With the end of the summer travel season fast approaching and Labor Day straight ahead, The historic 5-star Broadmoor Resort in the Colorado Rocky Mountains offers an easily reached last-minute destination for North Texans seeking cool summer conditions.
The hundred-year-plus resort offers 36 holes of historic golf including the East Course designed by golf architect legend Donald Ross and site of the 2025 U.S. Senior Open, but with nearly 800 rooms in three large towers, there is plenty of activity for the entire family.
“Usually by this time in the summer, families start to realize they haven’t done much for the summer and want to sneak in one last quick trip maybe over Labor Day and there is something there for the entire family,” said longtime Broadmoor guest Ann March
Indeed there are a large pool, water slides, a hot tub and food service alongside the Rocky Mountain majesty. There are tennis and pickleball courts, paddle boats, walking, hiking and biking trails, a large spa, plus plenty of retail therapy with more than a dozen upscale shops on site for every kind of clothing, shoes and gift items you could ask for.
Of course, the spectacular surrounding mountain scenery and tree-filled landscape along with the huge Cheyenne Lake which sits in the center of the property comes at no extra charge for those who want to just sit at the outdoor fire pits or rocking chairs and watch the scenic world stroll by.
All of this was first made possible by Philadelphia businessman Spencer Penrose. He came from a well-known Philadelphia family where his brothers were a US senator, a doctor and a noted geologist. Spencer, however, graduated last in his class at Harvard in 1886 and came to Colorado to find his fortune in the gold fields.
He struck it rich in nearby Cripple Creek and decided to stay in Colorado and spend his riches there. Having traveled to the finest resorts in Europe with his family, he reasoned why couldn’t he do the same in his new home state?
That’s exactly what he did in building the expansive Broadmoor which opened June 29, 1918 with rooms costing $10-$12 a night (it’s considerably more now) with the main attraction a 100,000-gallon indoor swimming pool.
But Penrose insisted on the best, cost notwithstanding, and that’s what he got and why the original Main building still stands today joined by several others.
There is a movie theater, adjacent ice skating rink, conference center and apartments and condos to rent along with nearly a dozen upscale restaurants, even a bowling alley, sports bar and dining with adult lounges scattered around the large facility.
For the man who always wanted the best, Penrose, who is buried nearby with his wife, would be proud The Broadmoor holds the longest consecutive streak of Forbes 5-Star/5-Diamond ratings of any resort in the world.
That quest for the best certainly continued in golf as well. It was Penrose who contacted noted Scottish golf architect Donald Ross, famous for his designs on the East Coast including U.S. Open site Pinehurst, to come to Colorado to design his new golf course, one of only a handful he ever did West of Texas.
The decision to hire Ross certainly paid off as The Broadmoor has hosted more than a dozen United States Golf Association national championships including the first U.S. Amateur won by golf legend Jack Nicklaus and the U.S. Women’s Open won by female legend Annika Sorenstam.
“One of the things that always surprises people is how well the Ross design has held up for 100 years,” said longtime Broadmoor Director of Golf Russ Miller. “It's quality which never goes out of style and champions have proven that for decades.”
A second golf course, known as The West Course, was designed by renowned architect Robert Trent Jones, Sr., in the 1950s and they combined the 36 holes with 18 on both sides of the street with mountain and water filled access. When it comes to putts, check the mountains for proper direction and speed.
Broadmoor has one of the few Ross public access golf courses and the par 72 is challenging and scenic for all levels of golfers.
Current superstar architect Beau Welling is looking into building a short course up on the mountain for more Broadmoor golfing scenery as if there isn’t enough already.
Outside the main resort but still inside the Broadmoor footprint is the Ranch at Emerald Valley straight up the mountain from the original Penrose creation. There is horseback riding, fly fishing, archery, hiking and plenty of buffet-style cowboy meals capped by s’mores by the campfire. There is Cloud Camp which features zip lines ranging from 250 to 1,800 feet over the mountain scenery for the young and young at heart. There is even a separate fly fishing camp nearby.
Nearby is the 7 Falls Hike and Nature trail, Pikes Peak, the Garden of the Gods, the Air Force Academy and the annual Labor Day Hot Air Balloon Lift.
To get here, the easiest option is to fly direct into the smaller Colorado Springs airport, bypassing Denver, with direct passages on Southwest, American Airlines and others.
Something for everybody in cooler late summer temperatures. The turkeys, bears, and deer will all be there, maybe you should be too.
For more on The Broadmoor and its associated locations, go to www.thebroadmoor.com or call 866-272-8937.
