Favorite Spot Friday: Manitou Springs- My favorite little town in Colorado

Hidden between the Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak, America’s most famous mountain, lies the magical town of Manitou Springs. "Manitou," a Native American word for "spirit," describes this beautiful mountain community. Nine named mineral springs throughout town are fed by the snows of Pikes Peak. Long before white men traveled here, the Ute, Cheyenne and many other natives considered this area sacred
This was my favorite little town of the trip.

Trendy, historic, beautiful, relaxing....good food, good view.

Antique shops, art galleries.....

Long before bottled water was the thing, this little town bottled its mineral water from nine springs in the 1800's.

Each spring boasts water that taste different because of the various minerals it passes through to the surface. By the mid 1870s, the bottling industry had begun producing bottled mineral water for the public benefit. Manitou Table Water, (recharged with natural gas), and Ute Chief Mineral Water were a few of the many bottled waters sold and shipped directly from Manitou Springs. By 1911, half a million estimated gallons of spring water were being bottled. Some of the water is naturally carbonated and bubbling from carbonic acid as it comes from the ground.

For more history on this fascinating town, click here.

As the town built up, the springs were inside stores and encased in fancy fountains throughout the town.

We tasted a few....not so good.

We lunched at the best little Bistro, Pj's.

I had the best marinated grilled chicken sandwich EVER. It was common food with a bit of a gourmet flair. They had bagel sandwiches and pierogis, golabki and goulash. My son had a bagel sandwich and it was tasty too

There menu and website are here.

I saw many beautiful towns and places, but my favorite town, because of ambiance, history, beauty and shopping/dining experiences was by far the "Little Switzerland" village that takes you back in time.