60 Best Sights in South Central Colorado, Colorado

Discovered by two boys in 1880, the cave has been exploited as a tourist sensation ever since. The only way to enter the site is by purchasing a tour, but once inside the cave you'll forget the hype and commercialism of the gimmicky entrance. The cave contains examples of every major sort of limestone formation, from icicle-shaped stalactites and stump-like stalagmites to delicate anthodite crystals (or cave flowers), flowstone (or frozen waterfalls), and cave popcorn. Enthusiastic guides host easy 45-minute walking tours, adventurous cave expeditions, and lantern tours that last 1½ hours. An outdoor ropes course and rides like the Terror-dactyl, which swings riders off a 200-foot cliff, offer more fun outside of the cave.

Taking its own name from the many peaks named after famous universities, the 168,000-acre Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area includes eight mountains that tower more than 14,000 feet high. Forty miles of the Continental Divide snake through the area as well. The most compelling reason to visit Buena Vista is for the almost unequaled variety of hikes, climbs, biking trails, and fishing streams here. (Keep an eye out for hot springs, too.) Two ranger offices, one in Leadville and one in Salida, handle inquiries about this region.

These magnificent, eroded red-sandstone formations—from gnarled jutting spires to sensuously abstract monoliths—were sculpted more than 300 million years ago. Follow the road as it loops past such oddities as the Three Graces, the Siamese Twins, and the Kissing Camels or get an up-close look at the rocks with a guided climbing expedition booked at the visitor center. High Point, near the south entrance, provides camera hounds with the ultimate photo op: a formation known as Balanced Rock and jagged formations that frame Pikes Peak. The visitor center has maps of the trails and several geological, historical, and interactive hands-on displays, as well as a café. It's a short, paved hike into the park from the parking lot.

With Navajo silver and Hopi pottery, the Koshare Indian Museum contains extensive holdings of Native American artifacts and crafts. It also displays pieces from Anglo artists, such as Remington, known for their depictions of Native Americans. The Koshare Indian Dancers—actually local youth—perform regularly.

Once a separate, rowdier town where miners caroused, today the stretch of Colorado Avenue between 24th Street and 28th Street, west of downtown, is a quaint National Historic District whose restored buildings house galleries and boutiques as well as kitschy shops, sidewalk cafés, and restaurants.

If you want to see the view from the top of Pikes Peak, head up this 14,115-foot-high mountain by car, train, or in a pair of hiking boots if you've got the stamina. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, visitors can drive to the summit ($15 per passenger or $50 per car) but reservations are required. The newly renovated cog train offers an alternative for those looking to avoid hairpin turns and sharp drop-offs on the highway. It's also convenient when the weather closes the road. Gaining nearly 7,400 feet in elevation, the 27-mile round trip hike is grueling. The steep, rocky terrain causes unstable footing, and unpredictable weather can be treacherous year-round, which is why many hikers camp at Barr Camp after mile 6 before the final uphill slog.  Shuttles are available to take hikers either up or down the mountain, cutting the hike in half. 

Once at the top, stop for a doughnut at the Pikes Peak Summit House café and trading post. Whichever route you choose to take up the prominent peak, you'll understand why the pioneers heading West via wagon train used to say: "Pikes Peak or Bust."

Cañon City is the gateway to the Royal Gorge, whose canyon walls tower up to 1,200 feet high and were carved by the Arkansas River more than 3 million years ago. The famed Royal Gorge War between the Denver & Rio Grande and Santa Fe railroads occurred here in 1877. The battle was over the right-of-way through the canyon, which could only accommodate one rail line. Rival crews would lay tracks during the day and dynamite each other's work at night. The dispute was finally settled in court—the Denver & Rio Grande won. Today there's a commercially run site, the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, along one part of the gorge. A wildfire swept through this region in 2013, but quick-acting locals revived the touristic hub, which launched a new children's area in 2015. Rafting remains a strong and prosperous draw to the region.

This pink-stucco Italianate complex, built in 1918, is truly one of the world's finest luxury resorts. Even if you don't stay here, stop by for lunch on one of the many restaurant patios in summer and to take a paddleboat ride on Lake Cheyenne, which anchors several of the resort's buildings. The Sunday brunch here is legendary (reservations are almost mandatory), and don't miss Play, the hotel's new gaming bar with six luxurious lanes of bowling, shuffleboard, and plenty of other diversions.

The academy, which set up camp in 1954, is one of the most popular attractions in Colorado. Highlights include the futuristic design, 18,500 beautiful acres of land, and antique and historic aircraft displays. At the visitor center you'll find photo exhibits, a model of a cadet's room, a gift shop, a snack bar in the summer, and a film highlighting the history and bravery of the Air Force. Other stops on the self-guided tour include a B-52 display, sports facilities, and the chapel. Some days you can catch the impressive cadet lunch formation that begins between 11:30 and noon. The Air Force chapel, which can accommodate simultaneous Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant services, is easily recognized by its unconventional design featuring 17 spires that resemble airplane wings. Visitors can enter only through the North and South gates.

Unlike what its silver exterior suggests, this 60-000-square-foot museum is a gold-medal experience for visitors of all ages and one of the most inclusive and accessible museums in the world. Race a virtual Olympian on the rubber track or try to keep a skeleton bobsled on course at the interactive athlete training exhibit, which also features hands-on archery, skiing, and goalball (a soccer-like game played by the visually impaired) games. After checking in, visitors work their way through three floors of displays that seamlessly combine Olympic and Paralympic history, uniforms, ice skates, running shoes, a dented rugby wheelchair, helmets, and other gear. Highlights include the Hall of Fame; a display case filled with Olympic torches, including those used in the more recent Atlanta, Sydney, Sochi, and PyeongChang games; and a gift shop where you can "virtually" try on apparel. Electronic visitor passes allow you to quickly find your favorite sports and learn about your favorite athletes as you make your way through the museum; you can also save the information to an online locker for future reading. Don't miss one of the last and most popular exhibits—one of the most complete collections of Olympic medals in the world. If you're lucky, you might even hear staff cheering as current and former Olympians visit the museum, which is located next to America the Beautiful Park connecting to miles of walking and biking trails. Hour-long guided tours are available.

This five-story tower was dedicated in 1937, after a tragic plane crash claimed the life of Will Rogers, America's favorite—and funniest—cowboy. The shrine's viewing deck provides an impressive panoramic view of Colorado Springs and the surrounding area. The tower interior is painted with all manner of Western murals in which Colorado Springs benefactor Spencer Penrose figures prominently, and is plastered with photos and homespun sayings of Rogers. In the chapel are 15th- and 16th-century European artworks.

The campus here contains several superlative examples of 1930s WPA-commissioned murals in its administrative building. The college's Luther Bean Museum and Art Gallery displays European porcelain and furniture collections, and exhibits of regional arts and crafts.

Less than an hour's drive southwest of Great Sand Dunes is a sanctuary for songbirds, waterbirds, and raptors (it's also home to many other types of birds, along with mule deer, beavers, and coyotes). The Rio Grande runs through the park comprising more than 12,000 acres of natural and man-made wetlands. You can take a 4-mile hike round-trip along the river or a 3½-mile wildlife drive on the park's western side or a drive along Bluff Road to an overlook on the park's eastern side. The refuge office is staffed by volunteers sporadically from March through November and closed in winter, but a self-service kiosk provides visitor information year-round.

About 8 miles east of La Junta, Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site painstakingly re-creates what life was like in this adobe fort. The 1840s fort was situated along the commercially vital Santa Fe Trail, providing both protection and a meeting place for the soldiers, trappers, and traders of the era. The museum's interior reveals daily life at a trading post, providing looks at a smithy and carpenter's workshop and featuring educational films and guided tours.

This elaborate creation, which resembles a medieval castle replete with turrets, buttresses, and ornamental iron, is the prodigious (some might say monomaniacal) one-man undertaking of Jim Bishop, a self-taught architect who began work in 1959. Once considered a blight on pastoral Route 165, the castle is now a popular attraction. Not yet complete, it is three stories high with a nearly 165-foot tower. Those who endeavor to climb into the structure must sign the guest book–cum–liability waiver. Bishop finances this enormous endeavor through donations and a gift shop.

Ranked among the best in the country, the Buell Children's Museum provides fun, interactive experiences for kids of all ages. The 12,000-square-foot facility has innovative exhibits on art, science, and history. It's in the same complex as the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center.

America's only mountain zoo, at 6,700 feet, has nearly 1,000 animals housed amid mossy boulders and ponderosa pines. You can hand-feed the giraffe herd in the zoo's African Rift Valley, ride the chairlift-style, open-air Sky Ride, and check out the animals living in Primate World, Rocky Mountain Wild, or the Asian Highlands.

The fine City Park has fishing lakes, playgrounds, a carousel, a mini train ride, tennis courts, and a swimming pool.

This entire town is a National Historic District, and it's the most significant example of a turn-of-the-20th-century coal-coke camp in Colorado. As you drive through the area, note the telltale streaks of black in the sandstone and granite bluffs fronting the Purgatoire River and its tributaries, the unsightly slag heaps, and the spooky abandoned mining camps dotting the hillsides.

This regional museum has a fine permanent collection of modern art and excellent rotating exhibits. Some highlight the cultural contributions of regional artists; others focus on famous artists such as the glassmaker Dale Chihuly and American pop artist Andy Warhol. Enjoy the view of Pikes Peak and the mountains from the patio in the summer.

Downtown Trinidad, called the Corazón de Trinidad, is a National Historic District, mixing historic original brick-paved streets and architecture with modern concerts, restaurants, shops, and festivals. Residents and officials recently launched a bit of a revival here with big plans for the creative district.

The museum set in five historic buildings—including a vintage railway depot—contains a vast collection of artifacts, photos, and exhibits that provide a glimpse into mining life at the turn of the 20th century.

Take a day trip on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, an 1880s steam locomotive that chugs through portions of Colorado's and northern New Mexico's rugged mountains that you can't reach via roads. It's the country's longest and highest steam-operated railroad. The company offers round-trip train routes, several bus-and-train combinations, one-way trips, and themed rides.

A nicely designed repository for the city's history, El Pueblo History Museum extends its scope to chronicle life on the plains dating back before Colorado statehood. It tells of Pueblo's role as a cultural and geographic crossroads, beginning when it was a trading post in the 1840s. Hands-on features—a giant teepee where guests can go inside and play historic drum replicas; a dress-up chest full of pioneer clothing and hats; and a covered wagon that is just the right height for small hands to discover the trinkets on board—make this museum fun for the whole family. Remnants of the original trading post are now an archaeological dig enclosed in a pavilion next to the museum.

Once a temperate subtropical climate, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument was perfectly preserved by volcanic ash and mud flow 34 million years ago. This little-known site is a haven for paleontologists. The visitor center offers a daily guided walk and ranger talks in the amphitheater in summer, or you can follow the more than 14 miles of well-marked hiking trails and lose yourself in the remnants of petrified redwoods from the Eocene epoch. Once a month, you can lose yourself in the star-filled skies with the park's Night Sky Programs. Certified as an International Dark Sky Park and featuring volunteer astronomers from the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society who bring additional telescopes and insights, it's worth planning a late-afternoon visit/hike to then hang out for an evening of galaxy-viewing. See the website for their schedule.

One of Colorado's first military posts, Fort Garland was established in 1858 to protect settlers. It lies in the shadow of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The mountains were named for the "Blood of Christ" because of their ruddy color, especially at dawn. The legendary Kit Carson commanded the outfit, and some of the original adobe structures are still standing. The Fort Garland Museum features a re-creation of the commandant's quarters and period military displays. The museum is 16 miles north of San Luis via Route 159 and 24 miles east of Alamosa via U.S. 160.

You can see and hear a real player piano and a nickelodeon at this indoor "town," a permanent example of Colorado’s Wild West towns complete with a stable, general store, saloon, and smithy. There's also gold panning in the summer.

From Trinidad, the scenic Highway of Legends curls north through the Cuchara Valley. As it starts its climb, you'll pass a series of company towns built to house coal miners. The Highway of Legends, also known as Route 12, takes you through some of the wildest and most beautiful scenery in southern Colorado. You can start the drive in Trinidad or La Veta.

Stroll on the paths or take to the water on a boat tour or in a paddleboat to explore this 32-acre urban waterfront park. Boat rides are available at the riverwalk center at 101 South Union Avenue.