Updated: November 14, 2025

Accessible Stays: New South End of Downtown Colorado Springs

Get inspired by local Jim Vacik's accessible staycation

This blog post was written by Jim Vacik, a Colorado Springs local. Check out his weekend itinerary highlighting Downtown Colorado Springs, with a special focus on the New South End.

Photo of Jim Vacik at Streetcar 520

I grew up in Colorado Springs. I’ve watched Downtown grow and change over the years, but never really spent that much time in the area. In 2024, I got married. Lately, my wife and I have found ourselves going Downtown a little bit more. So when Visit COS asked us to check out Downtown from an accessibility lens, we were up for the challenge.

Stay at the SpringHill Suites

We started our weekend by checking into the SpringHill Suites on Tejon Street. The hotel offers easy underground parking. We got checked in at a low-level desk and were brought up to our beautiful room!

The room was spacious, accessible and had a roll-in shower.

Learn more about the SpringHill Suites’ accessible features.

Explore America the Beautiful Park

After we checked in, we rolled past the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum, across the bridge and down to America the Beautiful Park. This park is super accessible – we were able to roll all the way around it with ease. During the summer, the sculpture in the middle is a fountain! It’s also wheelchair accessible, as long as your wheelchair is waterproof.

Learn more about the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum’s accessible features.

Dinner at Streetcar 520

After enjoying some time at the park, we made our way back Downtown hungry and ready for dinner. Our stop? Streetcar 520! This is one of the newer spots in the New South End of Downtown Colorado Springs. It was such a beautiful night that we decided to sit on the patio and enjoy the atmosphere. The appetizers were huge (and delicious!), the entrees were incredible. We ate so much good food. We’re definitely coming back.

Enjoy drinks and live music at Louie Louie's Piano Bar

Next up we were on the lookout for some entertainment. We didn’t have to go far! Right next door to Streetcar 520 was Louie Louie’s, a newly opened piano bar. I hadn’t been to a piano bar in a long, long time – and my wife had never been! We were escorted to our seats, and music was already in full swing. The audience was singing along with two grand piano players. We got a few drinks and enjoyed the music (though, we were a little too chicken to request a song). We ended up staying for quite some time before heading back to our hotel.

The beautiful thing about exploring Downtown Colorado Springs is how everything is within easy rolling distance. We weren’t quite ready to say goodnight when we got back to the hotel, so we ordered a nightcap at Lumen8 – the rooftop bar at SpringHill Suites. It was very busy, but we found ourselves a seat inside and enjoyed some of the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had. Afterward, we wanted to get lots of rest so we could be ready for day #2!

DAY TWO: SATURDAY

Grab brunch at Lumen8 Rooftop Social within the SpringHill Suites

First-thing in the morning, we went up to Lumen8 for brunch. Our outdoor table on the rooftop offered amazing views everywhere we looked. We relaxed and enjoyed our delicious brunch – I had a scrambled egg combo with potatoes, Oja had the eggs benedict. I don’t know what was better, the breakfast or the views! The restaurant was very easily accessed from the hotel, and I know we’ll be coming back soon.

Learn more about Lumen8’s accessible features.

Visit the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum

After brunch, we headed out on our adventures. We rolled right down to the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, which offers a complete history of Colorado Springs and the surrounding areas. Because it’s a very old building, special access for wheelchair users is needed, but it was very easy! You just roll on down into a private entrance, and then you get to ride this really amazing old elevator. It felt very safe and was interesting, it was kind of cool because it gave you a peek of how things used to work. You get to close the door manually, and it took a second operator to pull a big lever then up you went!

There was so much beautiful artwork and a timeline of Colorado Springs history. It was a great visit and in fact, we only had time for the first few floors because we spent so much time at the exhibits. You could definitely make a whole day affair of it, and the best part is, it was free!

Explore Downtown Colorado Springs using The Zeb

Right in front of the museum was a bus stop for a service called The Zeb. It’s a free shuttle that runs up and down Tejon Street, the Downtown’s main street. We decided to take The Zeb all the way up to the north end and work our way back toward the hotel. Boarding the Zeb was super easy. The shuttle comes every 10-15 minutes. The bus has a driver-activated fold out ramp, making it easy to roll right in. Away we went! We got to see what was going on as we drove by, so we scoped out a few places we wanted to be sure to check out.

Our first stop was Poor Richard’s! Poor Richard’s is a whole bunch of things – a toy store, a coffee shop, a wine bar– but we were in it for the books. It had that great bookstore smell and it was super accessible. The aisles were all wide enough for a wheelchair to travel through so I could get around. Oja, who is from the Ukraine, even bought her very first book in English! She was pretty excited about that one.

Then we started working our way down Tejon street, stopping at:

Grab food at Phantom Canyon

By then we had worked up an appetite. We went to grab dinner at Phantom Canyon – the oldest brewery in Colorado Springs. Not only do they brew great beer, but their food is also amazing. Every level (all three!) was accessible and easy to get into.

Learn more about Phantom Canyon’s accessible features.

Buy tickets to a Switchbacks game at Weidner Field

After a quick recharge at the hotel, we made our way over to Weidner Field, just a few blocks away. My wife has seen quite a bit of soccer but me, as a Coloradan, not so much. It was both of our first times experiencing a soccer game in the United States.

Weidner Field is a brand-new downtown stadium and is home to the Switchbacks FC. They happened to be celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act with the Colorado Springs Independence Center. We had no problem getting in. The stadium was incredibly accessible and we had seats right on the end by the Epicenter sculpture.

Although I’ll admit I only kind of knew what was going on, the game was incredible. The Switchbacks won 4-0, and every time a goal was scored the stadium lit up. The game ended with a fireworks show, and then we made our way back to our hotel.

Cheers to a fantastic weekend exploring Downtown Colorado Springs!

Author

Jim Vacik

Accessibility Ambassador

Jim Vacik has lived in Colorado Springs since 1979 following rehabilitation at Craig Hospital in Denver. He has retired from his career in telecommunications and radio broadcast and serves as the board chair for the Colorado Springs Independence Center. He is an active member of Visit Colorado Springs’ Accessibility Task Force.

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