Downtown is the bustling heart of Colorado Springs. Its streets, lined predominantly with locally-owned restaurants and shops, are iced with trendy lofts and apartments. Tejon Street is a hub for community festivities, including parades, a cattle drive, motorcycle shows and sports and arts events.

Bars and nightclubs bring the area alive after dark. The weekends start on Thursdays, when you’ll see lines outside The Mansion and Cowboys Night Club. The nearby 15c Cigar & Martini Bar offers a speakeasy atmosphere a world away from the busy street outside, while Supernova Bar & Arcade is alight with 1980s arcade games and is known for its friendly wait staff.

Several of the city’s three dozen or so breweries are located downtown. Try Iron Bird, Phantom Canyon or Triple S.

The city’s two most popular Irish restaurants, Jack Quinn Irish Alehouse & Pub and McCabe’s Tavern, sit on Tejon Street. Both feature weekly trivia nights hosted by Geeks Who Drink.

For a more kid-friendly spot, Acacia Park offers a musical fountain that is often surrounded by playing, squealing children during summertime. The park has a playground and lots of shaded, lush grass that’s prime picnic space.

The first Friday of every month is dedicated to art, with shops and galleries open into the evening hours. And every year, a competition determines whose art will be displayed as part of Art in the Streets, an exhibit of sculptures dotted across the downtown area. This year’s pieces will remain in place until May.

For runners and bikers, trails weave through Monument Valley Park. The sidewalks in the historic Old North End are also ideal for a shaded stroll or jog past the beautiful, century-old mansions and greenery.

Colorado College and its many lectures, concerts, sporting events and other activities open to the public sits on the north end of downtown.

Along Cascade Avenue, the Fine Arts Center is a fantastic place to see important local artwork and to catch talented performers onstage. There also are art classes for all ages and multiple art exhibits, both permanent and traveling.

The American Numismatic Association Money Museum shares more than 250,000 items that detail the colorful history of currency.