Avenue Hotel B & B

I recently enjoyed a visit to Manitou Springs, just west of Colorado Springs. My Mom was in town and I wanted to splurge on a nice bed and breakfast for the two of us. I came across Avenue Hotel Bed and Breakfast. We stayed for one night in the upper part of the Carriage House. The innkeepers were very friendly and have done a great job tending to the place. I was impressed with the fresh paint and trim work, cleanliness, and the fancy wallpaper inside the main house among other things. There is also a cool fireplace in the living room of the main house made of Manitou greenstone; a unique stone of the area.The Carriage House was furnished with everything that we needed and more. Very cute and quaint! I especially loved that the Avenue Hotel sits right on the main street so you can literally step out the door and explore Manitou's stores and restaurants. Gwen puts a lot of time and thought into each meal!
 So, if you are looking for a cute place to stay while exploring Manitou Springs, Garden of the Gods, Pike's Peak, Cog Railroad, Cave of the Winds or any of the other dozens of sites in the Colorado Springs area here's the place for you! And the breakfast.....decadent and scrumptious!

Cliff Dwellings; Manitou Springs

I finally got a chance to check out the Cliff Dwellings Museum in Manitou Springs, CO.

Unfortunately, I was under the impression that this was an authentic Anasazi heritage site. However, the Ancestral Puebloans did not live in this exact spot (as far as we know). People merely took a part a section of ruins from the Mesa Verde region and transported them to the Manitou Springs site for tourist purposes. On one hand, if you can't make it to Mesa Verde....it is cool to see what the ancient ruins looked like in person....however, after learning that this region was not an actual Ancestral Puebloan site....I am a bit disgruntled. And after visiting Mesa Verde....this tourist attraction just doesn't compare to the REAL authentic place and sites. But...if it encourages interest in Native American history and the lives of the ancestral Puebloans....then....some good perhaps can come of this site.


For more information check out the Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings website.

Mesa Verde National Park

I absolutely fell in love with Mesa Verde National Park. Nestled in the middle of nowhere, toward the southwest corner of Colorado, is a time machine composed of rock dwellings. These cliff dwellings are what is left from an ancient civilization. It is believed that they left the region due to some type of possible water supply issues. Most of the sites you see only from a distance but a handful you are able to actually walk up to...or have to climb up, using a ladder. For some of these, you must purchase a tour ticket and schedule a time. But totally worth it!

There was so much history at this park that I felt richly connected to the primitive people's that first inhabited such dwellings. Seeing how dependent upon the earth these people were...made me really wonder if perhaps our society might not get too carried away with our technology-driven way of life. I walked away with a deeper respect for the generations past (even those from my Grandparents generation) who know how to plow the land and till and toil.

Anyway, for a dusty, primitive journey back in time be sure to check out Mesa Verde National Park in your lifetime.