What to Do Before or After the Pikes Peak Cog Railway

Old Colorado City: A Good Choice for the Holidays

The Pikes Peak Cog Railway station is located in Manitou Springs, Colorado, near Colorado Springs. Be sure to allow time before or after your ride on this legendary route to explore this funky little town. I spotted a bumper sticker here that sums up this super liberal, crystal shop-filled town perfectly:  Keep Manitou Weird. It’s a refreshing change from conservative Colorado Springs and I love it. You’ll find lots of funky shops and good eateries within this picturesque hippie haven, including The Dulcimer Shop, a creaky little store on main street that showcases its own handcrafted stringed instruments and other random items such as old photos of Jerry Garcia. After all the hardship Manitou Springs experienced in the floods of this past summer, I especially encourage you to patronize these businesses which count on a healthy, tourist-based economy more than ever. As you walk around town today, you can still see how badly Manitou was hit and how vulnerable they are to future flood damage.

Old Colorado City in the Summer

After Manitou, my boyfriend, Steve, and I headed down the road to Old Colorado City, another one of our favorite places within the Colorado Springs area. Within this quaint and historic district, many of the shops and galleries boast fine quality works of art and crafts. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be lured in by the fine selection of Native American jewelry and gift ideas that may be found in abundance in some of the shops along their charming main street.

For dinner, go to Dat’s Italian, one of our all-time favorite Italian restaurants (my guy was born in Milan, so we have a high standard). Here as you’re serenaded by Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra, you can feast on home-styled favorites including chicken cacciatore, eggplant parm and lasagna. House specialties such as pignoli meatballs and fried zucchini patties truly taste like “meals your mom makes” even if your mom doesn’t cook at all. It’s a no frills, family-owned establishment, sure to warm your heart, belly and soul, the perfect way to cap off your adventure to the top of one of America’s highest peaks.

And dat’s all folks.