Stagecoach Inn - Manitou Springs

A Food-less Adventure in Colorado

Once again, one of our trusty, vintage cookbooks took us to a place we might never have discovered.

In June one of our stops on a 3-week trip, was Manitou Springs. I peeked in our 1950 cookbook to see if there were any featured restaurants from the area. I was pretty thrilled to spot the curious little Stagecoach Inn.  

About the Cookbook

I love flipping through the 67-year-old cookbook, which features restaurants and recipes across the United States. When I found the illustration for this cozy little place, I had 2 questions and checked the internet to answer the first. Yes, the "inn" was still open after all these years!  The second question was, "Do they serve cherry pie?" I got that answer from my friend Christy, who remembered eating some delicious cherry pie when she visited... 30+ years ago.

How Old?

We found the barn-like restaurant, just a walk from our hotel. Although there was a newer addition to the right, the building looked very similar to the old illustration. I know from the cookbook that the restaurant was popular in the fifties, but I read that it had been here since 1900.

Stagecoach Stop

An authentic stagecoach was on display, as a reminder that this was once a stagecoach stop in 1881. The carriage in my photo, blocks a house-like wooden structure that now holds the restaurant bar. The two buildings were connected by the 1-story addition. The whole rambling complex had a touch of hillbilly flair going on. It reminded me of my trips to the Missouri Ozarks as a kid.

Early Evening

It wasn't exactly mealtime when we arrived, but I was determined to have some kind of "dining adventure" anyway.  Don and I took a seat at the bar, even though the outside deck overlooking the creek, looked very inviting.

Happy Hour Exploring

Don and I wanted to be inside where we could learn a little something about the place. The young staff made me realize I might have to do some history figuring on my own. I peeked at the old fireplace across from the bar.   I found some framed photos on the wall opposite the fireplace.

What were they before?

It looked like the Stagecoach restaurant, (featured in the book) once held the Manitou Springs Journal. The other building, (where the bar was housed) looked more like a home.  The diamond design windows were the same ones I saw next to the fireplace. 

Asking Moxie

Our young bartender, Moxie was pretty upbeat and enthused, even though she was working a double shift, training a new bartender and a little short staffed. She also happened to remind us of Brittney Spears.

Moxie wasn't too busy to answer our question about the staircase nearby. She said the stairs in the house-like building had once lead to a brothel. That gave us something to think about. I waited for another break, when Moxie wasn't being bombarded with orders or silly customer questions, then I flashed the cherry pie recipe at her. She looked twice and laughed at the retro book. She said they still served cherry pie, but added,  "You can be sure it's nothing like that recipe!" I'm not sure what that meant. 

Renovations

Most guests were eating on outside patios, so the dining room in the main building was empty. The fireplace and the front bay window were the only indications that we were in an old building. The fresh paint and artwork were added with new ownership a couple years ago. I would have loved to have seen the interior in the fifties.

What About Food?

Since we weren't experiencing a meal, we made sure to order a piece of cherry pie to go. Moxie was right, it didn't look quite like the recipe.  The crust didn't appear to have been made from scratch. But we took it back to our hotel fridge.

I got sick that night and skipped dinner. (We at least can't blame it on food poisoning from Stagecoach) In the morning we packed up and forgot our pie.

So, no notes on the food.  But I'm glad we experienced the atmosphere and some conversation at the Stagecoach Inn!