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Take Your Family on Vacation to Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Region

The Colorado Springs and Pikes Peaks region of Colorado provide many sightseeing, relaxing and invigorating opportunities to vacationing families. There is a zoo, ice cream and fudge shops, hiking trails and picnic spots, a Christmas themed amusement park and a steep mountain train ride. And this is just the tip of the iceberg of what is available, especial for family vacations.

As children love animals, most families will greatly enjoy a visit to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, located on the west side of Colorado Springs. While not a very large zoo, there is plenty to see and as it is located on a mountainside, the grounds provide an opportunity to hike and burn energy at the same time.

The North Pole, Santa's Workshop, located in Manitou Springs, provides many Christmas and Santa themed rides, shops and magic shows. If you want to see animals, you can feed the llamas and goats.

Families love taking a drive through the Garden of the Gods Park and stopping to see the rock formations close-up, to hike and to picnic. There are many great photo opportunities!

When the weather is good, book a ride on the Pike's Peak Cog Railway which climbs up the east side of the famous Pike's Peak from its station in Manitou Springs. As you slowly ascend you'll be passing different climate zones through a tall pine forest, until you are above tree-line and ready to stop at the summit for some spectacular vistas and some hot cocoa. Be sure to wear layers.

With all this touring, you will need to stop to eat every now and then, so here are some simple pointers. National chain restaurants can be found throughout the area. If you want a more unique dining experience, downtown Colorado Springs has a nice selection of local and ethnic restaurants. As Manitou Springs is known for tourism, you'll find cafes, restaurants, ice cream and fudge shops as well as gift shops for all sorts of souvenirs there.

If you live within an hour of Colorado Springs, then you may make several day trips here seeing something different each time. If you don't live close by or if you would consider a vacation spot close to home, then plan to come and stay for a few days.

Where is it best for a Family to Stay in Colorado Springs?

There are luxurious world class hotels like the Broadmoor which offer on-site activities for families such as bicycle and paddleboat rentals, swimming, horse-back riding and tennis drills and camps for kids. There are also children's camps to entertain the kids for a few hours while the adults do adult activities.

While bed and breakfast inns may be thought of for romantic trips, some bed and breakfasts do allow children of any age either in the main house or in adjacent cabins/cottages. Staying at an inn will give the entire family a pretty special feeling with all the antiques, quilts and nick knacks found in many of these properties. And mom and dad won't have to worry about driving to a restaurant for breakfast.

Downtown Colorado Springs has hotels that are geared to business people, but they like families also and sometimes pets and often have lower pricing on the weekends.

If you are an on-the-go-all-the-time or just a budget conscious family, then what type of lodging you have may not be as important as that it is clean, reasonably priced and convenient to everything that you want to visit. For your family, there are many newer motor lodges along I-25 and many quaint old motels along Hwy 24, near Manitou Springs, that may do the trick. Some of these also have a simple continental breakfast included to make it easy to get off and running in the morning.

Wherever you stay just remember that you and your family are here to enjoy yourselves. Remember also to pace your adventures and have some down time too!