My family (husband + 3 yr old daughter) are taking a trip to Colorado Springs over the 4th of July week. We've found plenty of good options of things to do (garden of the gods, air force academy, olympic training center, etc...) with the exception of 2 wants:

1) Dinner reservations at a nice restaurant
2) Figuring out a place to spend the 4th holiday and watch fireworks

Any suggestions for either? Thanks

Woodland Park (25 miles away) has a great fireworks show and lots of kids activities!
http://wpmainstreet.org/save-the-date-old-fashioned-4th-of-july-celebration-july-4th-2018/

i lived in CS for 10 yrs. what kind of food? how fancy? this is my expertise!

some exceptional dining at the broadmoor, partiularly penrose room. all are excellent though.
https://www.broadmoor.com/dining/

other nice choices are:
the famous (downtown-steaks)
blue star (maybe my favorite)
mackenzie's chop house

where will you be staying?

watch fireworks at memorial park. get there early.

let me know what else you need advice on. are you going to the zoo? its a must. also, gotta go visit seven falls. its awesome.

Sunday Brunch at the Broadmoor is always a good time as well.

Thank you! We are staying in an Air B n B townhouse just south-east of town. We're looking for at least 1 super fancy dinner and maybe 1-2 other casuals. Open to all types of food except maybe Mediterranean. Thanks for the other suggestions too. How does the zoo there compare to the fort worth zoo (we've been there recently)? I'll definitely check out 7 falls.

zoo is awesome, be prepared to walk up and down hill though. If you like beer Cerberus brewing in old Colorado city has good beer and a really great menu, the brisket grilled cheese is pretty amazing. Good spot for a casual meal. Smaller place and fills up pretty quick though in the evenings.
Also, at least when I lived there, there were fireworks at the skysox stadium off powers every year.

Celee04 said:

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Thank you! We are staying in an Air B n B townhouse just south-east of town. We're looking for at least 1 super fancy dinner and maybe 1-2 other casuals. Open to all types of food except maybe Mediterranean. Thanks for the other suggestions too. How does the zoo there compare to the fort worth zoo (we've been there recently)? I'll definitely check out 7 falls.

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I havent been to the zoo at DFW, but the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of a kind.

Just got back and bought a home there (long story). The zoo is awesome. Amazing views and great exhibit.

We also liked hanging out in Manitow Springs and Old Colorado City (that is where the house is located).

Have lived here for a couple years....some ideas on food below

Fancy dinner option: http://www.rabbitholedinner.com/peek-inside-the-rabbit-hole

Our favorite breakfast/brunch and a must do IMO: https://overeasycolorado.com/

Burgers: http://skirtedheifer.com/#menu

BBQ: https://www.birddogbbq.com/

Ivy Wild is a neat place to check out - 100 year old school turned into a conglomerate of Bristol Brewery/Bakery/misc
http://ivywildschool.com/

I like Phantom Canyon Brew downtown - nice to sit on the 2nd floor deck with a drink, also have pool tables and is easy with our 3 year old
http://www.phantomcanyon.com/

If you go out to Woodland Park in the AM, hit up the Donut Mill
www.thedonutmill.com/

Our son also loves the Denver Children's Museum if you happen to be up there

Great place, personal attention from the owner, do NOT let the unassuming exterior fool you, very highly awarded , excellent food..... Carlos

Very nice, historic, atmosphere...in Manitou Springs..... Cliff House

Downtown Colo Springs, atmosphere, good wine list..... Warehouse

For Greek and Mediterranean, in Old Colorado City (near Manitou Springs) Great place !..... Jake and Telleys

Just northwest of Colo Springs on Hiway 24 (scenic canyon drive) in Woodland Park, great little place, atmosphere and great food . Swiss Chalet

All these would make for a very nice dinner location. Enjoy !

Let us know what/where you went and reviews, pls.

Here's what our vacation looked like...

Day 1)
Settled in, groceries etc
Oskar blues brewery - decent food, decent beer, good atmosphere

Day 2)
"the North Pole" - awesome with a 3 yr old... it was for her, not us... probably not cool with kids older than 7ish but still super fun if you're obsessed with Christmas year around like me.
dinner at IV by Brother Luck - amazing, but $$, dinner

Day 3)
garden of the gods cafe - AMAZING food, not too $
Royal Gorge - 1.5 hr drive: great scenery, great for kids all ages
Colorado Mountain brewery - decent food, good beers

Day 4) [fourth of July ]
garden of the gods - hiked and drove: too expansive to hike extensively with a young child but beautiful. [also VERY CROWDED while we were there due to the holiday]
drove to the summit of Pikes Peak - probably my FAVORITE thing of the whole vacation... even though my husband white knuckled the Yukon XL the whole way up. It's impossible to look down from that un-barriered roadway and not question your own mortality. Still fun
phantom canyon brewery - Bad. Food and drinks both. We didn't come close to finish either before tabbing out.
fireworks watching from airbnb townhouse - ( which turned out to be a great decision because it started pouring down rain around 845, 15 minutes before fireworks were supposed to start happening).

Day 5)
Cheyenne mountain zoo - Awesome. Giraffe feeding very cool. Bring sunscreen for the kiddos. Buy the sky ride option but don't do it til the end of the day. I didn't find it too difficult to walk but the layout is one that needs to be mapped to see everything. Definitely worth it.
Cerberus brewery - drinks and apps: good food, good drinks

Day 6) road trip to breckenridge, co
beautiful drive
VERY nostalgic for me (spent most of my childhood vacations there, met my first boyfriend there, and had my first date at Eric's when I was 15) but extremely overcrowded... hoping due to the 4th holiday weekend
drove to the airport from there: more great scenery, including spaceship house

That's all I got. We had an amazing time.