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 Winds
• Folk & 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 performance
• Colorado 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 cream
• Edward 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 October
• Experience 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 street

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• Colorado Springs Airport
• Vanguard Aesthetics
• Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival
• Core Collective

Love 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.

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 agency
• General William Palmer's vision of Colorado Springs as a home, not an industry town
• How the arts bring together faith communities, activists, and everyone in between
• What would amaze someone from 2006 about today's arts scene
• The 2026 Arts Month theme: "Made for the Moment"
• Why investing in the arts matters for the local economy
• Tips for first-timers: you don't need an invitation

Arts Month picks mentioned:

• Colorado Springs Philharmonic's 100th (centennial) season
• Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival (mid-October)
• First Friday in Downtown Colorado Springs, Old Colorado City, and Manitou Springs
• Stronger Together exhibit: 21 artists honoring 34 arts organizations
• Stronger 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 calendar

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.

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!

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 Driscoll
• 04:43 Soapy Smith, the soap-selling con artist
• 05:53 Why the tours use actors instead of guides
• 08:19 The museum's own ghost
• 10:42 The legend of Emma Crawford, told in full
• 15:33 The arcade reflection and the 1 a.m. gunshots
• 20:21 The homicidal hairdresser
• 25:04 Tickets, timing and accessibility

Links

• Tickets: manitouspringsheritagecenter.org
• Facebook: Manitou Springs Heritage Museum
• Picks of the week: Poor Richard's, Armadillo Ranch, Kinfolks, Townhouse

Share 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.