Come take a tour of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. All guests will board a bus and travel the 75 minutes to the Academy, tour the facility, and have an opportunity for lunch on the grounds before departing back to the hotel.
This event costs $65.00 in addition to your Symposium ticket. To purchase tickets, scroll down to the Add ons and Show Specials section of the registration page.
Academy attractions
The Air Force Academy is the youngest of the five service academies and the nation’s premier institution for developing leaders of character. Its mission is to educate, train and inspire men and women to become officers of character motivated to lead the Air Force in service to the nation.
While the Cadet Chapel is the state’s No. 1 manmade tourist attraction, not to mention its most regularly photographed building, there are a variety of other attractions visitors can enjoy here, including the Honor Court, numerous hiking trails and the Barry M. Goldwater Visitor Center.
The Academy is open to visitors 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. All visitors must enter through the North Gate entrance, accessed from Exit 156 on I-25. The Visitor Center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Cadet Chapel is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday thru Saturday and from 1-5 p.m. Sundays. The Chapel may close during normal visitor hours for weddings, funerals and memorial services.
The Barry Goldwater Air Force Academy Visitor Center serves as the gateway to the Academy, providing information on its history and cadet life to hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The center was built with donated and borrowed funds totaling $4.5 million. The private organizations that donated the building to the Air Force named it in honor of retired Arizona Sen. Barry M. Goldwater, an avid supporter of the Academy.
The facility, which opened its doors in June 1986, has 31,600 square feet of exhibits, a snack bar and gift shop. The exhibit area features displays on history and cadet life with specially-designed exhibits explaining the Academy’s four Pillars of Excellence: character development, academic, athletic and military training.
Also featured at the Visitor Center is a 21-minute movie shown throughout the day highlighting the Academy experience. A one-third-mile paved nature trail east of the facility allows visitors to walk to the Cadet Chapel.
The Cadet Chapel’s unique architecture has made it the most photographed building in the state of Colorado. The 17 spires on the roof of this structure project 150 feet into the sky. Visitors can tour the Protestant, Catholic, Jewish and Buddhist worship areas within the chapel.
Arnold Hall contains several military and Academy exhibits, a small food court and an auditorium for special events or official functions.
The Honor Court is located between the Chapel and Harmon Hall and contains bronze statues and aircraft memorials from various groups.
