JANUARY'S FEATURED MEMBERS
PIKES PEAK HERITAGE CENTER AT CRIPPLE CREEK
Pikes Peak Heritage Center at Cripple Creek – Opening Summer, 2008
In the late 1800s, thousands of fortune-seekers made their way to Pikes Peak. Gold had been discovered, and that discovery started the country’s last great gold rush. Now, more than a century later, visitors to the region can make their own discoveries the Pikes Peak Heritage Center at Cripple Creek. This new state-of-the-art interpretive center overlooks the town of Cripple Creek.
Visitors to the Pikes Peak Heritage Center can learn about gold mining yesterday and today, geologic and human history, view displays that showcase the unique mountain environment, and learn about regional recreational activities and attractions. This 11,600-square-foot facility is built in a style that is reminiscent of historic Cripple Creek and features interactive displays that allow visitors to immerse themselves in the past glory days of this world-famous gold mining camp, when it was an ambunctious community of miners, ministers and madams. Other displays will showcase captivating historic photography, flora and fauna, the area’s world-class dinosaur discoveries and Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain. For more information, visit www.cripplecreekgov.com or call (719) 689-2502.
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY
United States Air Force Academy
It is known to many that the United Air Force Academy lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado, but many may not be aware of the unique opportunities the Academy offers visitors to the region. With spectacular Pikes Peak in the near distance, visit the beautiful USAFA Cadet Chapel. You may be able to walk on the Terrazzo and check out the cadet dorms, with an active service member. It’s an a-frame metal church with gorgeous stained glass and a magnificent pipe organ. A must experience if you’re in the Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak Region are. Tour guides are full of informative details. The USAFA is one of the most beautiful university campuses of the service academies. For more information, visit www.usafa.af.mil.
GARDEN OF THE GODS VISITOR AND NATURE CENTER
Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center:
Get an up-close look at how those red rocks got there in their exclusive new HD Theatre show, an exciting, entertaining and educational 12-minute multimedia adventure. This stunning movie brings the Park and its history to life using aerial footage, time-lapse photography and stellar panoramic scenes projected onto four screens, including one giant 20x30-foot screen complete with laser lights. The movie runs every 20 minutes in the summer and every 30 minutes in the winter. It's an HD experience unlike anything in the entire country ($5 for adults and $2 for children.) For more information, visit www.gardenofgods.com or call 719.634.6666
FEBRUARY'S FEATURED MEMBERS
The Manitou Cliff Dwellings is a rare historical treasure. Preserved under a protective red sandstone overhang, authentic Anasazi cliff dwellings, built more than 700 years ago, await you here. There are no "Do Not Touch" signs. You are free to touch and even go inside these fascinating architectural remnants of an American Indian culture that roamed the Four Corners area of the Southwest from 1200 B.C. to A.D. 1300.
The Manitou Cliff Dwellings is located in Manitou Springs, Colorado, at the foot of Pikes Peak, the mountain that provided the inspiration for the writing of, America the Beautiful. The dwellings are open seven days a week, year round, except for Christmas Day and Thanksgiving.
Next to the cliff dwellings is a three-story Pueblo-style building that houses the Anasazi museum and a Southwestern gift shop. This structure was faithfully designed and constructed in the architectural style of the Pueblo Indians, descendants of the Anasazi.
GHOST TOWN MUSEUM
Turn your watch back 100 years! As a true preservation of Colorado’s western past, Ghost Town Museum is a fun and historic look back at kind of old west town that used to dot this region during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Selected by Mobile Travel Guide and Family Circle Magazine as one of the fifty-five special attractions of America. See the USA Travel Edition Recognition of Merit. Explore the boardwalk connecting the Blacksmith's Shop, Saloon, General and Merchants of Main Street, with the Livery Stable, and Victorian Home. Each is filled with thousands of fascinating artifacts. Ghost Town Museum delights young and old with lots of hands-on activities, including old time arcades, panning for real gold (seasonal), and much, much, more.
PRORODEO HALL OF FAME
Rodeo - America's original sport - is showcased at the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Hall, established in 1979, is located adjacent to the National headquarters of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). It's hard to miss the one and a half life size bronze of Casey Tibbs on Necktie in front of the museum.
Rodeo's history from trail drives and ranch work is highlighted in a video presentation offered on the hour and half hour. Contemporary rodeo and the "road to a championship" is presented in a second video. The evolution of gear, equipment and clothing is explained in a guided tour of the Heritage Hall portion of the museum.