US Air Force Academy

US Air Force Academy featuring modern architecture
US Air Force Academy showing military items and aircraft
US Air Force Academy showing religious elements and interior views
US Air Force Academy showing aircraft and military items
US Air Force Academy which includes interior views


Enjoy a free tour of the military campus where young men and women are trained to be officers in the United States Air Force.

Step onto the campus of the US Air Force Academy to discover what goes into the training of the country's elite air force personnel. Every year, the military institution puts hundreds of cadets through a rigorous 4-year academic programme.

Start your self-guided tour of the academy at the visitor centre. There you will learn about the intense cadet selection procedure which is based on academic performance and physical fitness.

Go to the centre's 250-seater theatre to watch the short movie about life as an academy cadet. See videos and static displays that detail the academy experience for recruits. Then take the paved nature trail from the centre to one of the academy's highlights, the Cadet Chapel. 

The aluminium, glass and steel structure is a futuristic-looking building with 17 spires that soar 150 feet (46 metres) into the sky. The building is an all faiths chapel with separate chapels for Buddhists, Catholics, Jews, Protestants and a prayer room for Muslim cadets.

Continue your tour with a visit to Arnold Hall where cadets hold their formal dances. The large room contains a display of cadet uniforms, a sports trophy case and an exhibit about women in the Air Force. Inside Honour Court, find bronze statues of military figures and sculptures of numerous aircraft including a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, a B-24 Liberator and a B-29 Superfortress. 

At the Falcon Athletic Centre, you may be able to see sports teams in competition against other colleges. The academy’s football team plays out of the Falcon Stadium.

Complete your tour with a walk along the Falcon hiking trail. Non-military personnel can walk the northern 12 miles (19 kilometres) of this gravel route.

The Academy is open for tours every day except some major holidays, and admission is free. Drive or take a taxi from downtown Colorado Springs, a distance of 14 miles (23 kilometres). Public transport doesn’t travel out to the academy. 

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Top US Air Force Academy Hotel Deals

Hotel Polaris
Hotel Polaris
4.5 out of 5
8989 N Gate Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO
Hotel Polaris
My Place Hotel - Colorado Springs, CO
My Place Hotel - Colorado Springs, CO
2.5 out of 5
369 Gleneagle Gate View, Colorado Springs, CO
My Place Hotel - Colorado Springs, CO
The Academy Hotel Colorado Springs
The Academy Hotel Colorado Springs
3.5 out of 5
8110 N Academy Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO
The Academy Hotel Colorado Springs
Great Wolf Lodge Colorado Springs
Great Wolf Lodge Colorado Springs
3.5 out of 5
9494 Federal Drive, Colorado Springs, CO
Great Wolf Lodge Colorado Springs
Drury Inn & Suites Colorado Springs near the Air Force Academy
Drury Inn & Suites Colorado Springs near the Air Force Academy
3 out of 5
1170 InterQuest Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO
Drury Inn & Suites Colorado Springs near the Air Force Academy
Hampton Inn & Suites Colorado Springs/Air Force Academy
Hampton Inn & Suites Colorado Springs/Air Force Academy
2.5 out of 5
1307 Republic Dr, Colorado Springs, CO
Hampton Inn & Suites Colorado Springs/Air Force Academy
Flying Horse Resort & Club
Flying Horse Resort & Club
4.5 out of 5
1880 Weiskopf Point, Colorado Springs, CO
Flying Horse Resort & Club
Residence Inn by Marriott Colorado Springs North/Air Force Academy
Residence Inn by Marriott Colorado Springs North/Air Force Academy
3 out of 5
9805 Federal Drive, Colorado Springs, CO
Residence Inn by Marriott Colorado Springs North/Air Force Academy
Spark by Hilton Colorado Springs I 25 Central
Spark by Hilton Colorado Springs I 25 Central
2.5 out of 5
7245 Commerce Center Dr, Colorado Springs, CO
Spark by Hilton Colorado Springs I 25 Central
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