Savannah & Nicholas
Things To Do
Palmer Lake Trail
About a mile long trail around Palmer Lake and easier of a hike. Definitely worth checking out!
Palmer Lake Reservoir Trailhead
A trail located in Palmer Lake and quite close to the venue if you’re looking for a hike in the area. Described as about 4 miles and a little steep so look into if it matches your physical abilities before committing, but don’t let it discourage you! About a $5 parking fee and plan for a few hours if you want to gone the full length.
Main Event Highlands Ranch
Main Event is about a 40 minute drive from Palmer Lake and is a very fun arcade. They have bowling, an indoors zipline and ropes course, and the classic arcade games and prizes. There’s a Colorado Springs location as well if you’re closer to that direction!
Sandbox VR
A cool opportunity to put on VR headsets with friends and go through missions that involve shooting enemies to make it to the end. Bookings are made online so if this interests you be sure to check availability and book sooner than later!
Garden of the Gods
Located in Colorado Springs and about a half hour drive from Palmer Lake is a beautiful location to take the friends and family. There are many trails of various difficulties to match any ability level plus hosts some exhibits and galleries for learning.
Cave of the Winds Mountain Park
An amazing experience to go into one of two cave tours and explore. Cave of the Winds is a half hour drive from Palmer Lake just outside Colorado Springs and is absolutely an experience to make time for. Just be sure to look on the website to see about making reservations!
Pikes Peak
An amazing hike to do just under a 2 hour drive from Palmer Lake in the direction of Colorado Springs!
Manitou Incline
A half hour drive from Palmer Lake is the famous Manitou Incline. Be sure to pack plenty of water and snacks and only attempt if physically able as this hiking trail is straight uphill and only stairs! Breathtaking views await at the top if you can make the climb.
Manitou Cliff Dwellings
A great place to see replicas of ancient Puebloan cliff dwellings and learn some history of the tribe. About a half hour drive from Palmer Lake it is a great place to go and explore some of Colorado’s past.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
A great zoo to take the family in Colorado Springs and only a 35 minute drive away from Palmer Lake! Even with just some friends it is an amazing stop.
Elitch Gardens
If you’d like to go to an amusement park with friends and family Elitch Gardens is the place to go! Almost an hour drive from Palmer Lake towards Denver Elitches has a water and amusement park fitting for all ages. Be sure to book tickets ahead of time!
Meow Wolf Denver | Convergence Station
An hour drive from Palmer Lake in Denver is this amazing interactive art installation. So navy cool and unique things to look at with secrets to explore and fun for all ages!
Denver Zoo
If your lodging is north of Palmer Lake and closer to Denver, this is another amazing zoo stop to take with friends or family and less than an hour drive from Palmer Lake. Keep Denver traffic in mind and be ready for it to take longer depending on the time of day.
Downtown Aquarium
About an hour drive from Palmer Lake into Denver is a great aquarium to take the family. You can pet the stingrays near the end and have a good dinner.
Denver Botanic Gardens
An hour drive from Palmer Lake is a great public botanic garden to walk around and learn about conservation and different plants! They also have an amphitheater that sometimes hosts concerts in the summer, so look online if that interests you!
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Located in the heart of Denver and an hour or so drive from Palmer Lake is the nature Ava m and science museum. Bring the family to learn about history and have fun in this great museum! They also host new virtual reality ocean experiences you can inquire about tickets for on-site.
Dinosaur Ridge
An hour drive from Palmer Lake towards Denver is an incredible place to see dinosaur footprints and fossils. There is a fully paved trail that’s about 1.5 miles and you can reserve a full tour to learn all about the dinosaurs, or self guide!
Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre
A bit outside Denver but still about an hour to hour and a half drive from Palmer Lake is a great hiking spot and amphitheater. They often host concerts here that are definitely bucket list worthy so see if they have a concert planned while you’re in the area!
Royal Gorge Bridge & Park
A longer drive at 1.5 hours from Palmer Lake is home of America’s highest suspension bridge. They have a famous zipline over the gorge you can reserve tickets for, book a ride on the gondola to the top and enjoy some trails with beautiful views.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Another longer drive from Palmer Lake at about 2-3 hours (traffic dependent) is one of Colorado’s National Parks. There are many trails and sights to see here so if you enjoy the outdoors and have the time see about coming here! Be aware that Memorial Weekend may affect traffic patterns and how busy the park is.
Indian Hot Springs
There are so many great hot springs throughout Colorado, so if you want to stop at one at any point during your trip we strongly encourage looking up ones you may enjoy. If you are driving into Colorado, perhaps see if one is on your route so you can stop for a pre or post trip soak! Indian Hot Springs is just one option you can use that’s an hour and a half drive from Palmer Lake that’s perfect for all ages. As an added bonus you can go eat pizza at the famous Beaujo’s Pizza and explore around Idaho Springs!
Whitewater Rafting
Something amazing to look into is booking some whitewater rafting with friends and family! The best time to go is May to September in Colorado so what better time to go than memorial day weekend? There are many rafting companies available so look it up and see if it’s something you’d enjoy doing. Available for most ages and ability levels depending on the route you book.
Movie Theater
Nick and Savannah love movies and going to the theaters and will always recommend seeing if anything new and exciting is out to see! See if there is a theater near you and invite some friends and family!