11 New Summer Adventures in the Colorado Springs Area

Many consider summertime to be the perfect season to visit Colorado, thanks to warm weather, sunny skies, and countless opportunities for adventure. Below you’ll find a few of the most exciting new things to do in the Colorado Springs area this year.

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Outdoor Adventures

1. Royal Gorge Bridge and Park’s Via Ferrata

As if the Royal Gorge couldn’t be more exhilarating, the park introduces a Via Ferrata on their 90th anniversary in 2019. This is Colorado’s newest adventure, which translates to “iron road” and was first built in the Alps as a protected climbing route that dates back to World War I. Now, Colorado’s newest mountaineering course is open at the Royal Gorge in Cañon City where daredevils can maneuver the granite walls during a guided tour.

Visit royalgorgebridge.com for more information and to book.

2. Cave of the Winds Mountain Park’s Frontier Zip Lines

Soar along two zip lines 80 feet above the bottom of Williams Canyon in Colorado Springs at the  Mountain Park’s newest attraction. This above-ground adventure will have you zipping through the air for more than a quarter-mile with views of both the city and the mountains. The zip lines are also part of the Via Ferrata Canyon Tour if you’d like to add that to your action-packed experience. 

Visit caveofthewinds.com for more information

3. Sunrise Wolf Yoga

Welcome the light of day with the wolves, foxes and coyotes that live at the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center in Divide. You’ll master a “downward wolf” pose in class before touring the animal enclosures. The tour is a 30-minute educational experience and will end with a group wolf howl to make you feel closer than ever to nature.

Visit www.wolfeducation.org to view schedules and make your reservation

4. Cheyenne Mountain State Park’s Dixon Trail

After nearly a decade of planning, the trail that summits Colorado Springs’ second-most popular mountain — Cheyenne Mountain — is open to hikers, but the trek isn’t easy. The roughly 15-mile-long hike navigates nearly 3,000 feet in elevation gain from the trailhead. Bikers and equestrians can access the trail only to the 2.5-mile mark, then the rest is for the strong-legged. The views over the city and the towering antenna farm of NORAD is a one-of-a-kind sight, but perhaps early in the day before an afternoon thunderstorm rolls in.

Visit https://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/CheyenneMountain for more information and rules of the trail

Museums and Exhibitions

1. Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College’s World of Wearable Art

Discover how fashion meets fine art in this international touring exhibition from New Zealand’s largest art show. There will be 32 displays of wearable art procured from materials like zip ties, stainless steel mesh, wood, metal and other things. The collection, on display through September 22, 2019, demonstrates how artists are challenged to see the human body as a blank canvas.

Visit www.csfineartscenter.org for more information

2. Build! a Martian Habitat and Explore Life Off Earth

Ever wonder what it’s like to live on Mars? Discover what it takes to live on the red planet this summer at the Space Foundation Discover Center. This exhibit requires tinkering, building and experimenting. Lessons on 3D printing, what it’s like to live in small spaces, space materials and skills to build houses of the future make for a unique family experience.

Visit www.discoverspace.org for more information

3. Money of Empire: Elizabeth to Elizabeth

Explore the development of the modern world through money and medals of the British Empire from its beginnings under Elizabeth I. The treasures illustrate the development of the Empire and its influence on today through an exhibition put on by the American Numismatic Association.

Visit www.money.org for more information

4. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Water’s Edge: Africa

A wave of excitement and experience unlike any other in Colorado is coming to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs in the fall of 2019. Water’s Edge: Africa is the zoo’s newest exhibit for penguins, hippos and other aquatic animals that will give visitors a cool time. Humans can look over the hippos from a suspension bridge, watch the lemurs wander around their own island, and even waddle among the penguins. Other close-ups with the animals at the zoo include feeding the giraffes, the elephants and the black rhino.

Visit www.cmzoo.org for more information

Food and Lodging

1. Rocky Mountain Food Tours

Get dolled-up for an upscale “night on the town” in Colorado Springs at the Pikes Peak Progressive Dinner. For guests 21-years and older, the Springs Signature Cocktail Tour is a luxe happy hour that celebrates local spirits and innovative bartenders. You’ll be served four portioned signature cocktails paired with appetizers while you learn about the history of the prohibition in the Wild West.

Visit www.rockymountainfoodtours.com for more information

2. ColoRADo Adventure Hostel

This “home away from home” is passionate about creating an impactful experience for guests of Colorado. Each room is themed of state landmarks, including The Broadmoor Seven Falls and the Great Sand Dunes. There is an all-female dorm room with majestic purple mountains and there’s even a 420-friendly option. There are 66 beds available year-round and the murals are the works of local artists.

Visit radhostel.com for more information and bookings

3. Great Wolf Lodge Day Pass

Spend a day at the waterpark inside this lodge for unlimited splashes, slides and howls. The water is at a comfortable 84-degrees and there are over 50 activities to splash through. There’s the Howlin’ Tornado, a thrilling funnel ride that dumps you into a pool below and the Slap Tail Pond, a wave pool to complete this waterpark adventure.

Visit www.greatwolf.com for more information and day passes