Adventure Awaits

Also known as “America’s Mountain,” Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs is one of the most-visited summits on the planet. You can drive, hike or bike the Pikes Peak Highway, catch a shuttle or ride the cog railway to the top, where a visitor center and stunning views await.

The Pikes Peak Railway is owned by The Broadmoor, a luxury resort that offers single rooms, suites, cottages, the Brownstones for a residential experience and a 12,000-square-foot estate house. Activities at or near the resort include ziplines, falconry, mountain biking, golf, tennis, pickleball, swimming, fishing, mountain climbing, hiking, the Seven Falls waterfall park and raft tours.

“Once people stay with us, they are pretty much hooked,” says Krista Heinicke, director of public relations for the renowned resort. 

Another must-see in Colorado Springs is the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum, Heinicke says.

“The museum is phenomenal,” Heinicke says. “It has the largest collection of medals from the Olympic games, and torches. The design itself is really spectacular.”

The U.S. Air Force Academy is a beautiful campus with a newly rebuilt visitor center, Heinicke says. She also recommended driving through or hiking at the Garden of the Gods with its red sandstone rock formations.  

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, situated on a mountainside overlooking Colorado Springs, features more than 30 species of endangered animals. Visitors can soar over their favorite animal exhibits and take in breathtaking views of the city below on the Mountaineer Sky Ride.

Top-billed restaurants in Colorado Springs include The Rabbit Hole, Shuga’s and Four by Brother Luck.

The city of Omaha is in the midst of a development boom, “with over $9 billion in development happening,” says Jasmyn Goodwin, vice president of marketing and communication for Visit Omaha. “It’s completely reshaping the visitor experience.”

The 73-acre RiverFront combines three parks in the heart of downtown Omaha, serving as a gathering space between the historic Old Market and north downtown.

“These are stunning parks,” Goodwin says. “There are hammocks, firepits and massive playgrounds. There are dog parks, art installations, a pavilion for live shows, and popup events and festivals. You end up right on the (Missouri) riverfront for the Kiewit Luminarium, a STEM discovery center with more than 100 interactive exhibits.”

The Old Market Entertainment District features “quirky shopping, boutiques, antiques and lots of chef-run restaurants. A streetcar is coming in 2028 to connect the midtown area with the downtown area. I like to say it’s an accessible and affordable adventure.”

Omaha’s Joslyn Art Museum has reopened “after a massive expansion and renovation,” Goodwin says. “It has a gorgeous, glass-enclosed atrium. The museum, a pink marble masterpiece, offers over 5,000 years of human creativity.”

The Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Goodwin says, “is ranked as one of the world’s best zoos.”

The 160-acre property, dedicated to worldwide conservation, features the world’s largest indoor desert and the largest indoor rainforest in North America.

The Charles Schwab Field is the venue for the men’s college world series, which Goodwin says has been held in Omaha since 1950. The world’s largest Little League tournament is also held in Omaha during June, and it’s a great month for Omaha’s many sports-themed restaurants and bars and grills. 

Omaha was founded on a plateau on the west bank of the Missouri River, and a crossing called Lone Tree Ferry earned the city its nickname, the Gateway to the West. It hosted the World’s Fair in 1898.

The art, the architecture, the scenery, the shopping, the food: Santa Fe has it all. And visitors will find something new this summer, too. 

“The Railyard District is finally really bustling,” with restaurants, breweries, Sky Railway scenic train rides and an ice cream shop, says Nicole Barker, media relations manager for the New Mexico Tourism Department. 

Outdoor programming will happen all summer at the Railyard, and a Route 66 Centennial Festival Oct. 10-12 will include Americana music, an antique car show and a vintage souvenir market. 

The artists under the portal at the Palace of the Governors “is definitely one of the best spots in New Mexico to buy Native American jewelry,” Barker says. “You are able to talk to the artists and the artisans about the pieces you are interested in buying.” 

The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum showcases her early work as a student and teacher, groundbreaking paintings from her time on the East Coast and artistic revelations from her years in New Mexico. Average viewing time is 60 minutes.    

“Because you can go through it faster, it’s a great way to take kids to a museum,” Barker says. “You are not committed to a multi-hour situation.”

Canyon Road is lined with dozens of galleries, boutiques and eateries, along a half-mile, winding historic road.

San Miguel Chapel, first built in 1610 and with part of its original walls still standing, is the oldest Catholic church built in the United States, and is still used regularly for religious services. It is the centerpiece of the El Barrio de Analco National Register Historic District.

Santa Fe is the flagship location for the Meow Wolf House of Eternal Return, an immersive art experience. 

“This is where all the creativity really was born. It’s a great place for families,” Barker says.

Tia Sophia’s is the birthplace of two New Mexico culinary traditions, Barker says: breakfast burritos and ‘Christmas style,’ which is using red and green chilis in the same dish. 

At The Shed, “I recommend getting the blue corn tacos or green chili stew,” Barker says.

Plaza Café offers a stuffed sopapilla.

“It’s tradition to have sopapillas with honey, but there you can get it as a main dish with beef or chicken or a vegetarian version,” Barker says.

The city of Scottsdale “can tick all the boxes for whatever kind of vacation you’re looking for,” says Marjorie Magnusson, public relations manager for the Arizona Office of Tourism. 

“It’s beautiful. It has activities for everybody. There are desert adventures, relaxing around the pool, golf, activities for the kids. Then you add the arts and all the outdoor recreation and the culinary options.”

The Arizona Boardwalk outdoes itself with eight marquee attractions: the OdySea Aquarium, Butterfly Wonderland, The Science of Ripley’s Believe it or Not!, Laser + Mirror Maze, Pangaea Land of the Dinosaurs, the Museum of Illusions, Cyber Quest and The UFO Experience. 

Billing itself as “an effortless blend of urban chic and Old West charm,” Old Town Scottsdale is a collection of shops, restaurants, art galleries, museums and historic sites from the late 1880s. Magnusson is especially fond of the Native Art Market, which she says is “jam-packed with all sorts of wonderfulness,” including jewelry, fine art and home décor items handcrafted by indigenous artists and artisans. It’s also a cultural center that offers Native music and dance performances. 

Magnusson also raves about the Musical Instrument Museum, which is the world’s first global instrument museum.

“All museums know how long people stay, and the time people spend there exceeds all others,” Magnusson says. “You get headphones, stand in front of the exhibit, and a screen knows you are there and shows somebody playing the instrument.”

In the Experience Gallery, she says, visitors can touch and play instruments from cultures across the world. 

Frank Lloyd Wright’s desert camp, Taliesin West, is in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains. One of the most influential architects of our time, Wright shifted society’s ideas of how to live in balance with nature. Self-guided audio tours last about an hour. 

For family-friendly dining, Magnusson recommended the Sugar Bowl, a retro diner with an ice cream parlor, Craft 64 artisan woodfired pizza and The Thumb, featuring hardwood-smoked barbecue. 

For time in the outdoors, there’s the Gateway Trailhead, the Desert Botanical Garden, hot air balloon rides, kayaking and paddleboarding.

Dallas, Texas

Oklahomans are warmly welcomed in Dallas, says Zane Harrington, director of communications for Visit Dallas.

“We know that Oklahomans are coming here, for the major sports teams, for concerts, for spending weekends here, for shopping and visiting our museums,” Harrington says. “It’s certainly a huge market for us.”

Dallas restaurants, Harrington says, “are really spectacular. We have a huge diversity of international cuisines and really good Texas cuisines. Mexican Sugar is delicious for a Tex-Mex style.” 

Rodeo Goat offers house-ground burgers every which way, Texas sides, cocktails and beer.

Terry Black’s BBQ bills itself as a “legendary, old-school market style barbecue joint with pit smoked meats and housemade sides from famous fourth-generation pit masters.”

The city has the largest arts district in the United States, Harrington says, anchored by the Crow Museum of Asian Art of the University of Texas at Dallas, the Dallas Museum of Art and the Perot Museum. All have interactive components or tours designed for children. 

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, “is one of our most popular attractions,” Harrington says. “There’s still a line out the door most days of people waiting for tickets. It does a really good job of honoring President Kennedy’s legacy and all that he did around the Civil Rights Movement.”

John F. Kennedy’s assassination on Nov. 22, 1963, was “a tragic day in American history that sadly happened here in Dallas,” Harrington says. 

Reunion Tower has been a staple of the Dallas skyline since 1978. Its 259 exterior LED lights can be seen for miles, and from 470 feet up visitors can experience 360-degree panoramic views. 

“There is a very good restaurant up there called Crown Block,” Harrington says. 

The 66-acre Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden features themed gardens and seasonal programming.

50 minutes north of Dallas sits the hidden gem city of Lewisville, which offers entertainment options galore, alongside cultural offerings, dining and shopping.

See a show at the lauded Lewisville Grand Theatre or venture to the LLELA Nature Preserve. A city that places a great emphasis on music, you can enjoy year-round festivals and live music weekly. 

A popular, can’t-miss event is Lewisville Western Days, which offers live music on six stages, plus the Padrino Foods World Tamale Eating Championship. The event, which typically takes place the last weekend in September, has an anticipated attendance of 20,000-30,000 people over two days.

Sunset is a special time of day in downtown Wichita, says Jenelle Holopirek, public relations director for Visit Wichita.

That’s when the Ring of Fire is lit at the Keeper of the Plains, the 44-foot-tall steel sculpture created by the Kiowa-Comanche artist Blackbear Bosin. The monument stands at the point where the Big and Little Arkansas rivers join. The land is sacred to the Native American people and also home to the Mid-America All-Indian Museum. 

“It’s just really beautiful,” Holopirek says of the nightly light show. 

Exploration Place, the Sedgwick County science museum, includes an interactive exhibit showcasing Wichita’s aviation history. Kansas in Miniature is a detailed mini representation of Kansas landmarks from the 1950s. Another permanent exhibit is Where Kids Rule: a three-story medieval castle with more than 60 STEM-based interactive exhibits.

The Sedgwick County Zoo is home to more than 3,000 animals and nearly 400 species grouped geographically in settings mimicking their natural habitats across the zoo’s 250 acres.

“The elephants at our zoo just had two new babies,” Holopirek says, and two other elephants are pregnant. 

“This could go on until October,” Holopirek says, and it’s generating a lot of excitement. The African elephants weigh about 200 pounds at birth after a gestation of 22 months.

Botanica Wichita offers more than 20 acres of gardens that feature over 4,000 species of plants, both native and new to the region. The gardens feature plants well-suited to south-central Kansas and are decorated with a collection of 50 sculptures, flowing streams, fountains and waterfalls.

“The botanical gardens are always gorgeous in the summer,” Holopirek says. 

A favorite with locals and visitors alike is the Wicked Brew Tour, a passport that invites people to visit 10 coffee shops or breweries and redeem the passport for a T-shirt.

“We have a lot of neat coffee shops,” Holopirek says. 

Popular restaurants include the Monarch, George’s French Bistro and Prost. Holopirek also recommends Sandbox, a casual-food restaurant featuring sand volleyball courts, pickleball courts, plus cornhole and other yard games. 

Mike Maloney is the Eureka Springs director of tourism, and unabashedly proud of the beautiful little city nestled in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. He speaks often in superlatives.

He refers to the Great Passion Play as “one of the most exciting and dramatic outdoor theaters in the United States. It is spectacular. It’s a true religious experience.”

The seven-story Christ of the Ozarks Statue on the elevated grounds of the passion play has been one of the most-visited attractions in the Ozarks since it was completed in 1966.  Also overlooking the town is the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa, a resort hotel known as the “symbol of hospitality” for the state. 

Eureka Springs, Maloney says, “is a mecca for marriage. We have 75 to 100 places where people can get married, in any type of venue they want: on horseback, on motorcycles, in a cathedral. We are the wedding capital of the South.”

A popular venue for nuptials is Thorncrown Chapel, “a stunning piece of architecture, designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright,” Maloney says. 

Eureka Springs boasts nearly 100 restaurants, most within walking distance of downtown. Favorites include the Grotto Wood-Fire Grill, Local Flavor Café and Emilio’s Italian Restaurant. 

“We don’t have a theme park, we are a theme park,” Maloney says.

There are trails for hikers, trails for Jeepers, trails for horseback riders and trails for bicyclists.

“We are the mountain biking mecca of this part of the United States,” Maloney says. “There are 50 to 60 miles of trails. Some are extremely gentle, and some are almost vertical drops.”

Water sports enthusiasts are accommodated by Beaver Lake, Table Rock Lake, Kings River and the White River. 

As for shopping, “we have a phenomenal collection of boutique retail, things you can’t buy anywhere else. We have jewelry, fine art, pottery, clothing, all made right here in Eureka Springs.”

A popular destination for families is the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, a nonprofit that rescues survivors of the exotic animal trade, with a focus on big cats and bears. 

The time-honored musical shows and other attractions are perennial favorites, but there’s always something new in Branson.

New this year at the Sight and Sound Theatre is “David,” the story of the biblical shepherd who became a king. 

“It’s pretty epic,” says Ashlie Beede, vice president of marketing for the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitor Bureau. “It’s a really awesome production.”

The Silver Dollar City theme park will be rolling out new festivals throughout the summer, Beede says.

“Butterfly Dreams” is a new part of the show at Dolly Parton’s Stampede, a dinner and musical experience with thrilling horseback riding stunts. 

“The horses have kind of a butterfly costume, and there’s an aerial artist in a butterfly costume,” Beede says. 

The Shepherd of the Hills outdoor drama is celebrating its 65th anniversary, and a new dinner show at the theater is the Branson Comedy Bash, featuring “a collection of the best comics from Branson,” Beede says. 

The Missouri Department of Conservation’s Shepherd of the Hills Conservation Center, located at the fish hatchery, has re-opened after being closed last year for an extensive renovation and upgrade. 

Also getting a renovation is the Butterfly Palace, which offers a self-guided experience in a rainforest setting with more than 1,000 live exotic butterflies imported from their native countries. 

Water sports and trout fishing are offered at Table Rock Lake and Lake Taneycomo. 

Diners looking for an authentic Ozark cuisine enjoy the Farmhouse in historic downtown Branson, which is known for its cobblers and biscuits. Biscuits are also a staple at Branson Café, the town’s oldest diner. 

“I think people love Branson because of our values,” Beede says. “We really embrace Ozark hospitality. It’s a place where families can feel safe. And you are never bored when you come to Branson.