Visitor's Guide

Whether you're planning a visit or you're already on campus, explore these helpful tips and recommendations, including accommodations, parking information, directions, and local favorites!

The Wild Goose Meeting House

401 N. Tejon St. 

Breakfast all day plus sandwiches, soups, and salads. Stop by on a weekend evening for live acoustic music!

 

Panino's Downtown

604 N. Tejon St. 

Grilled wraps (think burrito, but Italian-American style), pasta, and pizza.

 

Poor Richard's Restaurant & Pizzeria

320 N. Tejon St. 

A downtown Colorado Springs landmark, and student favorite! Abundant vegetarian and vegan options. Live music on the weekends.

 

Odyssey Gastropub

311 N. Tejon St. 

Creative/eclectic menu of sandwiches, salads, and small bites.

 

Bambino’s Urban Pizzeria

36 East Bijou St. 

Personal Neapolitan pizzas, pasta, and salads. Fast, tasty, and endlessly-customizable! Closed Mondays.

 

Skirted Heifer 

204 N. Tejon St. 

Cheeseburgers (and veggie burgers), fries, and frozen custard. "Skirted" as in "so much cheese it looks like your burger is wearing a skirt." Closed Mondays.

 

The Joint Vegan Street Food

19 N. Tejon St. (inside Avenue 19 food hall)

Plant-forward, made-from-scratch vegan delights. Try the K-Pop Tacos or the Rueben.

 

Nightingale Bread

2727 N. Cascade Ave #165 

Bread, pastries, sandwiches, and pizza made with shop-milled, heirloom, organic grains. Call ahead to order pizza for takeout on Thursday and Friday evenings. On Saturday mornings plan for a long line. We promise, it's worth the wait. Closed Sundays-Tuesdays.

 

Building 3 Coffee 

2727 N. Cascade Ave., Ste 155 

Small-batch coffee and pastries. Easy place to stop for a cup of coffee and a treat on your way out of town!

 

Good Neighbors Meeting House 

505 E. Columbia St. 

Waffles, eggs, bowls, sandwiches, soups, and salads. A true neighborhood gem. 

 

Monica’s Taco Shop 

30 E. Fillmore St. 

Breakfast burritos served all day, tacos, tostadas, tortas. Drive-through available. Lots of calories for your buck.

 

The Well

315 E. Pikes Peak Ave.

Small food hall with rotating vendors. Always good food to choose from! Check their website for current menus. Especially fun in good weather.

 

Coati Uprise 

514 S. Tejon St. 

Trendy food hall with a little bit of everything. Great place to visit on a weekend night.

 

The Exchange 

526 S. Tejon St. 

Coffee, smoothies, locally made bagels, along with a huge variety of breakfast and lunch items. The Exchange makes it easy to please everyone in your crew.

 

Atomic Cowboy 

528 S. Tejon St. 

Known as Denver Biscuit Company by morning, Fat Sully's Pizza by evening. Always tasty, always too much food. If you're planning on breakfast at DBC, hop on the waitlist early; on weekends the wait stretches to two hours.

 

Urban Steam American Bistro 

1025 S. Sierra Madre St. 

Small-batch coffee, breakfasts, sandwiches, salads, bowls, and sweets. Creative food with tons of personality.

Kinship Landing 

415 S Nevada Ave. (3 minute drive to campus) | (719) 203-9309

Locally-owned boutique hotel offers visitors authentic ways to connect with and explore Colorado Springs. Kinship rooms include doubles, triples, and hostel-style bunk rooms. Homa Bar & Café in the lobby features hearty grain bowls, sandwiches with house-made bread, and signature handpies. Use the code CCTIGER to book at a discount.

 

The Hilton Garden Inn 

125 N Cascade Ave. (3 minute drive to campus) | (719) 632-1000

Located on the corner of Cascade & Bijou, about seven blocks from campus, the Hilton Garden Inn has an indoor heated pool, hot tub, and restaurant open for breakfast and dinner.


Hyatt Place 

201 E Kiowa St. (3 minute drive to campus) | (719) 635-9663

Opened in late 2021, the new Hyatt Place includes free breakfast and offers an indoor pool and fitness center. Its location next door to CityROCK and Mountain Chalet means you’re likely to run into some of our city’s most avid outdoor fans prepping for an upcoming adventure. A discount rate is available for visitors to Colorado College; call to book.

 

SpringHill Suites/Element 

402 S Tejon St. (5 minute drive to campus) | (719) 900-1801

Opened in mid-2022, the new dual-branded Spring Hill Suites/Element puts you right around the corner from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum and Wiedner Field, and among some of the busiest eateries in the city. A discount rate is available for visitors to Colorado College; call to book.

 

The St. Mary’s Inn Bed & Breakfast 

530 N Nevada Ave. (10 minute walk to campus) | (719) 540-2222

A Victorian mansion located just a few blocks from the CC campus, the St. Mary’s Inn has a reputation for offering guests a warm welcome and personal touch.

 

Holden House 

1102 W Pikes Peak Ave. (5-10 minute walk to campus) | (719) 471-3980

Elegance and historic charm are the hallmark of this beautifully restored Colonial Revival Victorian built in 1902.

 

Old Town Guest House 

115 S 26th St. (10 minute drive) | (719) 632-9194

A short drive west of campus, the Old Town Guest House is located in the heart of Old Colorado City and boasts easy access to shopping and dining infused with western flare.

Mountain Mama Natural Foods 

1625 W Uintah St. 

Natural and organic groceries, body care, and a deli with mile-high sandwiches on house-made bread.

 

Bread & Butter Neighborhood Market 

602 S Nevada Ave. 

In the heart of downtown. Grab-and-go foods, pantry staples, fresh produce, and personal care essentials.

 

Mountain Chalet 

15 N Nevada Ave.

All the best outdoor gear. Truly, they sell everything but the campfire.

 

Terra Verde 

208 N Tejon St.

A carefully curated selection of clothing, home decor, and books. Good luck dragging mom away!

 

Eclectic + Co.

214 1/2 N. Tejon St. and 2518 W. Colorado Ave.

Vintage, local, sustainable, and handmade apparel and home goods.

 

Poor Richard’s Books & Gifts 

320 N Tejon St.

Grab a cup of coffee while you check out books by local authors.

 

Cacao Chemistry 

109 N Tejon St.

All the chocolate you care to eat, and then some. All made in-house.

 

Sparrow Hawk Gourmet Cookware 

120 N Tejon St.

Chef’s heaven, serving culinary artists since 1979. 

 

Coralun Vintage 

328 1/2 N Nevada Ave.

Feeling thrifty? You've come to the right place.

 

Ladyfingers Letterpress 

113 E Bijou St.

Award-winning cards for literally every occasion.

U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum 

200 S Sierra Madre St. 

Inspiration, on demand. Because once every two years isn’t enough!

 

Weidner Field/Switchbacks FC 

111 W Cimarron St. 

Cheer on our local USL Championship League soccer team, the Switchbacks, or catch a concert at our downtown stadium.

 

Old Colorado City 

W Colorado Ave. from 23rd St. to 30th St. 

The other cultural center of Colorado Springs, replete with historic store fronts, great coffee shops, and a little Honey Cottage.

 

Garden of the Gods 

1805 N 30th St. 

Our very own National Landmark! Walk, run, roll, or climb (with a permit) through our most famous public park. Don’t miss the gravity-defying Balanced Rock or the prehistoric waves of water imprinted on the stone.

 

Red Rock Canyon Open Space 

3550 W High St. 

A popular dog-walking, running, and mountain biking destination with beautiful views of Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods. Fun fact: the Lyons sandstone that was used to build CC’s Palmer Hall was quarried here!

 

Downtown Manitou Springs 

Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs 

An artsy, hippie town populated with groovy art galleries and eclectic shops. Go on a scavenger hunt to find all eight natural spring water fountains scattered throughout the town, featuring effervescent water rumored to have healing properties.

 

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo 

5728 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Rd. 

Navigate the steep hills of Cheyenne Mountain as you feed giraffes and have close encounters with over 170 different species in a place where conservation really matters.

 

Manitou Incline 

475 Ruxton Ave., Manitou Springs 

Grab a reservation for 2000 feet of elevation gain in just a 0.9 mile hike. It’s an intense trek up the old cog railway. Olympians do it. CC students do it. Can you?

 

Pikes Peak 

Manitou Springs 

Drive or hike up “America’s Mountain” to see what inspired Katharine Lee Bates’s classic, “America the Beautiful.” Standing at 14,115 feet, you can cross off your first of over 50 “fourteeners” in the state. 

Colorado College is located just north of downtown Colorado Springs, 75 miles south of Denver.

By Car:

Interstate 25 is the major highway into Colorado Springs, and CC is located just east of it. Take Exit #143 (Uintah Street) and go east (away from the mountains) to Cascade Avenue. Turn right (south) and you will be on campus.

From the Colorado Springs Airport:

Follow Milton E. Proby Parkway to South Academy Boulevard. Turn left on South Academy, then take I-25 heading north toward Denver.

From the Denver Airport:

Leave the airport via Peña Boulevard. Merge onto I-70 West. After two miles, merge onto I-225 heading south. That will take you to I-25; get on it heading south. (For information on shuttles from the Denver airport, visit Groome Transportation.)

By Plane:

Some airlines fly directly to Colorado Springs without requiring you to switch planes in a hub city. The Colorado Springs airport is a 20-minute drive from the campus. You can take a ride share service or a taxi to campus; the cost is usually $20-25.

Parking on campus is limited, but we've set aside space for you!

If you're coming for an admission event like an Open House, your confirmation email will direct you to park in the Robson Arena Parking Garage on N. Tejon St.

For those joining us for an Admission Information Session and Campus Tour, your confirmation email will direct you to our Admission Visitor parking spaces, which are located directly in front of Montgomery Hall or directly in front of Boettcher Health Center (the round building). All spaces are marked "Reserved for Admission Visitors." Please print the parking pass that accompanies your confirmation email and place it on your dash. Or, when you check in at the Admission Office, we will provide a daily parking pass.

Limited street parking is also available; some spaces are metered, so please check as you park. Feel free to take a look at our Visitor Parking Map.

As you know, we are at high altitude here at the foot of the Rocky Mountains (6,035 feet), and in order to feel your best and avoid altitude sickness, it is important to stay hydrated and drink lots of water!

Additionally, the weather in Colorado is known for being unpredictable. Be sure to pack layers and dress comfortably as you will be doing lots of walking.

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If you need more assistance planning your visit, call us at (719) 389-6344 or (800) 542-7214 or email us at admission@mblayst.com.

Report an issue - Last updated: 07/10/2024