Soiree is a great event venue in an often overlooked part of downtown Colorado Springs. It is…read morelocated near Luigi's and the newly opened Gold Camp Brewing. My wife, some friends and I went to Soiree last night for a Syrah wine tasting. It was well orchestrated by the owner, who kept things fun and light while also being very informative. The rounds (5) of wine were paired with some small bites. Wine and Spirits tastings are held throughout the year. The calendar can be found on their website. Cost per person is $25. Price is fair and the experience would be fun for a date night. Our tasting experience was close to 2 hours. Soiree can be used to host your own events as well.

I had my 50th birthday party here. It was a great time. Michaela took care of everything! The food…read moredisplay was gorgeous. It was great to walk in to a space and have it feel so comfortable. They have many packages you can choose from - we had a ton of people and things went flawlessly. The bartenders took great care of my guests and Michaela even had someone that was in charge of making sure the food table was always stocked and dishes were always cleared. This was all done without noticing who was doing it - that, right there, is magic. This is a well oiled machine that is ready to go. You have to experience this - located not far from downtown Colorado Springs. DO IT! You will not be disappointed.

What a hidden gem! I photographed a wedding here and I've…read morealso lived in the area for 10 years, and I had NO idea this place existed. The grounds are beautiful and intimate. The highway is nearby but the owner keeps the venue affordable. I forgot his name but he was great and allowed me to look around before the wedding. Definitely a place to consider in a great location for family traveling.

I had my wedding here earlier this month. Secret Garden is gorgeous!! It's so unbelievably…read morebeautiful! It's a little oasis in the middle of city- it really is magical and its name is so true! There are so many secret beautiful garden areas, sitting areas to discover. Steve was great to work with. He's the manager and the owner of the property and takes a lot of pride in his venue. He was flexible whenever I needed to come stop by or do a walk through with vendors. The photos in the garden turned out perfectly- SUCH a beautiful venue. My guests were all so, so impressed with the location. I have received some negative feedback after the wedding. First, we splurged and paid extra to have our cocktail hour in the "Wine Garden" where people can have some appetizers and Steve actually serves people glasses of wine for the hour before the reception. We had pre-paid for all the alcohol served at the wedding. In the middle of the cocktail hour he "ran out" of wine and stopped serving people. (He had extra at the bar, so not sure why he wouldn't go get more bottles... especially since we had pre-paid) Then the bar service was INCREDIBLY slow. Steve worked the bar with another gentleman and it was not efficient at all. Guests were waiting in line upwards of 30 minutes for a drink because only one person was making a drink... they weren't tendering cash because we had pre-paid, so I am not sure why it was taking so long. Lastly, I would just make sure you understand all the charges associated with your day. We had to pay the bar $50/hour plus $6/drink (for mediocre beer and wine choices) plus gratuity, plus they put out a tip jar. Also, they were VERY strict about ID-ing people. Which... I totally understand, but they would not remember people or have a system (like wristbands or stamps) so they ID'd everyone every.single.time. Beyond the bar situation, the venue was fantastic, I would definitely recommend it!

Omg what a KILLER venue. We just had our wedding with this venue and I cannot rave about how…read moreamazing they were to work with. Professional, accommodating, awesome staff and absolutely everything you could need for a beautiful night. We did the diamond package and this was absolutely perfect for us and stress free. What an amazing team of individuals who clearly love their jobs and go out of their way to make it beautiful. Highly, highly recommend this venue for anyone who is looking for a beautiful, affordable, professional, and accommodating place to experience your wedding. Thank you hearth house!

I can not recommend this place highly enough! Autumn was the wedding planner and she was just the…read moremost organized, thoughtful, competent person. She had everything figured out with no stress to the bridal party. Dinner was excellent, the area was beautiful and we loved the cocktail hour with snacks so the party could do family photos without feeling rushed. It was absolute perfection all around.

Only reason it gets 4 instead of 5 is because they have this contract for your security deposit to…read moremake sure all is clean and beautiful before you leave but when we got there the tables and floors were dirty either from previous guys or whatever. So it took extra time from us having to clean up from that. $100/hr is a bit much for pricing and location but it's still a beautiful and spacious venue. Definitely enjoyed having accessibility to fridge, sink, stove, microwave, speaker, back patio, tables and chairs(included in pricing). Beautiful views and good communication from the coordinator.

We loved the venue. Jeff is the one you book everything through and he was very attentive to our…read moreneeds. They have a full kitchen, indoor bathrooms, table & chairs, sound system, and projection system. Our only upset was that the projector did not work on our wedding day. The venue is gorgeous and has a quaint log cabin feel. They even have special lighting for weddings so you don't have to use the harsh florescent lighting.

The Hideaway was the perfect place to host our family reunion! Jason, Jodie and the entire staff…read morewere wonderful and so accommodating of our every need. I would highly recommend this peaceful retreat for your next event. Suzan Scruggs and family

We had a wonderful family reunion at The Hideaway in late June. First of all, it is a beautiful…read moresite! A great view both outside and inside. It is not far from Colorado Springs, yet feels so private. Jason really helped with all of the pre-planning and was quick to respond to all of my questions via email. Jodi was so helpful and accommodating during our reunion stay! The meeting room and guest rooms were so nice and set up perfectly! One guest room did not have a portable cooler, but Jodi worked with us to change the guest accommodations to take care of that. There are a limited number of rooms with no stairs, but it was fine for our family. The view from the dining room was amazing! The meals were delicious, and the serving staff was so friendly and quick. The specialty breads and desserts were outstanding! We appreciated the coffee, tea, and water being available throughout the day and evening. Our family enjoyed volleyball, gaga ball, ping pong, cornhole, horseshoes, and just wandering around the grounds. It was wonderful to have a family meeting room so that we could visit and play games throughout the weekend. Overall, our family loved the Hideaway!

This place is beyond outstanding. The owners were very flexible, accommodating and professional…read more The views were fantastic, and the properties are spotless. As every other place I've been to, they have rules. If you're looking for a nice, quiet place in this area to host your event, especially weddings, this is the spot. Don & Toni will go that extra mile to make sure your event is a success! :D

Let me say that without the review I'm about to write, this place would be a 4/5 out 5. The scenery…read moreis phenomenal, the cabins are gorgeous and the overall location is perfect whether it be rain or shine. Now let's get down to the real problem, the owners themselves. Overall the wedding that was attended was as stressful as it could get, not for the Bride or groom though, but for the guests and attendees. Upon initial meeting, they are open, courteous and ready to for the amazing event to unfold. However, as the first 12hrs progressed, the red flags appeared. (Let it be known that this wedding was an adult only wedding with no one under the age of 21, which there for one can assume alcohol was largely involved throughout the weekend). The first night was a celebration of friends ready for the ceremony the following afternoon, which involved excited and preemptive drinking. (As one should do on a joyous occasion for those that drink). We then awoke to a 8am wake up call by the owner being inside the cabin while people were asleep (privacy anyone) and then proceeding to berate us over leaving our empty cans out on a table over night. One can argue that yes we didn't pick up the trash, but not only did we have every intention to clean it up, but we are in trouble for not being awake pre 8am to do so. For a event place, privacy is already a no go. After complaining about having to do his job, then making us feel awful for even being there, he proceeded to then call us out on the hot tub water level (which was already low to begin with) because even more water was missing after multiple people were inside it. (We then proceeded to replace the water ourselves out of guilt) not a good start to a, to be amazing day. Come the ceremony, the owner takes charge of "valet" for fire access and accessibility. First off there is plenty of room for up to 10ish cars if people car pool or even walk the walkable trail to the ceremony area. Fire access can be kept just fine. He then proceeds to leave a window open and keys in the car for him to move throughout the rest of the evening. This is already suspect in the invasion of privacy and is completely unnecessary. Next throughout the evening, no boundaries were made where guests could explore and see the area. One of which is the top deck, which has not only the best view of the area but for the wedding itself. As the owners wife is stressing and just now telling us boundaries, another red flag of lack of communication and cracking under pressure appears. (By the way there was no pleasantness of her explaining her "private area" and her swift disregard when asking her if we could help them with anything). The wedding itself commenced with some very grey area, borderline not ok "jokes" and comments during the the actual ceremony which was conducted by the owner (which was the to be wed couples choice) but poorly conducted. Throughout the afternoon and evening when people went to grab shoes, coats or even grab cameras from cars, the owner was on their heels questioning their every move. (Again no privacy?) even disappearing around a corner to take a quick smoke for some was out of the question as the owner hounded them to do it out front (despite the guests will to not smoke other guests out). Lack of privacy and respect. The after ceremony itself was amazing, the couple was gorgeous and the night was amazing under a perfectly clear night sky. After leaving the ceremony/reception area the party continued at a cabin away from the owners overly watchful and prying eyes. (We proceeded to clean at 5am in fear of the owners aggressive self) The third and final day really was a late start, late Brunch burritos and a day for family to explore the away from home area. The only thing EVERYONE was on the same page about was watching for the owners and wife. We literally had a lookout to let everyone know to be "quiet and respectful" as to not anger the owners in anyway of sort. After that the rest was amazing. The owners were away that night/morning so no extra stress and we were able to all celebrate again and enjoy the night. This review could be a 2 or maybe even a slight 3 but I believe the urgency and need to know make it a 1/5. Upon reading a journal of previous "renters" of the cabin/area. Other red flags were noted of "DO THIS... don't do that" "THEY DONT LIKE THIS..." as other people had noticed some suspect actions. If you do look into this place, be open, transparent and SET BOUNDARIES. If friends and family like to have fun and can be a bit wild.. I can only say beware and read all the rules and expect to adhere to them. Even at 8am after a night of drinking. I'm sure I'm missing more BS that happened but I believe the tone and point have been set. If you read this far, your are interested in this place, the area is perfect. The owners aren't. But you know the event that'll happen and the people who will be present. Take it all into consideration.

We attended the Scotty McCreery concert this week and what a great time! We decided to try the…read moredinner before show! We arrived to park at the parking garage next to the center. Very reasonable at $5 for the evening. The center opened at 6:00 pm for those having dinner with show set for 7:30 pm start. We quickly went through the security line and off to dinner upstairs. I was surprised how clean the venue was given it is a concert location. The areas were set up with chairs, couches and plenty of seating. Drinks are pricey but that is expected these days whether at a concert or a game. The dinner seating was quick and we had a nice view by the window. The buffet was ready so we sampled a little of everything. The Tri Tip caprese was very good. Meat tender served with mozzarella balls and tomatoes were juicy. The gnocchi was pretty great with a thick white cheese sauce and spinach. We also sampled the chicken sausage gumbo. The vegetable succotash was one of my favorites loaded with carrots, celery and beans. The salad was a spring mix with a lemon vinaigrette that definitely had a zippy tart flavor. Dessert was a banana pudding cup. Also super rich with the fresh whipped cream. I also thought the fact the GM for food and service swinging by everyone's table was pretty cool! Making sure we were ok and checking if we needed anything.

Great concert venue! My wife and I visited recently to see .38 Special in concert. We had a great…read moretime, rocking to some oldies. The music hall is so nice! Clean and well designed and the acoustics were amazing! We had excellent seats and the price to enjoy the show was very affordable.

We stayed for the week visiting friends. The cabins are cute and comfy. We had 2 cabins which…read moreallowed the kids to use the 2nd story cabin, which they enjoyed.

I highly recommend visiting the Black Forest Lodge! We just had my daughter's wedding there and it…read morewas beautiful! Very rustic, cozy, comfortable, and you can definitely tell that they operate with love! Anytime I had a question I had a very timely response. Thank you James and team, for helping us make memories that will last a lifetime!