There's plenty to do in Pueblo, whether you're participating in sports or cheering on favorite athletes.

Pueblo Motorsports Park

The city completed a $1.1 million improvement project in 2012 at Pueblo Motorsports Park. Upgrades to the popular racing facility included repaving the drag strip, the 2.2-mile road course and the entrance road, and adding new bleachers.

NCAA Sports

Pueblo served as host city for the 2012 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the 2012 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships, and, in November 2011, an NCAA Division II football playoff game. Those three athletic competitions provided more than $3.5 million in economic impact to the local region.

The events were staged at Colorado State University – Pueblo, which is impressive, given that none of those sports existed at CSU – Pueblo until the 2008-2009 school year. Officials estimate that all 2,200 hotel rooms in the Pueblo area were used to house athletes and officials from around the country during the three competitions.

Golf

Pueblo is home to golf venues such as Desert Hawk at Pueblo West, Elmwood Golf Course, Pueblo Country Club and Walking Stick Golf Course. Desert Hawk, in operation since 1969, is challenging at 7,368 yards, while the par 70 Elmwood course is rated one of the best-conditioned city-owned venues in the state. Pueblo Country Club has been an 18-hole golf landmark in southern Colorado since it opened in 1903, while Walking Stick spans 7,147 yards and was rated four stars by Golf Digest magazine.

Parks

City Park is home to 12 kiddie rides that include a train and a carousel that dates back to 1911, and the Pueblo Zoo, with more than 420 animals. An 18-hole disc golf course opened in 1999 in the park’s northwestern corner.

City Bark at City Park is a 2 1/2-acre facility where dogs can roam free inside a fence. It opened in 2008 with such amenities as a water fountain, tables and benches, and is located at the west end of City Park between two softball fields. Hours are 6 a.m.-10 p.m.

Runyon Field is home to two high school-size baseball fields and two junior-size diamonds, and is just east of Interstate 25 off the Santa Fe exit, north of Runyon Lake. It was established in 1938 and named in honor of former Pueblo resident and noted newspaperman Damon Runyon.

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