Experience the Summer Games in Olympic City, USA
If you can’t attend the 2024 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad) in Paris, the next best option might be Colorado Springs.
This fast-growing Colorado community (and one of the Livability Top 100 Best Places to Live in 2024) bills itself as Olympic City USA. It is home to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and its flagship U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center, located on the former Ent Air Force Base. More than 15,000 athletes train at the center each year. And the center draws more than 130,000 visitors annually.
Colorado Springs is the headquarters for more than two dozen national governing bodies across a range of sports, including USA Basketball, USA Swimming, USA Figure Skating, USA Wrestling and USA Cycling.
Fittingly, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs is going all out for the 2024 Summer Games at its Paris Summer Fest Celebration.
A 40-foot screen in the museum’s atrium will display live event coverage from Paris. Visitors can order food from the museum’s Flame Café and have it delivered to their table. Watch parties for the opening and closing ceremonies, athlete meet-and-greets and artifact demonstrations are also on the schedule for the Paris Summer Fest Celebration.
Return to Paris Exhibit at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum
If you visit the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, be sure to check out the Return to Paris exhibit, which opened at the end of June. The exhibit takes visitors on a journey through time, starting in 1924 when Paris first hosted the games, detailing how the Olympics have evolved in the 100 years since that event.
And, speaking of evolution, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs continues to evolve, as well.
“We have a new chapter written every two years that we get to share,” says Tommy Schied, the museum’s chief marketing, communications and programs officer. “So it almost feels like we have a cheat code, if you will, like ‘Oh, great! The next chapter of Olympic and Paralympic history is being written this summer.’ Then, the following summer is the 2025 Hall of Fame induction ceremony; then, in 2026, we have the Winter Games. So, we have something happening every year, and we get to help share and tell those stories.”
And what stories it tells, and in such visually compelling ways.
After five years of planning, the ground was broken in 2017 at the 60,000-square-foot United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum. Doors opened in July 2020 on the $91 million museum.
What to See at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum
The museum, which draws more than 100,000 visitors annually, features 12 galleries with dozens of interactive exhibits, displays and immersive experiences. For example, the Parade of Nations Hall gives guests the experience of walking into the Olympic or Paralympic stadium alongside members of Team USA.
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame, overseen by the U.S. Olympic Committee, is housed at the museum. Visitors can explore numerous interactive digital pylons and enjoy video content on the 40-foot digital video sail.
A must-see exhibit at the museum is a nearly complete collection of Olympic medals from the Crawford Family U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Archive — the medal collection dates to the 1896 Games in Athens.
“We like to think that the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum serves as the crown jewel of Olympic City, USA,” Schied says.
Because of that moniker, Scheid says, the museum wants Colorado Springs residents to take pride in having a world-class attraction in their backyard and ensure those residents experience what the museum has to offer. During its fall and winter seasons, the museum created a discounted Saturday ticket where Colorado residents could buy admission for just $5.
The museum also works closely with the Pikes Peak Library District and is part of its Pikes Peak Culture Pass, which lets users explore museums and attractions in the region at no cost by using their library card.
“It just shares the iconic moments of Olympic and Paralympic history and America’s greatest athletes,” Schied says of the museum. “It just embodies what the Olympic movement is like. There’s no better place for the museum to be here in Olympic City, USA.”
