Tour the castle the city's founder built for himself
Sixty-plus rooms, 24 fireplaces
The English Tudor castle of General William Jackson Palmer, founder of Colorado Springs, in a foothills glen just north of Garden of the Gods.
Why it's unique
General William Jackson Palmer founded Colorado Springs in 1871 and built this in the foothills above it as his own home. It started as a twenty-room clapboard house, was remodelled in 1881 into stone with a tower, and by 1906 had become an English Tudor castle of more than sixty rooms with 24 fireplaces.
The claim is the specific one rather than an architectural superlative: the man who laid out the city lived here, and you can go through it. Palmer was a Union brigadier general and president of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, and the house is essentially the founding document of the city written in stone.
Before you go
Tours are scheduled rather than drop-in, and the castle is a working conference and retreat centre owned by The Navigators, so availability moves with their own bookings. Check and book before driving out; people arrive and find it closed to visitors that day.
The Castle Tea is a distinct bookable thing rather than a cafe, and it is what people who have been actually recommend over the standard tour. Sources disagree on the room count, so do not go expecting a specific number.