9 Best Things to Do in Colorado Springs That Are Actually Worth It

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Colorado Springs has a reputation for scenery — big mountains, bigger skies — but knowing what to actually do once you get here is another thing entirely. These eight experiences go deeper than a windshield tour of Pikes Peak. Some will feed you, some will scare you (in the best way), one will put you 14,000 feet in the air. All of them are worth your time and your planning.

On the Ground and Going Deep

1. Classic 3-Hour Food Tour in Colorado Springs

Credit: Classic 3

Downtown Colorado Springs smells like roasted coffee and century-old brick in the morning, and this three-hour walking tour is the best excuse to slow down and actually taste it. You'll hit four or five local restaurants, hole-in-the-walls, and artisan shops — enough food for a full lunch — while your guide unpacks the city's gold rush past and points out the 300-plus works of public art that most visitors walk right past. The tour kicks off inside the historic Antlers Hotel lobby, where parking is validated, so there's no scramble. You leave with a full stomach and a completely different read on downtown.

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2. Colorado Springs - Guided Walking Ghost / History Tour

Credit: Colorado Springs

Old Colorado City has stories that didn't make the brochures. This 90-minute ghost and history tour mixes documented local events with the genuinely unsettling — buildings with odd histories, neighborhoods most visitors never reach, and guides who clearly relish the weird stuff. It's participatory if you want it to be, low-key if you don't. The mix of historical fact and local legend keeps it moving, and the group tends to loosen up fast. Go on a clear night when the old streetlamps are doing most of the work. You'll leave knowing this city has more layers than it lets on.

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3. Ebike 2 Hour Rental Experience in Manitou Springs, Colorado

Credit: Viator

Manitou Springs moves at its own speed — art galleries, mineral springs, the kind of main street that rewards wandering — and the best way to cover it without destroying your legs is an electric bike. This two-hour rental comes with a thorough orientation before they send you off, plus directions to one of the area's best parks, only six minutes from the shop. The Ebikes themselves are high-end and well-maintained, which matters when you're climbing. It's light enough to feel like cheating, strong enough to make the hills disappear. Go on a weekday if you can.

Up High and Then Some

4. Colorado Springs Sunrise Balloon Ride

Credit: Colorado Springs Sunrise Balloon Ride

The sound is almost nothing — a periodic rush of the burner, then silence, then the whole Front Range spread out below you in the early light. The Colorado Springs Sunrise Balloon Ride lifts you over the Pikes Peak region just as the sky goes from purple to gold, and the views stretch in every direction farther than feels real. The three-hour experience includes the flight itself and a celebratory toast on landing. Book this one early in your trip, not as an afterthought — sunrise slots fill fast, and waking up at 4am has never paid off this well.

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5. Breathtaking Colorado Springs Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Flight

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Alpenglow is one of those Colorado things locals say casually and visitors stop everything to photograph. This sunrise hot air balloon flight is designed entirely around that light — you're airborne as the Rocky Mountain Front Range catches the first gold of the day, with views stretching 100 miles in every direction from the Spanish Peaks to Longs Peak. Each flight is guided by wind and your pilot's read on conditions, so no two routes are alike. The 3.5-hour experience includes roughly an hour in the air. Wear layers. The basket is warmer than you expect; the wind is colder.

Wild Rides Worth the Drive

6. Colorado Springs Hands-On Falconry Class and Demonstration

Credit: Colorado Springs Hands

The falcon lands on your gloved fist and blinks at you like you owe it something. That's the moment this falconry class earns everything. In a small group at the Broadmoor, a licensed falconer walks you through the natural history of hawks, falcons, and owls before you watch a live flying demonstration that's hard to describe and impossible to forget. The birds engage only when they choose to — which makes the whole thing feel less like a show and more like a negotiation. Meet at 6 Lake Ave, across from the Golden Bee; parking is included.

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7. Colorado Springs Pikes Peak Luxury Jeep Tours

Credit: Colorado Springs Pikes Peak Luxury Jeep Tours

The last stretch of the Pikes Peak Highway is the kind of road that earns its reputation. At 14,115 feet, the summit is higher than any point in the continental US east of this longitude, and driving it yourself means white-knuckling hairpin turns instead of looking at the view. The luxury Jeep tour solves that. Leather seats, water and snacks on board, national park entrance fee included, and an expert driver who knows every pullout worth stopping at. Three to four hours round trip. You get the summit selfie and all your fingernails.

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8. Colorado Springs: Garden of the Gods Luxury Jeep Tours

Credit: Viator

Garden of the Gods on foot is one thing — red sandstone towers up to 300 feet tall, trails threading between formations that took millions of years to carve into those shapes. But the Jeep tour gets you the context. Your guide reads the landscape out loud: how those rocks tilted vertical, why they're that particular shade of red, what's worth climbing and what's worth just staring at. The two-hour loop covers more ground than most hikers manage in half a day. Arrive in morning light if you can — the rock face practically glows before noon.

We update this list every season — new operators come in, balloon windows shift, and that falconry experience has had a waitlist situation worth monitoring. Got a Colorado Springs experience that should be on here? Drop it in the comments. Locals always know something we don't.