This week I spent 2 days at the Colorado Realtor Convention, took some excellent classes, met new people, and thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of the Broadmoor Hotel.  It is the 5 star golf resort in Colorado Springs and has an amazing history.  Presidents stay there.  Celebrities stay there.  You and I eat there. ;-p  It’s a beautiful location and has awesome restaurants.  Lots of them.  I’ve eaten at many of them.  This time my friend Bob and I caught lunch between classes at the Golden Bee.  Yum!  Great food and the prices were moderate for resort fare.  Check it out.  For a special lunch, reserve a table in the Garden Room at the Tavern.  What a treat!  And while you are there, take a walk around the lake.

 Another great place to spend the night, veg in a rocker on their front porch, relax with an aperitif in the beautiful lounge, and have a fabulous meal, is The Cliff House in Manitou Springs.

What a gem!  The Fine Arts Center downtown has rotating exhibits and you can see what’s new right here.  If you like history and you like art, see what The Fine Arts Center has to offer.

This is a great show that ends on November 1, 2008.  We have a terrific historical museum available free to the public in Colorado Springs - Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum.  Each year crafters locally and from far away take time to stop by the CSPM to view the wonderfully colorful quilts and exquisite woodworking.  This year’s show is a visual feast.  For all the facts go to CSPM.  Then get downtown, grab some lunch, and take a little time out of your day to see what people in Colorado have created and vote for your favorite.  You’ll be amazed.

Over Labor Day weekend I had the opportunity to see almost 100 balloons take off from Memorial Park in Colorado Springs.  The weather was perfect and the sky had scattered clouds which made the photos I took look great.  If you haven’t gone to this event before you should give it a try next year.  The balloons are scheduled to go up all 3 days of the long weekend.  It is also an opportunity for me to have Funnel Cake for breakfast!  To see more go to www.balloonclassic.com.  There is also a photo contest every year.  Since my photos are still in my digital camera I don’t think I’ll be entering any time soon.

The Chihuly exhibit is gone and taking its place is art from Andy Warhol now through the end of 2005.  The Fine Arts Center in Colorado Springs is a great venue and you can enjoy lunch on the veranda at the Bistro while the weather is still nice.  From here take a walk downtown and enjoy the shops along Tejon.  The weather should continue to be welcoming for many weeks to come. www.csfineartscenter.org

The celebration in Memorial Park was spectacular once again!  For a great place on July 4th, the Colorado Springs event is the place to be.  You can relax with your friends and family during the day (no dogs please), set up some shelter, cook or get sustanence at one of the food booths. (The sopapillas were delicious!), and wait for the music and fireworks to begin in the evening.

The soldiers who volunteered their time to shoot the cannons for the 1812 Overture and the Starwars Theme did an excellent job!  Thanks for doing that for all of us.  It makes the 4th a special and unique night in the Rockies.  The mix of music by the Philharmonic was fun and the timing of the fireworks display with the firing of the first cannon had the crowd roaring.  Continuing the cannons into the Starwars Theme was inspired.  I’m sure the soldiers had fun with that!

We hope the 2 fireworks that burst on the ground didn’t hurt anyone.  The display was fantastic with another awe inspiring finale.  This is a great land we live in.  Colorado Springs is a great place to raise a family and enjoy the beauty of the Rocky Mountains.  America the Beautiful is right here in our own community.

Colorado is a great state for adventure and sightseeing. There are popular sites and hidden gems all over the state where you can hike, ski, bike, golf, shop, ride horseback, camp, spa — it’s all here! What do you want to know about Colorado? We’ll let you know what we’ve found and hope other visitors will share their favorite sites and activities as well. Tell us about your most recent trip to our mountainous state. Are you considering buying land or a home here? Ask us by email or open an account to post content and links and we’ll direct you to the experts on the area of Colorado you are interested in. Thanks for being here and please come back anytime. There is always new information being added. To get you started try this website for Pikes Peak Region activities: http://www.pikes-peak.com. And be sure to check out other topics in The Right Side of the Brain and Blogroll categories for more ideas on things to do and places to visit.