Things to do in Missouri, Annapolis, DC, Colorado, Prescott?

CA.Giraffe

This October and November, DH and I are taking my son to tour all the colleges he's interested in attending. We are visiting Springfield, MO; Washington, DC; Annapolis, MD; Colorado Springs, CO; and Prescott, AZ.

I've been to each of these cities at least once, but I went for business and didn't really tour the area. What thing(s) are your favorite in each spot? Could be a tour, or place to eat, or activity...we have 3-4 days in each place, and only one day is our official school tour. Just has to be teenager-friendly. We like history, sports, scenic views, good food, and the outdoors. DH is disabled (temporarily), so nothing high-adventure.

Thanks!

penguin44

Make sure to go to Lambert's, home of the throwed roll, when you go to Springfield.

There are tons of outdoorsy things to do in MO, but I'm not super familiar with the Springfield area.

birdybride2014

Colorado Springs- this is where we are going on our honeymoon actually, in November! They have lots of outdoorsy-type things (Royal Gorge, Garden of the God for scenic views), but then they also have a neat downtown, and quite a few local breweries and such.

http://www.visitcos.com/

kat1114

I can only speak to Prescott, but here are a few ideas:

-Walking around the downtown/Whiskey Row area. Don't let the name throw you, there are a few bars, but it's a cute little downtown/historic area to walk through.

-There is a restaurant called Raven Cafe that has delicious food, and offers rooftop dining with pretty views of the area.

-If you don't mind about a 45 minute drive, Jerome is a good option for a day trip. It's a former mining town that has some quirky shops/restaurants, and is fun to walk around.

bethsmiles

I'm from Coloado and I love it! Colorado is great for doing outdoorsy things. I second @birdybride2014 's suggestion for Garden of the Gods. It makes for a fun day (or just an afternoon) and it's gorgeous and most of the area is very handicap accessible. 

I'm sure there's a brewery tour you could do in Colorado Springs because they are all over Colorado. I don't know how teenager friendly that is though!

Manitou Springs is right next to Colorado Springs and it's a fun tourist town with lots of shops and great reastraunts and the Cog Railway (http://www.cograilway.com/) which is pretty fun.

ETA: There's also the Olympic Trainning Center in Colorado Springs but I think they only do tours in the summer but you can see if you could also go see that while you're there.

slothiegal

Awww, I just moved from DC...definitely miss (parts of) it.

--All Smithsonian institutions (museums, zoo, etc.) are free!  I also HIGHLY recommend the Newseum (although that does cost; completely worth it though).

--The Washington Monument just recently reopened after repairs from the earthquake a few years ago; you get a great view of the city (fun fact: there is a law on how tall the buildings in the district can be and the monument was granted exemption when built--hence DC has a very different skyline than other big cities).

--If you like beer, Churchkey in Logan Circle has a bomb selection and super tasty food as well.

sarawifenow

I am, also, from Colorado. The Springs is really nice!

 

Like PPs have mentioned, the Royal Gorge and the Garden of the Gods are really nice.

 

You could also check out the Cave of the Winds which is a tour through underground caverns. If you are claustrophobic, I would avoid, but otherwise they are really pretty.

 

Also, check out Cheyenne Mountain Zoo! You can feed the giraffes! I don't think anything else needs to be said about that...

bethsmiles

SaraBrideSoon said:

I am, also, from Colorado. The Springs is really nice!

 

Like PPs have mentioned, the Royal Gorge and the Garden of the Gods are really nice.

 

You could also check out the Cave of the Winds which is a tour through underground caverns. If you are claustrophobic, I would avoid, but otherwise they are really pretty.

 

Also, check out Cheyenne Mountain Zoo! You can feed the giraffes! I don't think anything else needs to be said about that...

How did I not know this?! I love the Denver Zoo but they don't let me feed giraffes! I thinnk I need to plan a day-trip!

CMGragain

Annapolis has the historic downtown area that is best explored on foot.  Very touristy, now. 

DC - definitely The Smithsonian:  The Air and Space Museum is most popular, followed by Museum of American History.  Excellent art museum at The National Gallery of Art, if he's into art history and old masters.  Tourist sights: Lincoln Monument, Washington Monument, US. Capitol Building, White House.  Don't try to drive in DC.  Metro subway is safe, clean, and takes you most places.
Tour of Mt. Vernon is worth the time.

OliveOilsMom

There was a great burger place in Annopolis that H & I went to on our mini moon.  It was featured on Man vs. Food for some gigantic milkshake/sandwich challenge.  It  was really tiny inside, but if you can find a spot to eat, a hungry teenaged boy would love it!  I think the name was Ruth & Chick's deli.  But if you go on Travel Channels website and find that episode's guide, it will tell you the name.

In DC, I recommend the Spy museum, it is so cool!  It was my favorite museum there, but its not free.  It is worth the price of admission when I went.  Also, if you don't want to wait in line at the Washington Monument, I recommend the Old Post office.  Its a block off of the Mall and if you go up to the tower, you can also get a great view of the city from up there.  They also have a food court for lunch.  Take the metro everywhere!  For dinner, I really enjoyed the Dubliner, which is about a block away from Union Station.

sarawifenow

@bethsmiles You have to go! It is my favorite zoo because of that. And it is like $2 to feed them and they give you a huge handfull of lettuce.

SmileDamnit

SaraBrideSoon said:

I am, also, from Colorado. The Springs is really nice!

 

Like PPs have mentioned, the Royal Gorge and the Garden of the Gods are really nice.

 

You could also check out the Cave of the Winds which is a tour through underground caverns. If you are claustrophobic, I would avoid, but otherwise they are really pretty.

 

Also, check out Cheyenne Mountain Zoo! You can feed the giraffes! I don't think anything else needs to be said about that...

Another Colorado gal here. I second Cave of the Winds & Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. The giraffes are a trip! I'd add Seven Falls in there, too. It's gorgeous! I'd say Pikes Peak, but not sure if it'll be open that time of year. If you feel like ditching the kid, you can head to Cripple Creek (quaint little gambling town about 45 miles outside of The Springs). ETA - I see you like sports so you can always drive north to Denver for a Broncos game (or baseball...or hockey...or basketball...or lacrosse...or soccer. It's a big sports kinda city

CA.Giraffe

Giraffes! My namesake!!

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I'm super excited to be taking the kiddo around, and I'm hoping he gets a feel for not only the schools but also the surrounding communities.