Colorado Springs, CO

On Top of America

Colorado Springs is "purple mountain majesty" country, an area so breathtaking that it inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write the words to "America the Beautiful" upon climbing Pikes Peak. Your little ones might not know the words, but like Bates, they'll experience the dizzying feeling of being on top of the world. And that's not hard to do in a town that's more than a mile above sea level.

Garden of the Gods, copyright
T Schwab/CSCVB

Although the trip can be made in a day from Denver, less than 90 minutes north, there are enough high-altitude attractions here to keep your clan busy for at least four days.