Line Drive Softball correspondent Grace White shares experiences from her first trip to Colorado in support of her younger sister Esther, who is playing this week at Colorado Sparkler, and gives a list of fun tourist sites for players, families and coaches to enjoy…

For the past three years, I’ve missed out on my family’s annual trip to Colorado for the Sparkler for various reasons. However, this summer I made sure that I would get to be at all of the tournaments, including the Sparkler.

We arrived in Denver last Saturday around lunch and immediately started sightseeing because my sister didn’t start playing until today (Wednesday, July 3).

Since there’s probably other softball people out there who haven’t been to Colorado, I thought I’d share a list of things I’ve done this week that I feel are definitely worth your while!

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Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is one of the best zoos I’ve ever been to, hands down.

Tickets must be purchased in advance to control the inflow of people, and they are cheaper during the week than on the weekends. We entered the zoo around 11:15 am and stayed until about 2:30 pm. The zoo itself is built on the side of a mountain, so there are spectacular views throughout.

The first thing we saw upon going in was the giraffes.

This zoo is unique in the fact that the giraffes’ enclosure is set up where visitors can pet them and interact with them. You can also feed the giraffes ($3 for one feeding and $5 for two feedings).

The zoo had pretty much all of the animals that you would expect to see at a zoo, including lions, elephants, a tiger, mountain lions, orangutans, gorillas, hippos, etc.

The exhibits for pretty much every animal were very up close and personal. When we were watching the mountain lions, all three were moving around and calling to each other. I’m not sure if it was the weather or time of day but, for the most part, every animal was active.

The last thing we did was feed an elephant.

My sister Esther really wanted to do it because our adopted grandmother from church, who passed away in 2021, loved elephants and would have loved to see us interact with them.

The cost was $10 for two snacks or $15 for two snacks and a special treat. The money is used to pay for the elephants’ daily food, and the extra $5 from the $15 deal goes to help elephants in the wild.

We did the $15 experience so that Esther, my little sister Abigail and I could each give them something. My dad went in too so that he could video and take pictures. I don’t know if we’ll ever get to experience something like that again, but it is definitely something I will treasure in my heart forever.

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Red Rocks

One day, we went up to the Red Rocks Park. The name is fitting as pretty much all the rocks are an earthy red color.

We didn’t do much hiking while we were there because it started to rain, but there are numerous trails for those who want to. We did get to one point where it seemed like you could see hundreds of miles into the distance. The view was absolutely breathtaking.

The park is also home to the famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre. We won’t get to go there while we’re here in Colorado, but I’d love to see a concert there sometime!

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Coors Field

I’m a big Major League Baseball fan, particularly the Atlanta Braves, so when I get the chance to visit new MLB parks, I’m always down.

Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies, is situated in downtown Denver. It is a very spacious ballpark and has a display in center field that pays homage to the surrounding Colorado scenery with its trees and fountains.

The Colorado atmosphere is also home run friendly. In the game we went to, the Rockies and the Milwaukee Brewers combined for four long balls.

Before the game, we went to the Cherry Cricket, a hamburger restaurant which is about 500 feet from the park and has been a staple in Denver since the 1940’s. The restaurant is known for its burgers, and I can attest that it was one of the best I’ve ever had.

The atmosphere was also cool with the music, fish tank, and baseball fans from everywhere coming together to enjoy a good meal before the game.

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Garden of the Gods

Like Red Rocks, the Garden of the Gods is a great place for hiking.

We walked through one of the shorter trails, but even from that height, the view was breathtaking. The park even offers Jeep tours for those who don’t necessarily want to walk.

I would highly recommend going to the second floor of the visitors center to look at the interactive map that tells the names of each rock and to go out on the balcony to take a family picture.

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The Air Force Academy

The first sightseeing thing that we did was go to the Air Force Academy. The campus is extremely spacious and has different historical aircraft and memorials set up along the way for the public to enjoy. I couldn’t believe how big the B-52 bomber was in real life!

The visitor’s center is definitely something to check out while there. Especially the theater that plays a movie taking you through a year in the life of a cadet and there are also displays detailing life as a cadet and the history of the Academy.

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Scheels

Esther said it best when she called Scheels, “a Dick’s Sporting Goods on steroids.”

I walked in and was in awe: the Colorado Springs store has a really neat fishtank as soon as you walk in and the store itself is two stories—mostly apparel on the first floor and mostly sports equipment on the second.

In the center of the store is a mini-Ferris wheel. If you’re a sports store lover like me, then you would thoroughly enjoy the majesty of Scheels!

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I hope this list is beneficial to you and your family on your trip to Colorado. Let us know if you decide to try any of things listed and if you enjoy them as much as I did!

— Grace White / Line Drive Softball correspondent