Being from the East Coast, we’re lucky enough to share our home state with several Native American tribes. There are monthly powwows on the Eastern Shore that are absolutely transcendent to visit, and plenty of museums and reconstructions to give us a glimpse into the past of the tribes who once flourished here. But one of the many, many things that makes First Nations cultures so beautiful is their sheer diversity. So, when we heard about the Manitou Cliff Dwellings and museum in Colorado Springs, we immediately added it to our itinerary.
The Manitou Cliff Dwellings
So, one thing to know before you go is that this is NOT an authentic Native American site. That is, these dwellings were not originally built here – they were moved here for preservation and education. Which, if I’m honest, was a tiny bit of a let-down, as we hadn’t realized this beforehand.
That said, even these heavily-sanitized dwellings are unlike anything on the East Coast. They’re beautiful, and look perfectly at home in the scrubby, red hills surrounding them. Once you pay your admission and get your map/guide at the gate, park and walk up to the dwellings. They’re attached to a cliffside here, and there are a few entrances where you can pop inside and start reading about the different types of structures (multi-floor family homes, official residences or buildings, etc.), who would have occupied them, and how they were built.
Many of the buildings are interconnected on the inside, so you can stay out of the sun (it’s surprisingly cool inside!) while you read the educational plaques and listen to drumming and chanting over the speakers installed very sneakily within the structures.
Once we had walked through all the buildings, we looked more closely at the exteriors. All along the outside of the dwellings are various small gardens planted with herbs and plants that would have been of significance to the people who might once have called this place home. Plants for weaving, or eating, or healing – all labeled and planted for you to see.
Pro tip: Fair warning, if you visit when things are in bloom – and most of these plants do bloom – get ready to share your space with a hefty number of buzzing friends. As someone who is irrationally terrified of wasps, I spent a fair amount of time being twitchy here.
Boyfriend Perspective: These dwellings would house multiple families and they are not much bigger than a studio apartment. It is quite amazing to see how other people used to live compared with a modern home.
The Cliff Dwelling Museum
The museum is small, but holds a TON of relics and artifacts. One thing that struck both of us is how well-preserved many woven items from the 1700s and 1800s – and before – still are.
With examples of clothing, weapons, tools, shoes, jewelry, baby carriers, and pottery, among many other things, from various tribes that inhabited the region or the region the dwellings originally occupied, we enjoyed getting a full picture of the lives and cultures of these people – rather than just running around in the remains their houses.
Pro tip: Make sure to stop and read all the exhibits – they’re interesting enough to look at, but downright fascinating to actually learn about!
Who should visit?
Full disclosure, Luke and I are in our late twenties and we had a fair bit of fun here as a couple. It’s not the most exciting thing you can do on a Friday afternoon, but it’s absolutely fascinating and well-worth the price of admission (even if history isn’t always Luke’s “thing” 😉 ).
That said, this would also be an amazing family-friendly stop in Colorado Springs. Respectfully educational and very experiential, I can’t imagine young kiddos not having fun running around inside the dwellings, noticing how much cooler they are than outside, climbing the ladders, and ogling the gift shop.
Boyfriend Perspective: This is great stop for the historical experience. It shouldn’t take you more than an hour or two and it is packed with plenty of local heritage to absorb. Worth the stop!
Have you visited the Manitou Cliff Dwellings, or others like it? What did you think? Share your thoughts below! 🙂
Also, we’d love it if you’d share some pin love with the image below <3
Drive up Pikes Peak! (Or, don’t take the Pikes Peak train)
These look really interesting. Cave dwellings really aren’t something I would associate with Colorado. As a forty something Mum to two, I think my kids would love visiting and I know I would.
Heck yeah! I think a lot of this is tailor-made for families of all ages. And even as a couple, we enjoyed poking around 🙂
History is my thing, and I really enjoyed the way in which you described the site. It is amazing what living spaces of people who lived centuries or even millenniums before us can teach us. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
Thank you for your kind words – I’m so glad you enjoyed 🙂
Sounds very interesting as I like things from history. Very informative post. I liked your writting style👍
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback! 🙂
I won’t deny, I have never heard of this cliff dwelling and museum before but life teaches you something new everyday! Since we live in Asia, we haven’t really had the chance to see both east and west coast of America yet. The story behind the cliff dwellers is interesting, and it must have been a little adventurous walking inside. It looks like a well designed and lighted cave to me. Also, I wish you had put up pictures of the plants you are talking about, sounds all so interesting.
That’s great feedback! I think you can see a lot of them pretty well in one of the smaller photos under “The Manitou Cliff Dwellings” heading… and the good news is the photos can expand into a lightbox for more details 🙂 But I’ll see if I can find some other pictures of those plants from the trip.
This is such an interesting post, I am also very afraid of wasps 😉 I love museums and history, even though I am only 20, we should never be ashamed of our curiosity!
So happy to know I’m not alone in my phobias 😛 And man, curiosity and learning know no age. If anything, ~those~ folks who are always poo-pooing millennials should be excited that so many of us have such a hunger for knowledge and experience of all the world has to offer! 😀
Does look like a good place to visit as a family, more for educational purposes. It is slightly disappointing to know it is not the authentic dwelling but only set up for educational purpose. Nevertheless, looks pretty cool to visit here!
Parts of it definitely are real, from what I read, but yet, the placement and lack of completeness definitely mean it’s not the most authentic experience. Still, to your point, if you’ve never been exposed to these kinds of ancient cultures before, it’s a great intro 🙂
It looks like a great place to visit. I love how America has so many different lanscapes to offer. I need to go back soon 🙂
Heck yeah! You can get just about any kind of scenery you desire here, which is really cool. We keep looking at destinations outside the US, but sometimes it’s fun to remember just what all we have access to here – without even having to grab a passport 🙂
Wow, this sounds really interesting. We know very little about native American history and this sounds like it would be educational, while being fun at the same time. I also have a complete phobia of wasps though so not sure how I’d deal with the buzzies.
Honestly, the dwellings were interesting enough that it made dodging the striped winged things worth it! This, from the ultimate screamer of girly screams hahahah
Wonderful places, I just wondered: I’m currently travelling through Australia and looked into land rights movements and initiatives about truth-telling – with regard to the aboriginal and original land owners. How do you feel about the US’ recognition of the aboriginal peoples?
What a great – and really tough – question! Because I’m not a Native American, I’m not sure I have a full picture of how they are recognized – or if they feel they’re recognized at all. The perspective I do have is that, historically, the first inhabitants of a land never fare well when colonizers invade, and we, as a country, often still don’t talk about our native people until our government needs or wants something from the land they’re occupying. I think this definitely bears more conversation and reading, though.
Great to see that the locals have made the ffort to share about the traditions of the tribal people.
It is. It always bothers me that our country doesn’t talk much about Native Americans until the government is trying to impinge on their territory, so it’s nice to see some effort being made at sharing the history of the folks who were here first!!