cave of the Winds – there’s a rock wall, rope course, catapult thingy, etc. so we told them we’d try to make it back before heading home. We had hibachi dinner plans so we went back to the hotel to get cleaned up. All in all, it was another solid day.
Day 4 – Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Zoo day! The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was so great! We fed the giraffes, rode the chair-lift sky ride and the carousel, and thought the animals were all super active. The kids each picked out a stuffed animal from the gift shop – it was a solid choice for a family activity!
After the zoo we headed back to Cave of the Winds so the girls could do a few of the activities there. And yes, they were both so brave and rode the catapult ride over the canyon!
Day 5 – The North Pole & Pikes Peak
Ok, this was probably my FAVORITE stop of the whole trip. This place is so wonderful and weird and we all loved it! The North Pole is a vintage and Christmas-themed amusement park on the side of a mountain. We had a true “Christmas in July” celebration, ha!
Admission includes an all-you-can-ride wristband so we went wild. It wasn’t very busy when we visited (it was during the week so I’m sure that helped) and we got to ride each attraction several times. Nothing was too big or “scary” which made it perfect for our kids’ ages – the girls could ride almost all of them without an adult and we could easily accompany our youngest if needed. It was honestly so great!
Once we had our fill of rides, we started the drive up to Pikes Peak. Colorado Springs boasts that they have something like 300+ days of sunshine every year but – of course – the day we drive up the mountain a random hail/snow storm rolls through! The further up we drove, the crappier the weather got but we still made the most of it.
The visitor center up top was under construction so parking was a little challenging. We were still able to see parts of the building and get near the lookout points to snag what was left of the view through the clouds and sleet! It was a quick visit but I’m still glad we did it.
Day 6 – Home!
Time to pack up and head home! By this point, we’d been away from our own beds for well over a week so we were definitely ready to get back. The drive home across Kansas is just about as exciting as the drive across Nebraska! There’s not much to see or do along the way so we tried to make it back with minimal stops. Once again, the kids did great in the car for 8+ hours as we wrapped up another wonderful family vacation.
Final Thoughts on Colorado Springs
While we didn’t have the capacity to do much hiking this go around, I thought Colorado Springs was a fantastic family vacation destination. There was so much to do to keep the littles entertained, nothing felt overpriced or too expensive, we capitalized on the free amenities offered by the hotel, and had wonderful weather for the most part.
I would easily return and take another trip to the area. As our kids get older, we’ll be able to explore a bit easier and take in more hikes but I still felt like we were able to really enjoy our time there.
Things To Do in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Here are a few other things I had on my list when I was initially planning our trip. It’s hard for me to not jam-pack our days full but need to remember our kids sometimes can’t handle going all day long.
Some of these activities are definitely geared towards older kids/adults but I feel like there is so much to do for everyone.
Activities
- Ziplining over Royal Gorge and board the Royal Gorge Route Railroad
- Check out the US Olympic & Paralympic Museum
- Need a challenge? Tackle the Manitou Incline – yikes!
- Visit the US Air Force Academy
- Whitewater Rafting along the Arkansas River – this would be SO fun!
- Go horseback riding
- Play games at the Manitou Springs Penny Arcade
Restaurants & Bars
- The French Kitchen
- Oskar Blues
- Illegal Pete’s
- The Broadmoor
- Colorado Mountain Brewery
- The Airplane Restaurant
- Fillmore Pizza Kitchen
- In & Out
Road Trip Tips
Here are a few lessons learned and/or tips gleaned from our trips over the years that I like to incorporate into our road trips:
- In addition to snacks, pack quick and easy lunches to eat in the car to cut down on stop time.
- If possible, book overnight stays with hotels that offer a free, hot breakfast to make mornings easy.
- Renting an Airbnb or VRBO with a full kitchen is the move! If one isn’t available, a hotel that offers a one-bedroom suite or separate sleeping space is great, too.
- Picking up a few groceries can help keep costs down – we like to eat breakfast at “home” if possible and pack lunches when we can to limit how much we’re eating out. This always helps keep us in budget.
- Remain flexible – routes may have to change, activities might need be nixed but in the end, it all works out.
- Pack a separate “go bag” for single overnight stays so you’re not having to unload 4,839 things every day. I usually pack a small suitcase with stuff for all 5 of us and replace things throughout the trip so we only have to bring a few pieces of luggage at each stop.
If you’re headed to Colorado Springs this year, I hope this itinerary is helpful! Can’t wait to see where we go next!
