Best Tourist Attraction

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Unique experiences, including hand-feeding resident giraffes, help to make Cheyenne Mountain Zoo the region’s best tourist attraction.

It’s not only the variety of experiences and animals on-site (including the aforementioned giraffes, an 18-member herd) that help separate the zoo from its peers, it’s also the charitable contributions to animals the organization has made.

“We’re proud of the work we do here,” said Jenny Koch, the zoo’s marketing director.

Some of that work includes educating people about the animals and, as a result, many help protect those animals in the wild. The zoo is a nonprofit and doesn’t receive tax support. As a result, it relies on the community for success.

In the most recent fiscal year, the zoo raised more than $485,000 for conservation through its Quarters for Conservation program, which donates 75 cents from every admission to the program. Wild elephants, rhinos, giraffes, orangutans and amphibians have all benefited. The zoo has also contributed to on-site breed-and-release programs for black-footed ferrets and Wyoming toads, both of which were thought extinct but are now thriving in the wild.

“We love our community and it feels great to know that they love what we do as well,” said Koch.

Web: cmzoo.org | Phone: 719-663-9925

2. Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center

Web: gardenofgods.com | Phone: 719-634-6666

3. United States Air Force Academy

Web: usafa.af.mil | Phone: 719-333-2025