Being able to walk through history is always an amazing adventure. Especially when it is different from anything you have ever seen before. This is exactly what the Manitou Cliff Dwellings is all about. We did not expect to find the former home of a group of Native Americans on our drive to our rental cabin. While driving up the winding canyon road, the cliff dwellings came into view for a split second. We both agreed that is was a place that we had to check out.
History
Just like any other millennials we didn’t just show up and figure things out. We used our greatest tool, the internet, to research the Manitou Cliff Dwellings to see what we would be getting into. During our research, we found that the cliff dwellings were originally located in McElmo Canyon and were moved to their current location in 1904. The preserve was opened to the public in 1907. The goal was to preserve and protect the dwellings from people looking to destroy them for profit. The pueblo on the site was erected at the turn of the century. It was built to demonstrate the architecture used by the Taos Pueblo Indians of New Mexico. It was also the home of a Native American family of dancers who entertained visitors. They lived there until 1984.
Today
Today the Manitou Cliff Dwellings still stand where they have for over 100 hundred years. Visitors are able to walk through the dwellings. By exploring the area you really gain an idea of how the Native Americans that once inhabited them really survived daily. A museum now occupies the bottom floor of the pueblo. It contains many artifacts from the area and from the original location of the cave dwellings. To enter the park is ten dollars for adults and seven dollars and fifty cents for children ages four to eleven. Children under four are free. The fee is worth it just to help preserve these unique pieces of history.
Our Experience
We had a great time exploring the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. Being from Tennessee this was far different than anything we had seen before. An added bonus was getting to walk and at times crawl through them. It is not often that you really get to experience history hands on. The museum came as a surprise to us both. It had more artifacts than I would have expected to have seen. Some things dating back hundreds of years. Everything was displayed well and had great information about the presented items. That being said the age of the buildings do show in some areas. The preserve is not a state of the art facility by no means. That just added to the experience for me though. It still felt like stepping back time a decade or so.
During the whole experience, only one thing really bothered me, the gift shop. It was massive, like too big. It really spelled what the roadside attractions in the early years of the US were. All about making money. Even though I was not the biggest fan of the commercial aspect it was very nice. They had many unique items. Including many Native American made items that you would not be able to find at many other places.
We would still highly recommend visiting the Manitou Cliff Dwellings if you are in the area. It was a great way to spend a few hours. We even left knowing a little bit more about how the Native Americans lived than we did before. I imagine that kids would have a blast exploring the dwellings and getting to put their hands on history. If you are planning to go to Pikes Peak this is a great addition to that trip as well. You will definitely have enough time to visit both attractions on your trip. You can read about our visit to Pikes Peak click here.
Thanks For Reading!
We hope this article has helped you decide if you are going to visit the cliff dwellings. If you are on the fence just do it we are sure you will have a great time. Thank you for reading this article. If you liked it please share it with some friends. That really helps us to get our content to more people. Don’t forget to check us out on social media. We are on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube. If you would like more adventure-focused posts, click here. Again, thank you for reading! God Bless!
