“Springs Beer Tours Is a Must-Do
Tour While in Colorado Springs”
Article by:
Cooking Quidnunc (http://www.cookingquidnunc.com/)
Eating, Drinking and Adventuring around Toronto and beyond!
Friday, December 07, 2018
After a long drive from Boulder to Colorado Springs, the first stop was one that was going to quench my thirst…with beer of course. We met Russel Shaw of Springs Beer Tours at Creekside Cuisine to begin a 2-hour walking tour of the quaint mountain town of Manitou Springs (6 miles west of Colorado springs). Russel is a retired Service Disabled Veteran who served in the U.S. Air Force for over 23 years. He has been a resident of Colorado Springs since his retirement and has a strong knowledge and passion for craft beer and history.
Russ took us to some of the best attractions in the Springs such as Creekside Cuisine, Soda Springs Park, Patsy’s Original Candies, The Penny Arcade, Cliff House and Manitou Brewing. The Penny Arcade was a real highlight, featuring more than 400 games, some that still cost a penny. The oldest game in the arcade dates back to 1905 and is called a mutoscope (an early motion picture device). It was really cool to see some of my favourite old school games throughout the arcade as well as some newer ones added. The most popular game at the arcade seemed to be the old skee-ball machines from 1962.
As we walked to each spot in the Springs, Russ shared fun stories about the quirky town and gave us the history of certain areas and statues we walked past. My favourite stories were the ones that included ghosts, and let me tell you that there are A LOT of haunted stories in Manitou Springs. It seemed like every other building we walked past was haunted, especially The Cliff House (apparently many guests have seen a white apparition drifting the halls late at night). Luckily we didn’t have any ghastly encounters, instead we tried some of the local beers on tap such as Great Divide Yeti, Ska Brewing Modus Mandarina and Denver Beer Co. Princess Yum Yum Raspberry. Did you know? Famous people such as Henry Ford, Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas Edison stayed at The Cliff House.
I also really enjoyed our stop at Manitou Brewing Company. This historic brew pub features a delicious food menu and a great selection of beers that are made with the pristine waters located near the top of Pikes Peak.
Springs Beer Tours is a must-do tour while in Colorado Springs. Russ was extremely patient, friendly and knowledgeable and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the town. Russ made it fun, and catered the stories to our interests (I could’ve listened to haunted tales all day long). He even recommended some great breweries to check out in Colorado Springs. Thanks Russ!!