Manitou Cliff Dwellings
Precious Memories and Places
By Marcella S. Meeks
A few years ago, I took several grandchildren to Colorado Springs, Colorado on vacation. We visited the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center Museum in Woodland Park, Colorado not too far away. The kids loved the museum exhibits with all the dinosaur bones on display. I never gave it much thought about Colorado having had dinosaurs at once time. But my grandson Sam sure thought about it. He was about 8 at the time and into dinosaurs and this was right up his ally. He never wanted to leave that afternoon. He named every dinosaur in the world and the fossil exhibits he saw on display he could easily identify easily. The dinosaur museum is located at 201. S. Fairview Street, Woodland Park, Colorado.
Looking back now, I should have stayed longer and just let him have his hey day while we were there.
The dinosaur museum was more than just a place to Sam. It was a place he enjoyed and he was having the time of his life. We made precious memories that day, memories I will never forget and he probably won’t either.
While we were in Colorado Springs, we drove up to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings in Manitou Springs, Colorado. OMG! My fifteen year old granddaughter Alanna had a fit! She exclaimed that she wanted to live inside the cliff dwellings and that she never wanted to leave. Before we did leave that day, she already had ideas and plans in her head about the kind of house she wanted built when she got older.
These cliff dwellings date back 800 to 1000 years old. If you’d like to find out more about the history of the ancient cliff dwellings, visit their website at https://www.cliffdwellingsmuseum.com/ . They’re located at 10 Cliff Dwellings Rd., Manitou Springs, CO. PHONE: (719) 685-5242.
Again, we made precious memories that day – some day when Sam is grown and has children of his own, my wish would be that he revisits the museum in Woodland Park, Colorado with them. And I hope the same for Alanna. She is grown now and has two children of her own and her daughter Emily, is so much like her. I can see her in my mind bubbling with joy when she visits the cliff dwellings just as her mother did when she was fifteen.
Taking vacations isn’t just about the place – not the way I see it. You’re leaving lasting impressions in your children and grand children’s hearts and they are not likely to ever forget. When we head to Colorado now and if Alanna hears that we are going, she always tells me o bring pictures and post cards back about the cliff dwellings. She reminds me that is her special place and that I should revisit it every year just for her. And I try to when we go that route.
If you’re ever in Colorado Springs, take the short drive up to look up the Manitou Cliff Dwellings in Manitou Springs, Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center Museum in Woodland Park. Spend the day here with the kids. These aren’t just places. The way I see it, they’re places where family memories are made. Enjoy your trip!
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