Upland is a game where you can buy and trade virtual property tied to real-world locations. I’m looking forward to seeing this game expand to new locations; one of the places I’m looking forward to see this game expand to is Colorado Springs. Why? Not just because I live here, but because this is a city with natural wonders, well-known institutions, and beautiful neighborhoods.

Natural Wonders

Colorado Springs is the home of several natural wonders. From most locations in the city, you can see Pike’s Peak, which rises to a height of 14,115 feet above sea level. Colorado Springs itself is located at 6,035 feet above sea level, which is higher than Denver! Another location you’ll want to take your block explorer past is Garden of the Gods, which is home to gorgeous rock formations and is free to visit. It does get very busy; the nearby Red Rocks Open Space, where I'm pictured below, has great views, more trails, and more parking space. If you have more time, you may want to swing past Seven Falls or some of the other numerous hiking trails that crisscross the entire city.

Well-Known Institutions

Colorado Springs is famous for being the home of the United States Air Force Academy as well as the United States Olympic Training Center. It’s why Colorado Springs is known as Olympic City USA! Even if your block explorer is banned from entering the Air Force Academy, you can enjoy the annual air show that it puts on every spring during its graduation ceremony. The US Olympic Training Center is normally open to visitors, although tours are currently closed because of Covid-19.

You can also visit two of Colorado Springs’s charitable institutions. The Focus on the Family Visitor Center is a great place for kids to play, featuring the three-story Abendego slide and Whit’s End Soda Shoppe. Compassion International is a charitable institution that helps children in poverty all around the world; you can normally tour their facility; however, due to Covid-19, visits have also been temporarily suspended.

Beautiful Neighborhoods and More!

That’s not all there is to love about Colorado Springs. Your block explorer can visit the beautiful neighborhoods in the Broadmoor area, where you’ll pass multimillion dollar homes. If you like trees, Black Forest has beautiful homes on acreage. If restaurants are your thing, Edelweiss offers authentic German cooking. After a long day of exploring, maybe you want to relax with a good book. In that case, the Pikes Peak Library District has multiple locations with books, maker spaces where you can 3-D print items, and meeting spaces which are starting to reopen after the pandemic.

I’m looking forward to the upcoming days when Upland expands into various cities, but one of the places I’m most looking forward to seeing Upland expand to is the 39th largest city in the United States, Colorado Springs.

* All photos in this article are mine and are copyrighted.