This is an amazing collection of kinetic sculptures. It does however, seem to be out of place…read moresitting in the front yard of a residential home. My HOA would have a fit. There is free parking along the street. I just ended up parking across the street in a little dirt area. The sculptures are the work of Starr Kemph, who took his own life in 1995. The home that they sit in front of is his former home. Since it is a home and the sculptures are behind a fence around the yard, you cannot get very close to them. You can still get a decent view of them from outside the fence though. There used to me more of the sculptures in the yard but they were moved to the ENT Center for the Arts on the University of Colorado Campus in Colorado Springs on an extended loan, after complaints from neighbors and some members of Kemph's estate. The three removed sculptures were titled, Sunrise Serenade, Metronome, and Space Needle. I visited on a windy day and the sculptures were in full effect. There are a few birds, and other abstract spire sculptures to view. They do ask that visitors be respectful when visiting the site as to not draw more attention to the sculptures and cause a nuisance that would result in increase calls from neighbors to have more pieces removed. They are a site to see and are beautiful as they move in the wind. These massive pieces of stainless-steel tower into the sky and are hard to ignore, ranging from 30 to 50 feet tall. They demand your attention. Anyway, as with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a very long stop. I was there less than 10 minutes. I recommend making this stop part of a larger itinerary or checking it out if you are in the area and/or on your way somewhere else, to maximize your time. The Figure Skating Hall of fame is just around the corner from here.

These are some pretty enormous whimsical kinetic sculptures!…read more The sculptures are on the private property at the corner of Pine Grove Ave & Evans Ave. On the front lawn you can see a number of the steel wind sculptures. Since this is a residence, you will view them from the street. There is no parking available that I saw. There is a parking lot for hiking trails that I parked in. Then I walked across Evans Ave. very carefully. People like to speed on that road. Starr Kempf was an architect, engineer, welder, teacher and artist. He died in 1995 by taking his own life. In an interview I saw, he said he wanted all his sculptures to remain on his lawn for all to see. Some time after Kempf's dath, his daughter gave tours. Due to a lot of people coming to view these sculptures, some of the other wards of the artist's estate and neighbors were not happy about it. The city came and removed some of the sculptures with the permission of one of Kempf's relatives, although his daughter protested. Three of these sculptures are: Sunrise Serenade, Metronome, and Space Needle. They are on display at the ENT Center for the Arts (5225 N. Nevada Ave., Colorado Springs, Colorado) on the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs campus. I should have driven over there to view them! They will be on display there until 2034. I had come to Manitou Springs from Denver and made a quick detour. This is just south of CO Springs. Some of the sculptures in the yard are a little hard to see with the trees obstructing the view! You can still see well enough because they are between 30-50 feet tall! It's worth the drive out if you are somewhat nearby.

If you are near Manitou Springs area, I would recommend visiting the Dwellings. It's self guided…read moreonce you pay the entrance fee. There are small informational signs around the area to let you know more about what you are looking at or you can download the auto tour. The Pueblo building holds pottery, photos, and artifacts. There is a very large gift shop. Bathrooms are located in that building as well.

After finishing the tours at Cave of the Winds Mountain Park, I decided to stop right next door at…read morethe Manitou Cliff Dwellings, and I'm so glad I did. The cliff dwellings are incredible to see up close. They're modeled after ancient Ancestral Puebloan structures (often associated with Southwest tribes like the Navajo), and walking through them really gives you a sense of how people lived long ago. One thing that stood out to me was seeing how small the doorways and rooms were -- it really shows how much shorter people were back then! What I loved most was the self-guided audio tour you can use on your phone. As you walk through, you just select the number for each section and it explains the history and significance of that area. It was super informative and easy to follow, and I liked being able to go at my own pace. I love history, so being able to take my time and really listen made the experience even better. The gift shop is huge and honestly impressive. They had beautiful handmade items inspired by Native American craftsmanship, along with the usual souvenirs like stickers, books, and t-shirts. But they also had unique items like jewelry, coffee, honey, and so many locally inspired pieces. It's basically a full building packed with things to browse. Overall, I absolutely enjoyed this stop. It was educational, interesting, and worth the time. I would definitely come back -- and I might bring my husband next time when he has a day off. If you love history, this is a must-stop when you're in the area.

This interactive piece is the work of Manuel Pulido and Kat Tudor, who made the piece in 2021. It…read morewas commissioned by the city and the Smokebrush Foundation. The piece depicts two trees on opposite sides and meeting in the middle where a nest sits. Viewers are invited to speak into the tree's portals, to "talk to Mother Earth". It is meant to be a positive piece. It is a very simple piece that blends into its environment and can easily be passed without noticing. I really cannot tell you if there was anything in the nest. I did not see anything. The sculpture has a plaque with a little information and a QR code to scan to get more info on the sculpture. The trees look pretty realistic and lifelike that nest on top has a large bit of realism as well, but is almost too big to be real. I love this sculpture intentions to promote positivity. It is however, in an obscure place on the backside of a commercial parking lot off of the main road. I think it would have been better placed on the main strip where all the shops are restaurants are. I am sure that there are factors beyond their control that dictated the placement, but it would have been nice. Anyway, as with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is probably not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. With that being said, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. It would probably be best coupled with a trip to the downtown Manitou Springs strip.

Old Colorado city is amazing!!! It's super pretty and theirs amazing stores and everything if you…read morego to Colorado you must stop here it's so pretty!!

Super cute and historic neighborhood! A must visit if you come to Colorado Springs…read more There are a bunch of mom and pop shops, desserts, parks, and even vintage shops. We found a couple souvenirs to take home with us and our loved ones for a wonderful price. Highly recommend!!!

Great local museum detailing the history and life of Colorado Springs and its environs…read more The museum has a variety of exhibits which tackle this from a variety of angles -- famous authors, local Native Americans, the Springs as a tuberculosis treatment center, pottery art, women's art, local tattoo art, the history of the city by decade, the history of a lost Latino neighborhood, etc. All is curated and presented in an interesting fashion -- there was some but very little of the "We don't have a lot to say about this person, so here's random biographical detail filler" sort of local museum content. The breadth of presentation extended to a potpourri "A-to-Z" exhibit with bits of info about a wide variety of topics (did you know that Lon Chaney was from Colorado Springs?). We easily spent three hours touring the exhibits, and I count the time well spent. The building is the former El Paso county courthouses and offices, and is truly lovely. One of the courtrooms has been preserved as an exhibit. Staff was friendly. Admission is free (though donations are encouraged).

Amazing museum! They cover everything about Colorado Springs' history. I was a little worried…read morebecause the name didn't sound like it would tell the full history of Colorado Springs. I'm very glad it exceeded my expectations. The tour guide Leah was amazing and very helpful in facilitating the tour. She answered every question and encouraged us to press for more information on specific groups in the Springs. I am taking my kids there soon.

It was closed when we visited March 2024 (also snowing). Apparently there are 8 natural springs in…read moreManitou Springs, and each spring has it's own distinct flavor. We only found four of them - Shoshone, Navajo, Cheyenne and Stratton. It's a bit magical to find spring water pouring out of the earth for you to drink, but not so much as this fountain. I'm still rating it a good 4-stars. It's probably open when it's not freezing, is my guess. Close to this spring is the Navajo (in a restaurant area) and Cheyenne (off the main strip), and those were working.

A good attraction! A great location! It appears that it can be a hangout for vagrants though!read more

This is a fantastic space! I've driven by lots of times, but had the opportunity to take a tour of…read morethe space recently. From local art galleries, to indigo dye classes, to a cafe...this space has it al! One thing I was particularly interested in was their membership model. Local artists can pay for a monthly membership and have access to all sorts of tools needed for creation. Additionally they have multiple spaces open to community use! This would be a great space to check out if you're looking for meeting space. This space is really interesting and a great addition to Manitou Springs!

Small art center which doubled as a venue for classical chamber music. The program was done by the…read moreEpic Community Center. A pleasant evening concert. Room was a little warm but had good acoustics.

What an awesome concept for a store! Walking around and seeing all the different art was so much…read morefun. I'm in need of a couple of pieces for my house, so now that I've found this fun little spot tucked away in Manitou, I will know exactly where to come. I love supporting local as much as I possibly can. The more we can all get away from Amazon shopping the better. But I digress. This is truly a shop you need to find yourself stopping at if you're in Manitou, you won't be disappointed!

I LOVE this gem of a shop in Manitou Springs, CO. It's an artist co-op so not only are you…read moresupporting local artists but since it's not a gallery I find the prices are really reasonable and more within my price range. I typically stop in here once during every visit to the area and always find something fun to take home as a souvenir.

Love this place during Halloween and Christmas. They do a fun scavenger hunt that really makes you…read morelook in each little nook to ensure you're seeing everything. We go every year and always look forward to it!

A really nice and alternative museum which has been a staple in OCC for many years. Glad they were…read moreable to continue to remain in business for so many years and offer a different slice of Americana to locals and visitors alike! A great little place to take refuge from inclement weather when visiting or to bring out of town guests, a scavenger hunt was available during Xmas 2025 to further engage visitors, great idea that could be pushed even further with a small memento for hunters at completion Overall great family fun!

this is a fun little adventure. Historic waterfall park. It is seasonal so pay attention to that…read more It is worth the little hike very beautiful and peaceful. It is under a graditi bridge that is the only thing that takes away from nature but still very cool. There are also some little caves nearby just be careful can be slippery and bears and or people living in them

For me personally, this was a fun trip because we were able to enjoy nature and hike up the…read moremountain to the Falls since there weren't any parking spaces. HOWEVER, I noticed around lunch time spaces open up. So if you're wanting to plan it where you don't have to park in Manitou Springs then walk all the way up, go during lunch! My experience started rocky, pun intended. We arrive at 9:15 not knowing they didn't open until 10 and that's when we noticed there's hardly any parking spots inside that gate. My mom had already tried to visit 3 times before this most recent but didn't have time to wait for a spot to open, so she had to leave. Anyway, the Rainbow Falls attendant came out and told us to drive around until 10 and come back. Which we did. And when we came back, right at 10, every spot was taken as we knew would happen. It was frustrating at first. After we backed out, we decided to find a spot in town and just walk, mind you had a five year old with us and didn't know if she would be able to hang it there. It was also getting in the 90s, super hot. Thankfully, we all had brought water bottles so we were able to hike it. It really was a beautiful walk, at times there's weren't sidewalks so we had to walk in the road with traffic. There's also construction going on, a bit of a mess but we made the best of it and decided to soak in the nature! Once we reached the Falls, BEAUTIFUL!!! It was very cold and I would recommend wearing crocs or shoes you can walk in the water with, there's rocks that will hurt. For us, it was perfect since we were hiking up and down the mountain to get to/from our vehicle, so the water felt great and refreshing. We came on a Saturday right as they opened, perhaps during the week might be better, parking wise? If hiking sounds like your ideal thing, then DO ITTTT. Plan to pay for parking in town and take your time walking, it's worth it :)