Springs and Things: Your Insider's Guide to Colorado Springs Culture & Community

Colorado Springs Locals, Carly Ries and Lauren Ferrara
  • 5.0 (46)
  • Places & Travel
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to Springs and Things, the podcast where two close friends spill the tea on all things Colorado Springs! From culture and community to hidden gems and neighborhood lore, we’ve got it covered. Join us as we sip our coffee (or maybe something stronger) and dive into the stories and secrets that make this city so unique. Whether you're a local or just passing through, our fun, light-hearted, and always entertaining take on the quirks, hot topics, and insider tips will keep you coming back for more. Discover what’s really happening in the Springs—beyond the mountains and parks!

  1. 4d ago

    11 Fall Things We Can't Wait to Do in Colorado Springs

    Looking for things to do in Colorado Springs this October? Carly and Lauren share their favorite fall events, Halloween activities, and date night ideas around the Pikes Peak region, recorded live from Pizzeria Leopold. Whether you want family-friendly fun, a spooky night out, or a new fall tradition, this episode has you covered. In this episode: Venetucci Farm themed weekends: Great Pumpkin Weekend (Oct 10–11), Scarecrows & Flannel (Oct 17–18), Witches & Wizards (Oct 24–25), Costume Party & Pupkin Fest (Oct 30–31)Colorado Springs Cool Science Festival: 16 days of mostly free STEAM events for all ages, including a bats and cave tour at Cave of the WindsFolk & Flannel Festival: Chili cook-off, line dancing, brews and inflatable archery, supporting outdoor access for all (Oct 17)Bristol Beer Choir: No auditions, all voices welcome; rehearsals are Sunday nights through Nov 15, ending with a Greatest Showman performanceColorado Wolf and Wildlife Center: Wolves get meat-filled pumpkins, followed by a bonfire (Oct 25, reservations required)CC Tigers hockey: Come for the energy, stay for the ice creamEdward Scissorhands with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic: Live score at the Pikes Peak Center (Oct 30–31)Manitou Springs Ghost Tours: Historic legends and lore, family-friendly; Fridays and Saturdays in OctoberExperience FVS at Fountain Valley School: Be a student for a day (Oct 30, pre-registration required)Breakfast of Champions: Signature annual fundraising event hosted by Peak Vista Community Health Centers in Colorado Springs.Pick of the week: Pizzeria Leopold (try the beet salad and eggplant pizza) and the fall drink menu at Frankly Coffee down the streetWe Love Our Sponsors Colorado Springs AirportVanguard AestheticsRocky Mountain Women's Film FestivalCore CollectiveLove the show? We just hit 100 episodes! The best birthday present is a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, since it helps other Colorado Springs locals find us. Subscribe so you never miss an episode, and share this one with a friend you'd want to bring to one of these events.

  2. Sep 29

    Arts Month 2026 in Colorado Springs & the Pikes Peak Region Is Going To Be Epic!

    It's our 100th episode, and we're celebrating by kicking off Arts Month live from Yobel in downtown Colorado Springs! We sit down with Angela Seals and Luke Harper Prince from COPPR (the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region), which is marking its 20th anniversary this year. Arts Month brings more than 200 events across 31 days to the entire Pikes Peak Region, not just Colorado Springs. We talk about why the Springs was founded as a cultural home, how the local arts scene bridges political divides, why this year's theme is "Made for the Moment," and how to find your way into the arts even if you don't consider yourself an "arts person." In this episode: Why Colorado Springs was once the largest U.S. city without a local arts agencyGeneral William Palmer's vision of Colorado Springs as a home, not an industry townHow the arts bring together faith communities, activists, and everyone in betweenWhat would amaze someone from 2006 about today's arts sceneThe 2026 Arts Month theme: "Made for the Moment"Why investing in the arts matters for the local economyTips for first-timers: you don't need an invitationArts Month picks mentioned: Colorado Springs Philharmonic's 100th (centennial) seasonRocky Mountain Women's Film Festival (mid-October)First Friday in Downtown Colorado Springs, Old Colorado City, and Manitou SpringsStronger Together exhibit: 21 artists honoring 34 arts organizationsStronger Together open house at the Cultural Office, Saturday, Oct. 4, 1–4 p.m. (yes, there's an ice cream truck)PeakRadar.com for the full Arts Month event calendarWe Love Our Sponsors Vanguard Aesthetics: Skincare treatments with real, noticeable results.Core Collective: Our favorite spot for pilates! Use code SPRINGSANDTHINGS for 3 classes for $30.Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival: Join us October 16–18, 2026, in Colorado Springs for three days of documentary, narrative, short, and animated films that honor the drive, spirit, and diversity of women.Love the show? Leave us a five-star review, share this episode with a friend who needs to get out to Arts Month, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. See you next week on Springs and Things!

  3. Sep 22

    We Talked Manitou Ghost Tours In A Haunted Museum...

    We sat down at the Manitou Springs Heritage Museum with museum president Manitou Mike Maio and Sam Driscoll of Theatre D'Art, the two people behind the Manitou Springs Ghost Tours. Mike tells the full Emma Crawford story (that you likely haven't heard), and Sam makes the case for Soapy Smith, the con man who sold bars of soap, and talks about playing Robert "Rattlesnake" James, the hairdresser who married and murdered five or six wives. And that's just scratching the surface of the stories they have! Also in here: the museum's own ghost, the tall, thin man who appears only in window reflections, and the gunshots that ring out on the west end of town at one in the morning. What?! Want to hear more? Don't miss the ghost tours! Tours run Friday and Saturday nights, October 2nd through 30th. Kids under 11 get in free.  Tickets at manitouspringsheritagecenter.org. Timestamps 02:19 Meet Manitou Mike Maio and Sam Driscoll04:43 Soapy Smith, the soap-selling con artist05:53 Why the tours use actors instead of guides08:19 The museum's own ghost10:42 The legend of Emma Crawford, told in full15:33 The arcade reflection and the 1 a.m. gunshots20:21 The homicidal hairdresser25:04 Tickets, timing and accessibilityLinks Tickets: manitouspringsheritagecenter.orgFacebook: Manitou Springs Heritage MuseumPicks of the week: Poor Richard's, Armadillo Ranch, Kinfolks, TownhouseShare this with the friend you want to bring on the tour with you, and leave us a five-star review on Apple or Spotify. It helps more locals find the show! We Love Our Sponsors! Vanguard Aesthetics: Skincare treatments with real, noticeable results.Core Collective: Our favorite spot for pilates! Use code SPRINGSANDTHINGS for 3 classes for $30.Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival: Join us October 16–18, 2026, in Colorado Springs for three days of documentary, narrative, short, and animated films that honor the drive, spirit, and diversity of women.

  4. Sep 15

    Pulled From the Vault: Unpacking the Colorado Springs Lore of Spencer and Julie Penrose

    Did a monkey bite really launch the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo? Did Spencer Penrose actually ride his horse into the Antlers Hotel lobby? And why is the Shrine of the Sun named after Will Rogers instead of the man who built it? In this episode of Springs and Things, host Carly Ries sits down with Sarah Woods, Vice President of Collections for El Pomar Foundation, to dig into the archives and separate Colorado Springs legend from fact. As the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo celebrates its 100th anniversary, Sarah pulls back the curtain on some of the wildest, most fascinating stories in our city's history and reveals what the primary source records actually say. This is one of our most information-packed episodes to date, covering everything from a mysterious box of 1940s newspaper-wrapped clothing to a crash car sitting in a museum exactly how it landed on Pikes Peak. In this episode, you'll learn: → The real reason Spencer Penrose's exotic animals were moved off the Broadmoor Golf Course, and yes, the monkey bite was real → How a 21-year-old Spencer Penrose wrote a Harvard thesis that still guides El Pomar Foundation's mission today → The story behind the Heritage Gallery's never-before-seen photographs, hats, and personal artifacts of Spencer and Julie Penrose → How Michèle Mouton became the only woman to earn the title King of the Mountain, and why she insists on keeping that title → The harrowing 2012 crash on Pikes Peak and what the wreckage reveals about safety, thin air, and the psychological demands of the race → Why Julie Penrose created the original El Pomar Carriage Museum in 1941, and how a newspaper clipping from the 1920s changed everything we thought we knew about its origins → The connection between Spencer Penrose's cancer diagnosis and the founding of the Penrose Cancer Center at Glockner Hospital → Why the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun bears that name, and how Spencer Penrose's promotional genius may have played a role → What Penrose Heritage Museum has planned for families, accessibility, and community programming Resources Mentioned:- Penrose Heritage Museum- El Pomar Foundation- United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum We Love Our Sponsors Vanguard Aesthetics: Skincare treatments with real, noticeable results.Core Collective: Our favorite spot for pilates! Use code SPRINGSANDTHINGS for 3 classes for $30. Subscribe to Springs and Things on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so you never miss an episode. If you loved this one, leave a five-star review and share it with a friend who loves Colorado Springs history and lore.

  5. Sep 8

    Feeling Isolated in Colorado Springs? We Just Might Have Your Fix...

    This week, Carly and Lauren welcome Kelly Bull, Executive Director of Hey Neighbor (formerly CONO, the Council of Neighbors & Organizations), for a conversation that's equal parts hilarious and heartfelt.  Kelly moved to Colorado Springs five years ago and experienced total isolation, until a scary morning made her realize how unsafe it is to not know your neighbors. What she did next turned zero phone numbers into a 30-person text chain, five neighborhood planting parties, and a block that now does dinners, cornhole tournaments, and driveway hot chocolate nights. In this episode: Three very different experiences of "neighboring" in Colorado SpringsThe morning a SWAT team changed how Kelly saw community foreverThe one simple trick to overcome shyness and meet your neighbors (hold something in your hand!)Free coffee through the Neighborhood Café program with Kangaroo Coffee150 Tables Across Colorado Springs and the Nominate a Neighbor programNeighborhood University (the free 12-week civic education program)How gardening brought out the Mayor, Governor Polis, and a whole lot of neighborsKelly's Pick of the Week: morning hikes up Cheyenne Cañon & Red RocksWhether you're brand new to your street or you've lived there an "awkward amount of time," this episode will inspire you to knock on that door. Learn more & register a table: heyneighbors.org Loving Springs and Things? Leave us a five-star review, share this episode with a neighbor, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. New episodes every week. WE LOVE OUR SPONSORSVanguard Aesthetics: Skincare treatments with real, noticeable results.Core Collective: Our favorite spot for pilates! Use code SPRINGSANDTHINGS for 3 classes for $30.Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival: Join us October 16–18, 2026, in Colorado Springs for three days of documentary, narrative, short, and animated films that honor the drive, spirit, and diversity of women.

  6. Sep 1

    Your September Guide to Colorado Springs Is Finally Here

    This week, we're recording from the couch at Treehouse Cafe, kicking off our September picks for things to do around Colorado Springs, and let's just say the calendar is packed! We're genuinely excited about every single pick. In this episode: Why we love Treehouse Cafe (and the hidden strip-mall gems nearby: Bazinga Vintage Toys & Collectibles, Brush Crazy & Uptown Cheapskate)Jasmine Dillavou's poetry pop-up at Novus Mortem Collective (Sept 5)Labor Day Vintage Baseball at Rock Ledge Ranch (Sept 7)Colorado Short Circuit Film Festival at Ivywild (Sept 11–13)New Moon Sound Bath at Cave of the Winds (Sept 11)Parade of Homes for the Zillow-at-11pm crowd (Sept 11–27)Pawtoberfest at Union Printers Home, benefiting the Humane Society (Sept 12)Unity Metaphysical & Craft Festival (Sept 12)TEDx Manitou Springs at Cave of the Winds (Sept 13)EPIC Chamber Music Series at the Ent Center (starts Sept 18)Annual Powwow at Rock Ledge Ranch (Sept 19)Bristol Brewing Oktoberfest at Ivywild (Sept 25 21+ / Sept 26 family-friendly)Forest Bathing returns at Starsmore Discovery Center with guide Serena Vogel (Sept 26)Green Box Farm & Art Market (Sept 26)Gather Mountain Blooms Harvest Hootenanny (Sept 26)Bonus: Breckenridge Film Festival + Girls in STEM at KeystonePlus Movies Under the Stars on Saturdays all September and October at Bristol, a turtleneck chase that turned into a friendship, and Carly's ongoing campaign to convert Lauren into a Savannah Bananas superfan. Loved this episode? Please leave a 5-star review; it helps other locals find the show. Subscribe on Apple or Spotify, and share with a friend looking for things to do in September.

  7. Aug 25

    Not sure what activity your kid is into yet? This Colorado Springs list helps...

    Not every kid is a team sport kid, and that's totally okay. In this episode of Springs and Things, Carly and Lauren share their favorite kids' activities in Colorado Springs that fit a wide range of interests, from artsy to athletic and everything in between. In this episode: Fencing at Rocky Mountain Fencing with a three-time Olympic gold medalist coachYouth triathlons through USA Triathlon (the Colorado Springs Kids Triathlon is September 13!)Theater programs at the Academy of Children's Theater, including a stage combat "saber wars" classMusic programs at the Colorado Springs Conservatory (with a private lesson included)First Tee golf for beginnersRock climbing at City Rock (plus a restaurant, beer, and parent yoga)Homework help, tutoring, and business resources at Pikes Peak LibraryAnd that's just the beginning! There's still time to sign your kids up! Plus: a recap of Tessa's Pasta in the Park fundraiser, and this week's Picks of the Week: Newport in the Rockies and the Commonweal Art Festival over Labor Day weekend. Loving the show? Leave us a five-star review, share this episode with a fellow parent, and subscribe wherever you listen. Springs and Things is your local guide to life in Colorado Springs.

  8. Aug 18

    The Colorado Springs Arts Wave That's Only Getting Bigger

    Carly sits down with Joy Armstrong, curator of art at GOCA (the Galleries of Contemporary Art), and Matt Giles, general director at Theatreworks, both housed inside the Ent Center for the Arts at UCCS. Together they unpack why the Colorado Springs arts scene has shifted from safe and traditional to bold, risky, and genuinely alive. In this episode: How Colorado Springs arts and culture has transformed over the past 20 yearsGOCA's current exhibition, Simulacra, and why contemporary art doesn't have to be intimidatingThe Radiant Blue Marble collaborative film event (August 29th) bringing five organizations togetherTheatreworks' bold 51st season, opening with Sweeney Todd, plus Sweat, Private Lives, and What the Constitution Means to MeWhy every UCCS student gets a free ticket to every Theatreworks showHow the Ent Center is cultivating the next generation of arts loversWhy locals no longer need to drive to Denver for a great night outPlus, Joy and Matt share their Colorado Springs picks of the week: a downtown museum rewriting the stories it tells, and a coffee-shop crawl worth lacing up your shoes for. Whether you're an arts lover, a Springs local, or brand new to town, this one's a celebration of a creative community on a serious upswing. WE LOVE OUR SPONSORSVanguard Aesthetics: Skincare treatments with real, noticeable results.Core Collective: Our favorite spot for pilates! Use code SPRINGSANDTHINGS for 3 classes for $30. Enjoying the show? Leave a five-star review and share this episode with a friend you want to take to the Ent Center. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

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About

Welcome to Springs and Things, the podcast where two close friends spill the tea on all things Colorado Springs! From culture and community to hidden gems and neighborhood lore, we’ve got it covered. Join us as we sip our coffee (or maybe something stronger) and dive into the stories and secrets that make this city so unique. Whether you're a local or just passing through, our fun, light-hearted, and always entertaining take on the quirks, hot topics, and insider tips will keep you coming back for more. Discover what’s really happening in the Springs—beyond the mountains and parks!

Information

  • Creator
    Colorado Springs Locals, Carly Ries and Lauren Ferrara
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    102
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Colorado Springs Locals, Carly Ries and Lauren Ferrara

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