Take A Look
Where to Eat Local: Outdoor Dining, Heated Patios
The last few years have seen a renaissance in the local dining scene as both the quantity and quality of restaurants has boomed. And then came COVID. It’s no...
How to Celebrate the 2020 Holidays
We can all use a little — OK, a lot — of holiday cheer this year. Fortunately, many of Colorado Springs favorite holiday traditions and events are still taking...
Blackpacker Hikes the Colorado Trail, Diversifies Outdoors
It was somewhere near the end of the Colorado Trail (CT), with hundreds of miles of trekking behind her, that Patricia Cameron, finally felt like a thru-hiker, one of those...
The Trails of Palmer Lake
Between Colorado Springs and Denver lies the Palmer Divide, an elevated ridge that creates a subtle pass between these two large cities. This ridge is better known to commuters...
50 Days, 50 Ways Challenge to Explore Colorado Springs
The temperatures are getting cooler, but there are still plenty of ways to nurture your physical and mental well-being here in Colorado Springs and El Paso County. There is...
At Least We Have a $300K Bathroom
Some may consider the arrival of a fully automated public bathroom in Old Colorado City a sign of the apocalypse, though whether it should follow the arrival of the...
Trails: Hike St. Mary’s Falls
Where to Find It: North Cheyenne Cañon Park
Distance: approximately 6.5 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: approximately 1,350 feet
Difficulty: Intermediate / Difficult
Know Before You Go: The ascent starts flat and busy, and...
Nina de Freitas: Local Artist to Watch
Colorado Springs singer-songwriter Nina de Freitas had just recovered from COVID-19 last April when she remembered the deadline for NPR’s Tiny Desk contest. Problem was, she was at her...
FAC Theatre Company Launches Audio Play Series
What’s a theater company to do when it can’t fill its live stage venue due to COVID? If you’re the Fine Arts Center Theatre Company, you go a little...
Kirkpatrick Bank in Colorado
Chairman of Kirkpatrick Bank, Christian Keesee, reflects on the history of the bank in Colorado on the eve of its 50th anniversary.
John L. Belt, a long-time advisor and friend...
Best Schools in Colorado Springs
Where will our child get the best education? How are our schools measuring up? While no school will be the perfect fit for every individual student, it can be...
Restaurant Bingo Blends Local Food and Big Prizes
At this time in a normal year, Restaurant Week would be highlighting local dining with discounted prix fixe menus and specials, but this is 2020. Instead of the usual...
Trails: Pineries Open Space
Where to Find It: Black Forest
Distance: 9 miles
Elevation Gain: approximately 500 feet
Difficulty: Easy to intermediate
Know Before You Go: The Pineries 9-mile loop has no bailout points. Once you are...
Pikes Peak APEX Is Springs’ Biggest Mountain Bike Race
If you race it, they will come—and help fund improvements to our world-class trails. That’s the idea behind the Pikes Peak APEX, the biggest mountain biking race Colorado Springs...
Sneak Peek Inside The Mae on Cascade
Standing on the sixth-floor deck on the northwestern corner of The Mae on Cascade, I can see the future of downtown Colorado Springs unfolding in real time. There’s the...
How Can A Bank Help You Manage Cash
Many business owners think of their bank as a place where they have an operating account, maybe a savings account, and a line of credit or a loan. A...
Colorado Springs Hot Air Balloons Rise Above
The Labor Day Lift Off is one of Colorado Springs best and most beautiful annual traditions. And while things will look different this year to maintain social distancing and...
How Colorado Springs Schools Are Handling Back to School
Change is the one certainty of back to school this year. Return to learning plans have been fluid as Colorado Springs school administrators have attempted to balance student, teacher...
Trails: Hiking the Mt Esther Trail
Where to Find It: Chipita Park, Ute Pass west of Colorado Springs
Distance: About 3.5 miles one way from the trailhead to Crystal Creek Reservoir
Difficulty: Difficult
Peak Elevation: 9,505 feet
Know Before...
Curbside Culture Brings the Arts Live to You
If you’re missing live music and dance, why not bring the artists to you? Curbside Culture is taking the show on the road—literally—to connect local performing artists and audiences...
Now Is the Right Time for Art on the Streets
Colorful murals and detailed sculptures have been cropping up all over downtown since May. As part of the Downtown Partnership's annual Art on the Streets exhibit, art from around...
Colorado Ski Pass Deals and Pandemic Guarantees
What will the ski season look like this year? Will there even be a ski season? As with everything during the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainty rules. What we do know...
What’s Up on the Pikes Peak Summit Complex?
It has been two years since the cranes and construction crews moved in at the summit of Pikes Peak to build a new, state-of-the-art Summit Complex. And this summer,...
Free Crafts and Drafts Passport Delivers Deals on Local Drinks
Looking for deals on your favorite local drinks, from beer and wine to craft spirits and coffee? The Colorado Springs Crafts and Drafts Passport is back.
The free digital passport...
It’s a Great Summer for Arkansas River Rafting
By the time we reach Zoom Flume rapid about halfway through Browns Canyon on the Arkansas River, I’d swear our guide is dousing me on purpose. As our raft...
How to Play on Pikes Peak This Summer
No matter where you look in Colorado Springs, there’s Pikes Peak, sending out its reassuring welcome to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. This summer is definitely not...
Dine Out Downtown Brings Expanded Patio Dining
It took a pandemic, but part of Tejon Street is now a pedestrian-only zone filled with extended patios for on-street dining—at least on Friday nights and Saturdays. Organized by...
Your PPLD Library Card Has Superpowers
If your idea of the public library is the antiquated knowledge repository of yore, then you probably haven’t been paying attention. But all the COVID-19-induced isolation at home has...
Faces and Photos of the Black Lives Matter Protests
Shortly after 46-year-old George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer over Memorial Day weekend, crowds of Black Lives Matter protestors took to the streets. What began in...
Summer Day Camp Is Open in Colorado Springs
Summer’s here, and kids are clamoring to get their adventures started. Now they have something to cheer about. Even though COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in summer plans, many...
Trail Maintenance in the Summer of COVID-19
I had been in Colorado Springs no more than two months when I found myself in the Garden of the Gods parking lot on a chilly fall morning. There...
Stellina Pizza Is a New Neighborhood Favorite
Opening a small business during a pandemic seems a bit intimidating, but that didn’t stop Stellina Pizza Cafe from opening in mid-May. As the fourth concept by the Blue...
Collaboration Is Key for Local Filmmaker
The moody music video for Jarrod Gipson’s Clockwise is bathed in stark, contrasting colors, alternating between a saturation of red and blue imagery that unfolds the intercut scenes of...
Springs Magazine and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on our economy and business, the publication of future print issues of Springs magazine has been put on hold.
We are deeply...
Kate Perdoni Is a Local Creative Force
Kate Perdoni has always had a big imagination. As a young child, the future journalist scrawled answers to imaginary inquiries asked in invisible interviews. Today Perdoni is here in...
Sustainable Outdoor Gear to Get Excited About
Outdoor Retailer’s annual Summer Market usually fills the Colorado Convention Center in Denver with every sort of gadget, gear and good imaginable for the outdoors. But like so much...
Allison Daniell Moix Processes the Pandemic Through Photos
The photos are emotive portraits and evocative streetscapes that offer human perspective on the uncertainty and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. You might have seen them on social media...
Craft Hard Seltzers in Colorado Springs
In 1993 there was Zima. In 2016, White Claw. Now we’ve reached craft hard seltzer?
“Hard seltzer is a flagship beverage at the Black Forest Brewing Company,” says Donovan...
Online Fitness Classes to Keep You Fit and Sane
Don’t let your yoga mat or running shoes sit dejected in a corner. Sure, COVID-19 has probably meant an abundance of Netflix marathons, homeschooling sessions with your fifth-grader, and...
How Green Is Colorado Springs?
Ask a range of residents, from the average citizen to the involved professional, “How green is Colorado Springs?” and the most common first response is, “Wow, that’s such a...
Where to Get Your Quarantine Cocktails To Go
While the clear winning benefit of statewide stay-at-home orders is flattening the curve of COVID-19, the best silver lining has to be the allowance for take-out cocktails. From high-end...
Digging Up the Ancient Past at Corral Bluffs
The paleontological discovery at Corral Bluffs Open Space in eastern El Paso County made national news last fall when Colorado scientists published the discovery of a trove of fossils...
Get Out, Spread Out to Keep Our Outdoors Safe
We Coloradans love our outdoors. And with COVID-19 throwing life as we know it for a loop, going outside has been the key to maintaining health, sanity and a...
Gold Hill Mesa: Creating Community on the Mesa
Drive to the Westside of Colorado Springs, along 21st Street or Lower Gold Camp Road, and into the neighborhood of Gold Hill Mesa. Ease past the community center with...
Takeout From Every Part of Town
Tired of cooking at home? Or just craving a different dish in the midst of sheltering in place? #CarryOutToCarryOn is the mantra restaurants in Colorado Springs are using as...
Local Arts and Entertainment in Your Living Room
“The internet has suddenly become the new stage,” says Andy Vick, executive director of the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.
That’s what happens when we’re all staying at...
7 Ways to Support Local Business During the Pandemic
With a statewide stay-at-home order for Colorado, it’s difficult to support local business, but there are ways even without being able to leave our homes. Here are a few...
Where to Find Home Grocery Delivery in Colorado Springs Now
At the beginning of March, before the coronavirus came to our city, I wrote an article for Springs about the convenience of getting groceries delivered to your doorstep. The...
Trails: 52 Hikes in 52 Weeks
Last January I took a little walk in the woods with my friend Tonya. Casually she mentioned an idea she found online called the 52-Hike Challenge: one hike per...
Support the Springs Helping Local Business Thrive
We’ve all felt the effects as COVID-19 has rocked the country—and world—and governments at every level have placed restrictions on businesses and the public. Small, locally-owned businesses have taken...
Books: A Reading Guide to Colorado Springs History
In the Shadow of Pikes Peak: An Illustrated History of Colorado Springs
by Mark L. Gardner, 1999
This all-ages read tells the tale of peoples who inhabited this region centuries before...
Downtown Development: Is This Our LoDo Moment?
In the ’80s and ’90s, Denver took its sketchiest urban blight and transformed it into the city’s most bustling neighborhood. Today, Denver’s LoDo boasts a major-league baseball stadium, world-class...
Humor: The Piano Mover
I’m not sure how it happened. I said: “Let’s put our house on the market.” Then it sold. I don’t think the sign was ever fully planted on the...
Divide Mayoral Race Goes to the Dogs — or Goats
The politics of Divide, west of Colorado Springs, have gone to the dogs, literally. Teller County Regional Animal Shelter (TCRAS) in Divide has held a mayoral race every two...
Cheap Eats in Colorado Springs
Who says delicious has to be expensive? These 31 dishes from all over the Springs prove otherwise. Most are under $10. Some are during happy hour; some are all...
Rosie Collins Broke Down Racial Barriers in Colorado Springs
In a time when diversity was planting its roots in Colorado Springs, African American men and women were attending and graduating from Colorado College. But it was in 1935...
Music: A Conversation With Nicholas Payton
Nicholas Payton is a force to be reckoned with. A multi-instrumentalist, visionary composer, iconoclast, Payton resides firmly at the forefront of contemporary music, pushing ensembles and audiences in new,...
Talking About the Colorado Springs Weather
You don’t have to live in here long to know that Colorado weather can be fickle. Sure, we get all that sunshine, but it’s also not unusual to get...
The Philharmonic Gets Heroic
This year marks a big birthday for Beethoven and a heroic lineup for the Colorado Springs Philharmonic. To celebrate the master composer’s 250th, international superstar violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman...
Brewing 101: A Day With Phantom Canyon’s Head Brewer
It’s easy to learn about beer in a community like Colorado Springs. Just visit any of the local breweries here, ask some questions, try some sampling flights and you’re...
Modern Architecture Roots in Colorado Springs
After the end of World War I, a movement began in central Europe that would radically alter the course of art, design, craftsmanship and architecture throughout the world.
In 1919,...
Colorado College Goes Carbon Neutral
Colorado College has achieved carbon neutrality, the school announced this week. After more than a decade of work, the achievement makes CC just “the eighth institution of higher education...
Take a New International Tour for Tasty Ethnic Cuisine
You won’t find fancy decor at all of these relatively new eateries—but you will find authentic and delicious ethnic cuisine worth seeking out.
Taste of Brasil
Eating at this Garden of...
Humor: Turned On to Turntables
It began with a simple question from my son. “Dude,” he said. “Do we have a turntable?”
Normally, my son calls me dad, but the fact that he was addressing...
30 Bucket List Events in Colorado Springs for 2020
Maybe you’ve lived here for years. Maybe you’re a newcomer to Colorado Springs. Maybe you go every year to (fill in the blank for your favorite). Maybe you’ve just...
The Man Behind the Maps: Ski Artist James Niehues
If you ski or snowboard, then it’s most likely that James Niehues has been your guide. Over the course of nearly three decades, Niehues has illustrated more than 200...
Where to Get in the Local Rec League Hockey Game
You’ll find the likes of the Hooligans, Vicious Pickles, Donut Bumpers and other uniquely named teams on local ice rinks. Adult rec league hockey is alive and well in...
Prospect Lake: Historical Recreation Hub
With the mountainous backdrop of Pikes Peak and its central location just east of downtown, Prospect Lake has been a longtime centerpiece of Colorado Springs recreation.
General William Jackson...
Favorite Trails for the Out-of-Town Guests
You’ll find something for everyone among these local trails, from icons to less-crowded alternatives, where you can satisfy the ambitious visitors or torture the ones driving you crazy.
For...
Leading Couples of Colorado Springs Theater
Have you noticed how talent seems to come in pairs? Theater couples. They’re as common on local stages as blocking tape. They’re actors, directors, producers, often collaborating to bring...
How to Pamper Your Pets
When you’re putting together your holiday gift lists, don’t forget the four-legged members of your household. Just remember that grabbing a random bag of chewies from a register line...
MuttRuk Packs for People With Pups
Sometimes pampering your pets means treating yourself too. One of the newest dog-friendly items on the market arrives courtesy of local company MuttRuk. After a successful Kickstarter campaign in...
Q&A: UCCS Chancellor Venkat Reddy
With more than 12,000 students, funded partnership with the National Cybersecurity Center, and the state-of-the-art William J. Hybl Sports Medicine and Performance Center opening next year, Chancellor...
Trails: Hiking Pulpit Rock
Where to Find It: Beside the I-25 and N. Nevada intersection. The small trailhead parking lot is at 6411 N. Nevada Ave. just north of the small shopping center....
Give the Gift of Experience
Know that person who’s just so hard to buy for? Want to create memories that will last much longer than another sweater? This is the year to give the...
Hazel Miller: Colorado’s Queen of Jazz, Soul and R&B
If you take the underground transport after landing at Denver International Airport, there’s a chance you’ll hear a soulful jazz singer welcoming you. “I haven’t heard it myself …...
Weird Beer You Have to Try in Colorado Springs
Who doesn’t like variety at least once in a while? I admit I’m not the most discerning beer drinker. But as a recent craft beer convert, I don’t have...
Where the Spirits Lead on the Colorado Spirits Trail
In 2004, George Washington’s—yes, that President Washington’s—commercial distillery was about to get a historic face-lift in Mount Vernon, Virginia. Just as one important chapter in America’s distilling history was...
Colorado Craft Spirits Gems and Limited Releases
Take a journey on the Colorado Spirits Trail, follow the map of distillers around Colorado, and you'll discover some hidden treasures among Colorado craft spirits. Here are some of the best gems along...
Woodshed Red’s Jam
It’s opening night under the striped tent of MeadowGrass festival last Memorial Day weekend, and as headliners Woodshed Red take the stage, fans in the front are already dancing...
A New Namaste With Yoga and Brews
Of all the quirky yoga classes around Colorado's Front Range—from stand-up paddleboard yoga to yoga with wolves, goats or kangaroos—there is a class where yogis find their asana amid...
A Wine Lover Learns Beer
In my 20s I was a Budweiser gal. What can I say? It was the beer of choice for my Monsignor Murphy’s dart team, and I’m a team player....
Midtown Collection Delivers Modern Versatility
The old adage that “necessity is the mother of invention” seems to be true in real estate too. At least it has been particularly salient for Colorado Springs’ market...
Dutch Clark: The Legendary Flying Dutchman
In 1963, 17 athletes were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s inaugural class, including a quarterback from rural Colorado named Earl “Dutch” Clark. Born in 1906 in...
Climbing Over Fear on the Springs’ Via Ferrata
"Grab the top of that ledge, latch your chili bean and let go!” says Alex Hesler, outdoor attraction manager at Cave of the Winds.
He’s encouraging me to hang by...
Under the Dome at the USAFA Planetarium
Ask Judy Cara what her favorite film currently playing at the United States Air Force Academy’s planetarium is and her eyes brighten as she smiles and says, “Humpback Whales.”
“It’s...
10 Favorite Fall Hikes In and Around Colorado Springs
There’s an added beauty when those golden aspen groves light up the trail and hillsides. These 10 trails will take you into the seasonal color show, or in some...
Favorite Colorado Fall Color Drives
Warm sun lingers, but a slight chill in the air whispers the inevitable: Change is coming. The new season beckons us to the high country where Colorado’s iconic aspen...
Healthcare Heroes 2019
If you ask the men and women in these pages what makes a hero, they point to their teams and teammates and those faithfully serving others. They seem genuinely...
Doggy Day Out
You hear the howls, the barks, the whimpers of dogs in their chainlink kennels when you walk into an animal shelter. Then you lock eyes with a dog and...
3 Grilling Recipes from Colorado Springs Chefs
We’re standing at autumn’s door, but before it opens to peak views of golden aspens, there are plenty of prime days ahead for backyard grilling and patio chilling. Here...
Fly High at the National Museum of World War II Aviation
The stars of the show at the National Museum of World War II Aviation are the 35 aircraft, 24 of which can still fly. Visitors can self-guide their way...
Colorado Springs Museums: Tour the Town
Think of museums as stuffy, static and boring? Think again. Colorado Springs is home to a rich collection of organizations and assemblages that bring to life history, science, technology,...
More to Training Than the Mileage
Whether you’re a runner, cyclist, hiker or just plain active Coloradan, summer is prime time for that big race, ride or trek. But there’s more than just putting in...
The Modbo: A Decade of Dedication
"You need art. Art needs you.”
This potent motto has fueled the Modbo gallery since it opened in a small storage outbuilding in an alley off Bijou and Tejon streets...
The Magical World of Cosmo Solano
You’ll never see Cosmo Solano on America’s Got Talent. Not for lack of skills or talent—the magician has trained with industry legends and produced magic products for other professionals....
Tom Hirt: Cowboy Hat Maker for the Movies
You could say that Tom Hirt began his career as a dead guy.
Cast as Mark Harmon’s stand-in in the 1978 Western Comes a Horseman, Hirt took the role...
Trails: Blodgett Peak and Blodgett Peak Open Space
Where to Find It: Northwest Colorado Springs, Blodgett Peak Open Space
Distance: 5.2 miles out-and-back to summit, other trails available
Difficulty: Advanced
Peak Elevation: 9,423 feet
Know Before You Go: Lower trails in...
100 Things to Do in Colorado Springs Before You Die
Have you ever been to the Western Jubilee, National Museum of World War II Aviation or Paint Mines Interpretive Park? There’s no shortage of things to do in Colorado...
We Got the Sauce: New York Pizza in Colorado Springs
New York transplant Phil Ginsburg peers into the window of a local pizzeria, sees a young hipster with a long, meticulously manicured beard tossing dough, and shakes his head.
“They...
