Manitou Springs is full of things for the entire family to do together. You can visit the Miramount Castle or check out the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. Attractions here are fun and very affordable. One of the most popular attractions in the area is The Cave of The Winds. You can tour these beautiful cavernous wonders and discover their amazing formations. In fact, they have availability every day the month of September for cave tours. You can get your tickets directly from their website. Also, check out their family-friendly tour which is called the Discovery Tour. Continue reading for more information about this extraordinary cave system in Colorado.
Cave of The Winds
Though the formations in The Cave of the Winds date back millions of years, it wasn't discovered until 1880 by brothers George and John Pickett. Some of the formations here are so delicate that they are no longer open for public viewing. Most notable of these is the Silent Splendor room. This cave chamber contains numerous rare crystalline speleothems that have grown in strange directions, not forced down by gravity like most cave formations around the world. Though this area is shut off from the public, there are still many amazing chambers of the cave to see.
One of the most popular parts of the cave is called the "Adventure Room." This part of the cave was left in it's natural condition. Therefore it has dirt floors, a lower numbers of lights and gives entry to the Manitou Grand Caverns where Lantern Tours are given. One of the newest passages in the cave system is named the "Old Curiosity Shop." Opened as recently as 1989, this passage is popular because it features a ton of unique formations. These include the "Colorado Rose", a beaded helictite, and "Spider Web Valley", a collection of delicate helictites resembling spiderwebs. For more information about The Cave of The Winds and how you can get a family tour can be found on their website.