Nature experiences:

Garden of the gods: This is a free park in Colorado Springs that includes the iconic orange colored rocks. You can walk or drive around. There is a medium amount of flat walking but it can be shortened or adapted for kids or people with walking limitations. It is beautiful park with many picturesque spots. There is also a visitor center and gift shop that has a gorgeous view.

https://gardenofgods.com/

Palmer Park: This is our favorite park and one we went to a lot when we first started dating! It includes a playground, walking trails, and a 5 minute steep incline hike/walk which gives you a beautiful view of the town.

Peaks Pike Drive: This is a drive which is about $45 per car. You can drive all the way up to Pikes Peak Mountain and see mountains for miles! It is beautiful but beware that it is extremely high if you are afraid of heights.

https://www.pikes-peak.com/about-pikes-peak-americas-mountain/

Manitou and Cog Railway: This is 3.5 hour round trip with beautiful views of the mountains.

https://www.cograilway.com/

Cottonwood Creek Park: This is one of our favorite places to walk! It includes a walking path, soccer fields, baseball fields, playgrounds, disc golf, and a creek with rocks.

https://www.visitcos.com/directory/cottonwood-creek-complex/

Quail Lake: This is my favorite lake to paddleboard or walk around. The loop around the lake is about a mile and there are gorgeous views of the mountains, especially at sunset. There is often paddleboard rentals available too.

https://www.uncovercolorado.com/activities/quail-lake-park/

Paint Mines

Red Rocks Open Space

Manitou Incline: This is a hike with 2,768 steps. The hiking level is extreme but the views are beautiful!

https://manitousprings.org/where-to-play/manitou-incline/

Fun things to do:

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo: This is a zoo with various animals, interactive experiences, food, and beverages. Our personal favorite is feeding the giraffes lettuce for under $5. This includes a lot of walking uphill, but you can pay for golf cart access. Tickets are around $25-30 for adults and $15-20 for kids.

https://www.cmzoo.org/

Downtown Colorado Springs: This is an urban downtown with many places to eat, drink, and chop tourist style shopping. I recommend avoiding Acacia Park downtown as there are many unhoused people there, but it is easy to walk past and avoid.

Old Colorado City: This is a smaller, quaint downtown with places to eat, drink, and shop. It is a nice downtown to walk around.

https://www.shopoldcoloradocity.com/

Manitou Arcades: This is an arcade with old arcade games from olden times to the 2000s. They actually use quarters and tickets! Great ski ball and the dancing game where you step on the arrows!

https://manitouspringsarcade.com/

Wayfinder: This is one of our favorite coffeeshops! Its decor is adventure styled with delicious coffee, tea, and baked goods. It can can very busy though so I recommend going before 9am if https://wayfindercoffee.com/

The Broadmoor: This is a resort but you can visit and get food or beverages. The building is beautiful with painted ceilings, beautiful artwork, exquisite architecture, decor, and a lake. It is one of the prettiest places I have ever seen and is special to visit!

https://www.broadmoor.com/

Glen Eyrie Castle: This is a castle and conference center where you can do overnight stays or go there for their special High Tea.

https://gleneyrie.org/

Other things to do in Colorado Springs via their tourism website: https://www.visitcos.com/things-to-do/

You can also google various coffee shops, parks, lakes, farmers markets, free music, and other activities you are interested in!