Don’t know what your date likes or simply can’t agree on where to go? COTTONWOOD CENTER FOR THE ARTS is an easy answer to either conundrum. With a new exhibition every month, art classes, and first Friday events, you’ll have a second date planned before you leave! On display in December is an installation composed of works by local artists featuring large objects on a tiny scale, and small objects in oversized dimensions. Picture colossal shrimp and an entire mountain range shrunk to fit inside your pocket. Designed to challenge your perspective, question perception, and get imaginative with the rules of scale, Cottonwood's monthly exhibit is sure to delight you and your date. Before you go,
schedule a pottery, drawing, painting, or writing class that you can take together.
Have you ever sat down to tea inside a castle? Sounds almost festive this time of year, doesn’t it? Get in the spirit, if you’re so moved, at MIRAMOUNT CASTLE MUSEUM where you can tour the 1895 chateau with your beau. Owned and operated by the Manitou Springs Historical Society, the museum displays colorful period pieces, serves high tea in the queen’s parlor, and extends an entertaining series of events on a monthly calendar. Discover the cultural and architectural history of our city as it’s reflected from the Victorian era, and realize how much has changed in the nearly 130 years since. For self-guided tours, plan at least an hour to go through them. Find more details on the museum
website.
The COLORADO SPRINGS FINE ARTS MUSEUM boasts a collection of approx. 20,000 works in 15 galleries together capturing the rich history and vibrant contemporary cultures of the Southwest and the Americas. These include works of art from Native America, Hispanic and Spanish Colonial New Mexico, and 20th and 21st-century America. Nestled into Colorado College’s campus, the museum invites guests on free tours and advertises innovative, educational, and multidisciplinary arts experiences. And that’s not all! Connected to the Museum, is the COLORADO SPRINGS FINE ARTS THEATRE. Known for its high-quality, award-winning productions, the theatre company puts on a variety of performances from comedies and dramas to musicals and who-done-its, you’re sure to find something to entertain you and your date. Visit the Center’s
website to gather details about December’s Live Radio Play, “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
One of the largest museum footprints in the region, the WESTERN MUSEUM OF MINING AND HISTORY dedicates 27 acres to honor the mining history and industrial technology of the Western United States. But trust us, it’s not boring! Perfect for history buffs, rock hounds, geology fans, and everyone in between, the MWWI does nothing short of inspiring. Peruse more than 4,000 artifacts and working machines in the 12,200 square-foot exhibit hall and get lost in the history that laid the groundwork for the city of Colorado Springs. Arrive with questions and leave with answers! Check the museum
website for any featured exhibits, events, and tour schedules.
Even if you’re not a motorcycle enthusiast, the ROCKY MOUNTAIN MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM is sure to rev your motor. Check out the unparalleled collection of classic and antique motorcycles dating back to the early 1900s. See a bike, and imagine an adventure. Where would your wheels take you? It’s a Hall of Fame, too, remembering the leaders of the pack from the early 1900s through the 1970s. After perusing the classic and sparkling chrome two-wheelers, head downstairs to the Tejon Eatery and enjoy their delicious, soul-satisfying menu of macaroni and cheese dishes. The museum is free but accepts donations from those who are willing and able. Guided
tours are available by appointment.
We conclude our list with another free entry at the COLORADO SPRINGS PIONEERS MUSEUM. Open Tuesday through Saturday, this museum presents an interesting setting for a date. Housed in a beautifully restored courthouse dating back to 1903 and a vintage elevator, the building’s unexpected novelties can be as engaging as the exhibits themselves. Remarkable in its own right, the museum’s permanent collection has won local and national awards for excellence. The
museum maintains nationally significant collections of quilts, Van Briggle art pottery, plus the finest regional landscape art collection in the state of Colorado. Other collections relate to Native American influences in the region, the founding of the City, the area's mining and agricultural history, its early prominence as a health resort, and its more recent significance as a center for military training and operations. In brief: bring a date here, and if you don’t learn something new about each other, you’re guaranteed to learn something new about Colorado Springs.
Again, this list is simply designed to get you started. We’ll have more ideas to share with you when you arrive at Cheyenne Mountain Resort. Stay with us and discover Colorado Springs’ past and present. We’re sure you’ll fall in love with our city and maybe even each other.
