A Colorado Springs Staycation Guide

Today, I'm guest blogging over on Hope's blog about the top ten things to do in Colorado Springs for a staycation... in my opinion! I may not live there anymore, but the four years I was fortunate enough to, it felt like home.

Be sure to check out the post here and give Hope's blog some love!


    

Top 10 Things to Do in Colorado Springs, CO

Have you ever been to Colorado Springs? Do you have a trip planned in the future? If so, check out this list of places you HAVE to see while you're here! Dan and I are including an insert with our wedding invitations that list these attractions since there will be a long break between our wedding ceremony and our reception. Plus, many of our guests are making a vacation out of their trip, so we thought we'd help them out with these ideas!

Garden of the Gods
Location: 1805 N 30^th Street Colorado Springs, CO 80904
Hours: 8:00AM – 8:00PM
Admission: free

Pikes Peak Cog Railway
Location: 515 Ruxton Avenue Manitou Springs, CO 80829
Hours: 9:00AM – 3:00PM
Admission: $35 (book ahead)

Seven Falls
Location: 2850 S Cheyenne Canyon Road Colorado Springs, CO 80906
Hours: 8:30AM – 10:00PM
Admission: $9.25

US Olympic Training Center
Location: 1750 E Boulder Street Colorado Springs, CO 80909
Hours: 9:00AM – 4:30PM
Admission: free

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Location: 4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Road Colorado Springs, CO 80906
Hours: 9:00AM – 6:00PM
Admission: $17.25 (and totally worth it!)

Manitou Cliff Dwellings
Location: 10 Cliff Road Manitou Springs, CO 80829
Hours: 9:00AM – 6:00PM
Admission: $9.50

Cave of the Winds
Location: 100 Cave of the Winds Road Manitou Springs, CO 80829
Hours: 9:00AM – 9:00PM
Admission: $18

US Air Force Academy
Location: 4700 Ponderosa Drive USAF Academy, CO 80840
Hours: 8:00AM – 6:00PM
Admission: free
*visitors must go in North Gate unless they have a military ID or a cadet escort

Red Rock Canyon Open Space
Location: 3550 W High Street Colorado Springs, CO 80904
Hours: from dawn until dusk
Admission: free

The Broadmoor
Location: 1 Lake Avenue Colorado Springs, CO 80906
Hours: hours vary
Admission: free to walk around

*Please note that many of these attractions offer discounts for military personnel, students, and children.

• Have you been to Colorado Springs?
• What is YOUR favorite attraction?
• What's the best thing to do where YOU live?

21st Century: Meeting Internet Friends

Warning: This story is going to sound super strange, but I promise it's not THAT weird.

When I was 13, I found a forum online. I started posting there, and I made several friends from all over the world. Now, I'm 26, and I still keep in touch with many of those people. It's so great having friends on several different continents! That said, I became very close friends with a girl my age named Lucy. We talked and talked. We noticed we have MANY similarities. We are "twins". The problem? She is from England. SO FAR AWAY.

When Dan found out he was heading to England for three weeks in the summer of 2012 for Air Force OPS, I instantly knew he had to meet Lucy for me. Luckily, he was able to. She showed him around London, and he even got to go out with Lucy, her boyfriend Simon, and some of their friends. I WAS SO JEALOUS.

And then she planned a visit to the USA for June of 2013. TALK ABOUT ECSTATIC! We planned for MONTHS on end, figuring out all the fun things we would do while she was here. She came with her boyfriend, Simon, and Dan took his three weeks of leave while they were in town.

We showed them all around Colorado, and then we drove to the Grand Canyon. We checked out the Hoover Dam and stayed for a few days in Las Vegas. Their trip concluded with more wonderful tourist spots in Colorado. WE HAD A BLAST. I did not want them to leave. Thankfully, they are coming back out next May for our wedding, and Dan and I will be staying with them for the last few days of our honeymoon.

It's truly WONDERFUL having such a great friend, despite the fact that she lives all the way across the ocean. Isn't technology AMAZING???

I hope you enjoyed the exorbitant amount of pictures of us posing with things. We didn't mean to take so many, and Dan and Simon were definitely not impressed. They had a wonderful time too, though, and they even got to have some guy time. They were SO SICK of taking pictures for us by the end of the trip (or maybe by the second day).