Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site

Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site

Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site
4.5
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Visit history in the valley of the Garden of the Gods! Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site is a living history museum and farm, depicting life in the Pikes Peak region. We representing American Indians circa 1775, homesteading in the 1860's, farming, gardening, and boarding tuberculosis patients in the late 1880's, 19th Century Blacksmiths, and Edwardian privileged lifestyle up to 1909. The Ranch was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1979.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles200 reviews
Excellent
148
Very good
41
Average
6
Poor
3
Terrible
2

rcordero
San Antonio, TX62 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Family
We went with three teen grandsons, and they enjoyed it! We weren't quite sure what to expect. It was a live history lesson that started out with an Ute Indian teepee. Next was a log cabin and homes showing the progression of the times. Also included a live demo of a blacksmith shop. Each stop has a live guide that explains the Era and features of the home and the owners. Each docent did an excellent job! Would recommend for elementary - high school students. It did take about 2.5 hours. They have a small gift shop that features items made at the ranch.
Written July 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MitchM29
Tampa, FL96 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020 • Solo
Nice little Ranch to visit. Right by the entrance to the Garden of the Gods. You'll see some Animals and a Good View of the Garden of the Gods. Kids will like seeing the animals. Horses, pigs, Goats and a big cow.
Written October 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lynne M
11 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
Keep a lookout for frequent events at this living history sight. We've even seen a period baseball game attended by Prez Lincoln himself. Buy a membership to support this beautiful place and save all year.
Written November 28, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

cintuchi
Las Vegas, NV2,279 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2020 • Solo
From multiple hiking options to take fantastic pictures of the historic site this place, it's wonderful.
Written June 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Julie32159
The Villages, FL362 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2011 • Friends
If you like history at all, and especially if you like living-history sites, you will love this place! We went there because we had already done all the other "must-sees" in the area, but we both agreed that this should be in the top 3 things to do -- after Garden of the Gods and Pike's Peak. Check out their website for details. Their period-costumed guides are wonderful. Example: As we rounded the bend to the first settler's cabin, we were greeted with the sight of two little girls in prairie dresses and bonnets playing with old-fashioned toys in the front yard. Looked just like Laura and Mary Ingalls! We fully expected to see Pa walk out of the cabin. The rest of the place was equally charming and informative. Also on the premises were a very talented blacksmith, two wonderful carpenters, and various other extremely knowledgeable costumed staff. We went on a Saturday afternoon and it was not crowded. This place would be entertaining for both children and adults.
Written June 24, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SuzieeQQ
San Diego, CA214 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
This marvelous hands-on site was, surprisingly, my family's favorite part of our Colorado Springs vacation. Rock Ledge Ranch stimulated our imaginations and minds and gave us an entertaining history lesson.

A living history museum is a replica of a historic setting, usually with guides in period costumes who explain the everyday life of a particular setting at a particular time in history. This ranch is a replica of different time periods in Colorado Springs history. The "museum" guides were dressed in period costume, and took on the role of their character, depending upon which home they were located in, and provided lots of interesting information about daily life, encouraged questions, and allowed us to examine and touch everything in the houses, without rushing us.

We entered a typical Indian shelter and learned how native Americans in Colorado Springs found food in the 1700s, how they made their clothing & tools, and were able to touch different items in the teepee. We then walked 1/8 of a mile to a 1 room log cabin where a family, in period costume explained how the cabin was built, what it was made of, the farm work, what chores the chidlren did, what the beds were made of, etc. Next was a 2 story farm house that was fascinating, with a working wood stove (they were making biscuits!). The guides provided a great deal of interesting information about who had lived in the house and what their daily life was like, displaying upholstered furniture, fancy wallpaper, etc. Walking through all these houses, able to touch and see items from another time period was a fascinating way to learn about our country's history. The blacksmith shop is not to be missed: a live demonstration, lots of info, provided in a friendly way. EXCELLENT!! And right next to the amazing Garden of the Gods, one of the main tourist attractions in the Colorado Springs area. http://www.gardenofgods.com/home/index.cfm

We spent 4 hours at the Rock Ledge Ranch, and we didn't even get to see the mansion! Allow at least 2.5 hours, or more if you are of a curious nature, like we are! There is a lot of grassy space. You could bring a picnic lunch, or eat across the street at the Garden of the Gods visitors center. No food was available at Rock Ledge Ranch when we were there.
Written September 4, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Vincent L
Colorado Springs, CO154 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Located immediately adjacent to Garden Of the Gods, Rock Ledge Ranch is a wonderful place for a stop of 2-4 hours. It's relatively inexpensive, particularly considering all you get.

I began at the Indian settlement, perhaps the only let-down here. Essentially it was one teepee, albeit an authentic one. There was an old Native American man on duty, and he was friendly to chat with.

From there I stopped at the settler's cabin, and got a wonderful 5 minute tour of the cabin. The young man in period costume knew what he was talking about. Although just one cabin, a clay cooking furnace, and a cow in fenced in plot, this had the feeling of isolated authenticity and gave one a real sense of what it might have been like being a settler.

The next stop was Rock Ledge House itself, along with its barn. The house (1874) is wonderful with period rooms that give you a real idea what it would have been like living there before the turn of the century. Again, the docent in period dress was wonderfully welcoming and brimming with knowledge. The memorabilia in the house is remarkable. Although why the people of CS liked asparagus so much is beyond me! Take the tour, you'll see what I mean. :-)

The blacksmith shop is well worth a stop because it is a working one! The smithy was more than happy to discuss his equipment and show me how it all worked and the product he was making.

Orchard House was a highlight. After purchasing the property from the family who owned Rock Ledge House, Colorado Springs' founder -- General William Palmer -- built the 3-storey frame residence in 1907. It's a relatively modern, upper-class house of the era, with indoor multiple in-house bathrooms and steam heat. Wait till you see the authentic copper sinks! The tour includes both the living areas and the servants quarters and work areas. Again, the memorabilia in the house is authentic and outstanding, as was the information given by the docents.

I went here expecting to be disappointed and feel a little ripped off. Quite the opposite was true. One can easily spend half a day here, enjoy authentic history covering multiple eras, enjoy the friendliness and knowledge of the docents, and walk away feeling it could be priced higher! Then, right next door you can drive through (or better yet take a hike) through the Garden Of The Gods. Regrettably, the seasonal hours of the Rock Ledge Ranch are quite limited, but it is a treat not to be missed. Oh, and by the way, take all the photos you wish! No restrictions there.
Written June 26, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Paurian
Colorado Springs, CO2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
I'm surprised more places aren't doing this. It's really inexpensive and has an impressive array of "time periods" to visit. There's an Indian settlement, a pioneer log house, a blacksmith shop, a Victorian farm house and an elegant Edwardian mansion.

But what's really amazing is that tours of these houses are all led by someone dressed in period costume who all know their stuff. You get to interact with these people and ask them questions beyond whatever they're doing... and they actually do the job they're dressed to do. Servants cook in beautiful wood burning stoves, farmers are taking care of the animals, blacksmiths are smithing... it's really great! The only other place like rock ledge ranch that comes to mind is Williamsburg.
Written June 15, 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

davegidd
Bonsall, CA1,448 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2015 • Couples
After a very hot and crowded visit to Garden of the Gods, we just happened to see the sign for this place on the way out. There were only a few people there and we had no idea what to expect. We figured we'd walk around through some recreated ranch scenes and such, but that's about it. What we found though was much more interesting than that. If you follow the loop trail as we were instructed to do at the entrance, the first thing you come to is a Native American camp. There, two actual Native American women were making food with local vegetables and beading some leather articles. I commented that they have the coolest spot to sit in their authentic shade structure, so they invited us to sit on the log with them for a chat. They were very nice and not at all phony. I'm usually very uncomfortable in these period reenactment places, but the people working at all of the different displays were very nice and not at all fake.

The man at the homestead was also very informative without going too far. He invited us into the cabin where a nice young man told us about life back then. Then it was on to a farm with live animals and a big barn. A man there was showing visitors how to use farm tools. There's a boarding house/home where three young women were out on the porch knitting. They greeted us as they would in the 1800's, but once inside on the short tour the young lady was friendly and very interesting. She even played the organ in the parlor for us.

The best part of the day was the blacksmith demonstration. We were the only people there when he started making a bottle opener shaped like a wizard's face. That doesn't sound like much, but the end result was nothing short of art. He was very informative and showed everyone step by step what he was doing right up to the finished product. This was the best demo of this type I've ever seen anywhere.

There are a couple of other buildings on the site, plus a small museum with Native American art and artifacts. The woman there was extremely nice. There's a general store selling hand made items from the period, plus some modern souvenirs for very reasonable prices.

The cost is only $8 for adults; $5 for seniors over 55, so very affordable. I was very pleasantly surprised and am so glad I accidentally found this place.
Written June 29, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

missyjo25
Kansas62 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2011
Honestly, we didn't expect too much when we arrived at the Rock Ledge Ranch but ended up spending three hours there! The workers there, dressed authentically, were all friendly and informative. They answered all of our questions and more! The Ranch is in a beautiful location and the scenery was fantastic. We have three children- a two month old, a 5 year old and an 8 year old and they were entertained the entire time. We especially liked the cabins and seeing how an entire family could live in one tiny space! Our two sons were fascinated by the blacksmith shop and the blacksmith created a hook while we watched and then gave it to our kids. They loved that! Also,we appreciated the low cost to see the attraction. Was worth every penny!
Written June 13, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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