Antlers Park, Colorado Springs, Guia do visitante e o que fazer por perto

Antlers Park is a small public park in downtown Colorado Springs, on West Pikes Peak Avenue beside the Antlers Hotel. It takes its name from the hotel, which General William Jackson Palmer, the founder of the city, first built in 1883. It is a short, easy stop with a lot of local history behind it.

The story behind it

The park makes sense only through the hotel next to it. Palmer, the railroad builder who founded Colorado Springs, opened the first Antlers Hotel in 1883 as a luxury stop for travellers arriving by rail. In 1898 that building was destroyed by fire, and Palmer replaced it with a grander hotel that became a gathering place for the city's wealthy and well connected.

That second hotel did not survive either. The building standing today is a later replacement from the 1960s, so the name has now belonged to three hotels on this corner. Like many old hotels, the Antlers has a reputation for ghost stories. Local lore tells of figures in old-fashioned clothes and elevators that stop on floors nobody chose, but these are tales, not documented facts.

What to look for

• Look at the hotel beside the park and picture the two earlier Antlers buildings that stood on this corner before it.
• Notice how close you are to the old railroad district, a reminder that the hotel was built to welcome train passengers.
• On a clear day, look west along the street for a view of the mountains that drew visitors to Colorado Springs in the first place.
• Watch the street life around the park, where downtown offices, hotel guests and walkers all cross paths.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 10 to 20 minutes for the park itself. It works best as one stop on a longer downtown walk.
• Morning and late afternoon give softer light for photos of the hotel and the surrounding streets.
• The hotel is a working business, so ask at the front desk about going into the lobby and check current opening hours for any restaurants or bars.
• Downtown shops, cafes and other historic buildings are all within walking distance, so you can easily continue on foot.

See it on a quest

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Downtown, Colorado Springs is a good way to see this corner of downtown. You walk to Antlers Park as one stop on a longer route through the area, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Lucky Treasure Hunt: The Golden Shamrock in Colorado Springs suits you if you prefer a lighter, treasure-hunt style of walk. You reach the park on foot as part of a route through the city, hear the story of each stop as you get there, and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.