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Archive for the 'Parks' Category
Acacia Park, part of the landscape of downtown
Acacia was the first Colorado Springs Park, dedicated in 1871
Nothing makes a downtown area more special than a park, and Acacia Park in Colorado Springs is part of the character of downtown Colorado Springs
Related Articles:
- 21 Hidden Gems of Colorado Springs, #1 The Gardens at Monument Valley Park
- 21 Hidden Gems in Colorado Springs, #2 Monument Valley Park
- Hidden Gems in Colorado Springs Parks, #3 North Cheyenne Canon Park
- Garden of the Gods Park, the crown jewel of Colorado Springs
- Check out some Colorado Springs Hiking Trails
Acacia Park (115 E. Platte Ave.) is located in the heart of Downtown Colorado Springs. The park currently includes a band shell, horseshoe court, picnicking, playground, public phone, restrooms, shuffleboard, and the famous Uncle Wilbur Fountain.
According to the information on the Colorado Springs Government web site: “When Colorado Springs filed the original town plat in 1871, it included one city block as the first city-owned park. The park, known as North Park or Acacia Square is the site of the present-day Acacia Park.”. I absolutely love the idea that the founding fathers of Colorado Springs dedicated some of our parks back in the late 1800’s.
During the summer time, the park is the site for the Monday farmers market and Uncle Wilbur’s Fountain, a fountain with over 200 water jets, 52 of which are part of a play area where kids run and try to top the streams. Uncle Wilbur’s Fountain opened in 2001 and is owned by the City of Colorado Springs. It cost over $1 millon to build and was financed a local non-profit organization. Private donors funded the plaza and benches around the fountain, while the fountain’s upkeep is maintained by “Friends of the Fountain,” a non-profit group formed by the Smokebrush Foundation. If you would like information on how to donate time or money to the Fountain, the web site will give you the details.
There is currently a movement by HB & A Architects to gather ideas and concepts on how to continue to revitalize the park. If you have an interest in some of the concepts for the future of the park, here’s a link to Acacia Park Concepts.
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Kathy (719-287-1049) KTorline@msn.com
Lights on or Lights Off
Colorado Springs budget cuts affect street lights
Related Articles:
- High Altitude Adjustment for living in Colorado Springs
- Schools in the Colorado Springs Area
- Abandoned Coal Mines Cause Problems
- High Altitude Tips
- Trees make a neighborhood special
- Stay away from these intersections
Colorado Springs, like many cities across the US, has had to make budget cuts to city services; and one of most controversial cuts has
had to do with street lights in the city.
More than 8000 lights were turned off the city in 2010, and now some residential street lights have now been added back in the budget for 2011. When the lights were originally turned, the city had a task force that included the Police Department and the City Utilities. They had several criteria they used to help determine which ones to turn off which included streetlights with the least efficient bulbs, streetlights in areas with high ambient lighting, and turning off half of the downtown streetlights. To put this in perspective, the city maintained over 24,000 street lights, so they turned off and one-third of them.
But part of the newest controversy is that some residents don’t want the street lights be put back on. They have gotten used to no lights, or they never liked the lights in the first place.
If residents want to keep their lights off, they must must call the City’s Traffic Engineering Division at (719) 385-2852 or send an email to: streetlights@springsgov.com by December 31. After the initial call is made, all necessary paperwork must be completed and received by the City no later than Feb. 15, 2011.
The traffic division will then looks at a 100 foot radius around the light and identifies residents who live within 100 foot radius of the light. 67% of the neighbors in the 100 radius must agree to keep them on or to keep them off.
To find out more information about Colorado Springs homes and real estate, Call ……
Kathy (719-287-1049) KTorline@msn.com
National Park Week include FREE entrance fees
Take advantage of the Free Entrance Fees at Colorado National Parks
For a Free Colorado Springs Relocation Guide, Email Kathy Torline at KTorline@msn.com
Related Articles:
- 21 Hidden Gems of Colorado Springs, #1 The Gardens at Monument Valley Park
- 21 Hidden Gems in Colorado Springs, #2 Monument Valley Park
- Hidden Gems in Colorado Springs Parks, #3 North Cheyenne Canon Park
- Garden of the Gods Park, the crown jewel of Colorado Springs
- Check out some Colorado Springs Hiking Trails
For one week only, Colorado native and Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, is waiving entrance fees to national parks, monuments, recreation areas, and historic sites in honor of National Park Week, April 17-25. This is a wonderful opportunity to check out some of the amazing Colorado parks.
Some of my favorite National Colorado parks are Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Great Sand Dunes National Park, and Rocky Mountain National Park.
Even though entrance fees will be waived from April 17-25, 2010, the camping fees still apply. If you can’t take advantage of the free Park entry, consider buying an annual pass. The fees for passes are $80 per year, or if you are are 62 or older, you qualify for a lifetime senior pass for just $10. Lifetime passes for disabled folks are free.
Also, if you live close to a National Park, why not become a volunteer? Aside from doing a good deed, the National Parks Service will reward you with an annual pass for free once you have logged 500 volunteer hours. So head on out to the wilderness and experience these magical places during National Parks Week - April 17-25, 2010.
Kathy (719-287-1049) KTorline@msn.com
Technology and nature compliment each other
Technology and Nature compliment each other
OK, I know I err on the side of being a technology geek; but I’ve just heard about the most amazing thing ………… The City of Colorado Springs has a walking tour podcast about Garden of the Gods available on ITunes.
Seems like the best of both worlds to me; technology and nature!
Garden of the Gods is a giant rock garden composed of red sandstone formations and is located on the west 
side of town in the 80904 Zip Code. It is minutes from neighborhoods on the Northwest and West side of Colorado Springs including Mountain Shadows, Cedar Heights, Pleasant Valley, Rockrimmon, Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs. According to the information on the Springs government web site, the park system is visited by 1.7 million visitors from around the world each year.
In 2009, the City is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Garden of the Gods becoming a City park. There is a wonderful timeline showing the history of the park Read the rest of this entry »
Birding season, mark your calendar
Looking for something unique to do? Love watching wildlife?
I’ve never been an avid bird watcher, but I certainly enjoying watching any type of wildlife; including birds. I was doing some research this weekend on local birds, including the hummingbirds that come by and visit us every year and I came across these unique activities in Colorado Springs, and thought I’d share it with our readers …………
Plan now to take advantage of the monthly bird walks at the Garden of 
the Gods Park. The park staff is partnering with the American Birding Association (ABA) and is offering monthly bird walks from May to November.
According to some information I found during my research for this blog, there have been over 170 species of birds seen in the park. Some of the local birds found are the Spotted Towhee, Virginia’s Warbler, White-throated Swift, Prairie Falcon, and the Rock Wren.
Schedule: Read the rest of this entry »
Trees make a neighborhood special
Did you know that if you’ve recently purchased a home that’s ten years or newer in Colorado Springs, you can get a free tree from the city?
For a Free Colorado Springs Relocation Guide, Email Kathy Torline at KTorline@msn.com
The City of Colorado Springs has a New Home Tree Certificate Program is a wonderful program where you can get a $100.00 tree certificate.
Here’s some of the facts about the Tree Certificate Program
Then and Now Read the rest of this entry »
News Flash — Colorado Springs ranked Fittest City
Colorado Springs #1
For a Free Colorado Springs Relocation Guide, Email Kathy Torline at KTorline@msn.com
Since I’m a “wanna-be” athlete, and I’m a statistic “junkie, I love articles like the recent publication in Men’s Fitness Magazine. The article praised Colorado Springs, which is no surprise to those of us who already live in the area.
The ranking information on the web site includes a report card, with A through F rankings. The area was rated an A in some categories, including Geography, Nutrition, Air Quality, and Parks and Open Space. But ………… on the other end of the spectrum there were F ratings for Alcohol Consumption and Access to HealthCare. Our neighbor to the north, Denver, was ranked #4, and also received an F in Alcohol Consumption, as well as they also received a D for Commute and Access to Healthcare.
There was some great trivia information posted on the web site:
- The number of heavy drinkers here is high: Colorado Springs has 17 percent more than average and the, 7th highest in the survey.
- Colorado Springs is home to Read the rest of this entry »
Hidden Gems in Colorado Springs Parks, #4 Palmer Park
For a Free Colorado Springs Relocation Guide, Email Kathy Torline at KTorline@msn.com
One of the top reasons people want to relocate to Colorado Springs and love living in the Pikes Peak Region is because of the open spaces and mountains. It’s paradise for a nature lover!
Palmer Park is a heavily wooded park located in the Central and East side of Colorado Springs, only minutes from homes in Village Seven, Patty Jewett, Divine Redeemer, Old north End, Cragmoor, University Park
Facts about Palmer Park in Colorado Springs:
- It’s a large series of rocky bluffs conveniently located right in the middle of the city.
- It includes two baseball/softball fields, community playground, football/soccer field, horse stables, restrooms.
- It has over 25 miles of trails (hiking, jogging, equestrian) on 730.7 acres.
- It includes two dog parks, one Read the rest of this entry »
Hiking and Biking Delight
In the mood to enjoy this beautiful fall weather? How about a hike, walk or bike tour through one of our wonderful trails in Colorado Springs. We have 105 miles of urban trails and 160 miles of park trails. To see them all would take a long time so you can pick a different one every day or just go to your favorite one to check out the differences during the seasonal changes. Some are easy day hikes while others are for the hearty campers.
It’s sometimes nice to know the difference in the trails so you can pick the ones that fit into your needs. Colorado Springs breaks their urban trails into three tiers. Urban trails are not only used for recreational purposes, but also provide residents Read the rest of this entry »
Colorado Springs celebrates Fallen Firefighters in Memorial Park
Firefighters Memorial
For a Free Colorado Springs Relocation Guide, Email Kathy Torline at KTorline@msn.com
Yearly ceremony to be held Saturday at The International Association of Fire Fighters Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial. The memorial located in Memorial Park in Colorado Springs contains names of firefighters killed in the line of duty. This year 137 names will be added. The ceremony starts at 1:00pm Saturday with bagpipes and a procession of fire vehicles and motorcycles from far and wide culminating in the dedication of the new names added to the wall. Family members as well as their fellow firefighters will be in attendance. If you see one of these brave firefighters, please take a moment and thank them for their service; don’t forget to thank the families as well. Remember, they gave up their most precious loved one so others could live.
The IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Foundation was founded in
Hidden Gems in Colorado Springs Parks, #3 North Cheyenne Canon Park
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Previous posts
- 21 Hidden Gems of Colorado Springs, #1 The Gardens at Monument Valley Park
- 21 Hidden Gems in Colorado Springs, #2 Monument Valley Park
- Garden of the Gods Park, the crown jewel of Colorado Springs
One of the top reasons people want to relocate to Colorado Springs and love living in the Pikes Peak Region is because of the open spaces and mountains. It’s paradise for a nature lover!
Cheyenne Canon is a heavily wooded park located on the southwest side of Colorado Springs, only minutes from the Broadmoor Hotel. It is close to neighborhoods on the South and West side of town, including the Broadmoor, Old Colorado City, Cheyenne Canon, Crown Mesa, Gold Hill Mesa, and Skyway.
Facts about Cheyenne Canon Park: Read the rest of this entry »
Hidden Gems in Colorado Springs Parks, #2 Monument Valley Park
For a Free Colorado Springs Relocation Guide, Email Kathy Torline at KTorline@msn.com
One of the top reasons people love living in the Pikes Peak Region is because of the open spaces and mountains. It’s paradise for a nature lover!
In the heart of Colorado Springs is Monument Valley Park, one of the town’s most treasured parks. It extends north and south, parallel to and east of I-25. It is close to many neighborhoods and homes in the central part of Colorado Springs including the Old North End, the North End, Read the rest of this entry »
The crown jewel of Colorado Springs Parks, Garden of the Gods
Garden of the Gods
For a Free Colorado Springs relocation Guide, Contact Kathy Torline at KTorline@msn.com
The Park is a giant rock garden composed of red sandstone formations and is located on the west side of town in the 80904 Zip Code. It is minutes from neighborhoods on the Northwest and West side of Colorado Springs including Mountain Shadows, Cedar Heights, Pleasant Valley, Rockrimmon, Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs.
About Garden of the Gods:
• It’s a Colorado Springs city park, public, Read the rest of this entry »
Hidden Gems in Colorado Springs Parks, #1 The Gardens at Monument Valley Park
In the heart of Central Colorado Springs
are the Gardens at Monument Valley Park
For a Free Colorado Springs relocation Guide, Contact Kathy Torline at KTorline@msn.com
One of the top reasons people love living in the Pikes Peak Region is because of the open spaces and mountains. It’s paradise for a nature lover!
If you’ve recently moved to the area, and want to learn about what grows well in the high arid climate of the Pikes Peak region, this is a perfect place for you to visit. It’s one of the hidden gems of the city.
The gardens are located in Read the rest of this entry »
32nd Balloon Classic comes to Colorado Springs Labor Day Weekend 2008
For a Free Colorado Springs Relocation Guide, Email Kathy Torline at KTorline@msn.com
Not sure what to do over Labor Day weekend? Well, come over to Memorial Park and help the city celebrate its 32nd annual Balloon Classic. For three days these colorful balloons will be lifting off, giving the city a very colorful sky-scrape as they dot the Pikes Peak sky. During the evening come on down and watch the night come to light during 
the Balloon Glo and while you’re there, wander into downtown Colorado Springs and enjoy one of the fine local restaurants or come to one of the free concerts that will be offered on Saturday and Sunday evening.
The Colorado Balloon Classic (a division of Colorado Springs Balloon Classic, Inc.) was organized in 1977 and has grown to be the largest and the longest continuously running hot air balloon festival in the Rocky Mountain Region as well as the State of Colorado. The Colorado Balloon Classic is an annual family event – admission is free.
The event is held in Memorial Park off Pikes Peak Avenue between Hancock Ave. and Union Blvd near the shores of Prospect Lake. Mass ascensions with over 100 balloons are scheduled for Saturday, Sunday and Monday mornings with a Balloon Glo® scheduled for Saturday and Sunday evenings. Read the rest of this entry »
