Where do you go when you travel full-time but need a little weekend getaway? Manitou Springs, Colorado, a charming historic small-town just outside of Colorado Springs that is active, affordable, and a little quirky.
I’m just back from my second solo trip to Manitou Springs in the past few years and wanted to share some ideas while they are fresh. The following are my suggested one, two, and three day itineraries, depending on how much time you have, as well as links to resources to help you learn more and plan your trip. But don’t be afraid to mix it up to make it a trip YOU will love.
1, 2, & 3 Day Itineraries
Day 1: Find Your Zen with Gods and Yoga
Get Some Good Karma
Start your day with good coffee, good food, and good karma at Good Karma Cafe, a local favorite that offers a wide variety of hot breakfast choices. Get out of your comfort zone and try the smoked trout benedict, unique and tasty.
Walk with the Gods
Next, it’s time for the one thing you must do if you are in Manitou Springs, Colorado: visit the Garden of the Gods (“GOG”). The Garden of the Gods is a National Natural Landmark full of unique red rock formations, and it is f-r-e-e forever thanks to Charles Elliott Perkins and family. But don’t dilly dally after breakfast because GOG gets busy….fast during the day.
Start your Garden of the Gods adventure with the Perkins Central Garden Trail, a paved 1.5 mile trail that boasts some of the park’s most impressive formations and is accessible to visitors of all fitness levels including wheelchair users and families with strollers.
How much exploring you do beyond the Central Garden Trail and the form it takes is up to you. Biking, hiking, climbing (permits required), and finding a quiet rock to meditate on are all good options. You can also check with the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center to see what kinds of educational programs and periodic events are available during your visit.
Eat & Explore
Grab a delicious house-ground burger at Manitou Spring’s Border Burger Bar. Then spend some time exploring historic, walkable Manitou Springs.
The downtown is small but packed with restaurants, shops, bars, and historic sites. Among the things, you can play a few games at the Penny Arcade, go for a tour and tea at Miramont Castle, and drink from one of Manitou Springs multiple mineral spring drinking fountains (pro tip: start with a small sip, it’s an acquired taste).
Zen Out
Embrace Manitou’s modern hippie vibe and work out any kinks from your travels or time in Garden of the Gods with a yoga class in one of SunWater Spa’s zen-like studio spaces. Yin and fireplace yoga are particularly relaxing. For more options, you can check out yoga studios in Colorado Springs.
Chow Down
Balance out your burger from earlier with dinner at Adam’s Mountain Cafe, a restaraunt that focuses on serving fresh, hand-made dishes for all diets including vegetarian and vegan. The dishes are on the higher end of the spectrum but the atmosphere is decidedly possible. Adam’s has earned its strong reputation through more than 30-years of serving the Manitou community and visitors.
Day 2: Hike then Soak Away Soreness
Morning Meal
Start Your Morning with coffee + a bite at cozy casual Red Dog Coffee. The quick, counter service cafe offers a wide variety of breakfast options from a la carte classics like scrambled eggs to breakfast burritos to bakery items.
Hike it Out
Once you’re fueled up, grab your day-pack and head for a hike. There are ample options within a 5 – 15 minute drive of downtown Manitou Springs. If you want a guaranteed sweat session, try the local fitness challenge: The Manitou Incline, 2,700 stairs created from former railroad ties that will take you on a vertical journey of about 2,000 feet of climbing in just under a mile.
If you’re less inclined to undertake a stair suffer-fest, you should still head towards the Manitou Incline Basecamp. Spend a few minutes watching the hikers and runners on the Incline before moving on over to the more scenic Barr Trail (a trail which I recommend incline hikers take on the way down) which offers plenty of scenic views. Take the Barr trail up to the top of the Incline stairs or turn-around once you’ve had your fill.
Experienced peak baggers can take the Barr Trail alllllll the way up to the more than 14,000 foot tall summit of Pike’s Peak, a journey of about 13 miles (one-way) and 7,500+ feet of elevation gain. If you take this option, skip Red Dog Coffee and opt for a breakfast you can take on the road so you can get the necessary early start for safety reasons.
Mid-Day Middle Eastern
After you’ve worked up an appetite, it’s time to fill up on grape leaves, Gyros, falafel, tabouleh, and other middle eastern treats at The Sahara Cafe, a no frills, diner style restaurant that let’s its delicious food speak for itself. Follow it up with baklava, mamoul, or ice cream for dessert, and if you need a little pick me up, Turkish Coffee.
Soak Your Weary Bones
After two active days, reward yourself with a soaking session at SunWater Spa. A two-hour soak pass gets you access to the Spa’s seven outdoor mineral water hot tubs filled with water from the Seven Minute Spring, chlorinated hot and cool plunge, sauna, and indoor garden saline pool.
For extra relaxation, stay a while and indulge in a massage, facial, or other spa service. Schedule it ahead of time to ensure availability.
Cheers to a Great Day!
Get dressed, as casually as you like, and head over to Manitou Brewing Co. to celebrate the end of a good day with local craft beers and solid bar food favorites. Or, if wine is more of your thing, check out the whimsically decorated Swirl Wine Bar, which offers ample small and larger food options to partner with your vino.
If you have energy to spare and a higher alcohol tolerance than I do, you can check out both, or add-on one or more of Manitou Springs’ other local watering holes.
DAY 2 PLANNING RESOURCES
The Manitou Incline
What I Packed in my Day Pack for the Manitou Incline
Ten Essentials for Day Hikes
Visit CO Springs: Hiking Pike’s Peak
AllTrails: Manitou Incline/Barr Trail
AllTrails: Barr Trail to Pike’s Peak Summit
Red Dog Coffee
The Sahara Cafe
Swirl Wine Bar
Manitou Brewing Co.
Day 3: Easy Excursion
Pancakes
Start the day off at Uncle Sam’s Pancake House because it’s a local classic and because pancakes are delicious…especially when someone else is making them.
Easy Excursion & Eat
Take an excursion out of town and explore some of the region’s attractions. Some popular nearby attractions include: Pike’s Peak (drive, hike, or train), Old Colorado City (town exploration), Cave of the Winds (adventure park), The Broadmoor’s Seven Falls (waterfall walk), and the Manitou Cliff Dwellings.
If you’re open to a slightly longer drive, the Royal Gorge, is a reasonable 65 miles away, and historic Cripple Creek is 40 miles away.
Depending on how much time you have and which ones you are interested in, you even be able to squeeze in two. For convenience, find a spot to grab lunch near your excursion of choice.
The Thing You’ve Been Meaning to Do
Close out your trip by doing the thing, or things depending on how much time you have left, you’ve been meaning to do but haven’t gotten to. Maybe there’s something in town you haven’t seen, or a restaurant someone recommended that you haven’t gotten to, or maybe you just want to sit and read a book in your hotel. Whatever you want to do, do it.
Getting There and Lodging
Manitou Springs is a short hour and a half (or less) drive from Denver and a half, or a very short 25 minute trip from Colorado Springs Airport. Click to check flight prices on SkyScanner.
There is lodging within downtown Manitou Springs that is walkable to restaurants, bars, and other in-town activities. There is also ample lodging outside of the downtown strip both within Manitou Springs (mostly motels) and in nearby Colorado Springs. Click to check prices and reviews on TripAdvisor.
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