Whether you’re escaping the summer heat or trying to stay warm during the winter, here are some fun, cheap and free things to do indoors in Colorado Springs. We’ve already covered museums in Colorado Springs, so there are none of those on this list. Stay tuned for more cheap things to do in Colorado Springs lists!
Focus on the Family Visitors Center and Whit’s End
All sorts of different things to do at Focus on the Family’s free visitors center… You can see the small museum of Focus on the Family history, or head downstairs to where the kid’s fun happens with the three story slide, play area (including one for toddlers), puppet stage, and more. It’s free, and they even have two birthday party rooms you can reserve for free, too. More info here.
Watch candy being made at Patsy’s
You can watch candy being handcrafted at Patsy’s Original Candies, located at 1540 S. 21st. Street. More info here.
Play arcade games in Manitou Springs
The famous “penny arcade” in Manitou isn’t really pennies anymore, but it’s still lots of fun! Games range from a penny to $1. The arcade is located in the 900 block of Manitou Avenue. Read about our visit to the famous Manitou Springs arcade!
Let the kids run free at Lil Bigg Town
Whether or not this is “cheap” depends on how many kids you’d need to pay for, but it’s worth mentioning: all-day admission to Lil Bigg Town is $3. I’m not sure what ages this is up to, or if you have to pay for adults as well; their website isn’t clear. If you know, please leave a comment!
Watch a movie for cheap
You can watch a movie for $1.50 at the Picture Show Theater at the Citadel Crossing, and on Tuesdays it’s only 75¢! More information on showtimes is available on their website. Also, Peterson AFB offers free movies if you have the proper ID!
Jackey also said “the Broadmoor has a really cool old movie theater in it. They show all kinds of movies, you have to call though to figure out what they are showing that night (they usually rotate a couple movies throughout the week). I think it’s about $5 for adults, but it’s very kid friendly and you can bring whatever snacks you’d like”. I couldn’t find any more information, but it sounds like fun!
Bowl for $1 or less
There are several places that offer $1 bowling nights: Pinz Bowling Center on Tuesdays, Brunswick Zone on Mondays and Wednesdays after 9 PM. Peterson AFB has $1 bowling on Sundays, and the Air Force Academy has $1 bowling on Thursdays. Both the AFA and Peterson require Department of Defense ID.
Ice and roller skating
Skating sessions at the World Arena Ice Hall range from $1 to $4, go here for more info. Public skating is $2-6 at Sertich Ice Center.
Skate City on Austin Bluffs has several different pricing options, starting at around $3.50 for a group. Laura said they also offer free skating for military on Sundays from 4 to 6 PM!
Wow! I’m sure there’s more to add to this list, so please feel free to leave a comment if you can think of others. Remember, it’s a good idea to call ahead of time to confirm that these businesses are still offering the same deals, as they do change from time to time.
Here’s more!
- Cheap Things To Do in the Springs: indoor fun
- Cheap Things To Do in the Springs: visit a museum
- Cheap Things To Do in the Springs: sledding
- Cheap Things To Do in the Springs: letterboxing and geocaching
- Cheap Things To Do in the Springs: free sporting events
- Cheap Things To Do in the Springs: take a hike
- Cheap Things To Do in the Springs: parks and playgrounds
- Cheap Things To Do in the Springs: cheap eats
- Cheap Things To Do in the Springs: the best of the rest
Mr. Biggs is $5 a kid to do Little Bigg Town and under 2 is free and parents are free….we did this before my youngest was 2 but now $15 to play there is not too worth it…we wait for the grandparents to take us and pay ;-)
Disrtrict 11 elementaries (some) sell skate city passes good all sumer Last year they were $3. With the pass you can skate most sessions for $1. Adults can use a pass to. This is a fund raiser for the schools. So call your nearest school. I know for sure Mark Twain has done this for years. They have not started selling them yet. It usually happens the first week of May.
Thanks for this tip. I had no idea!
If your child is enrolled in a learn to skate or hockey program at Skate City on Austin Bluffs they can skate for free all day on Sunday. And when you first enroll, rollerblades are provided for them to keep & included in the cost of the program! This is a great deal. Especially if you have 3 boys who love hockey and love to skate like we do! :)
I just took my two grandchildren to Mr. Biggs for the day and it was $5 for each of them – no charge for me. I took a book and positioned myself in the middle of the activity. After 4 hours, I had to pull them away.
Skate City on Academy has military skate night, where all DoD ID holders skate free, just pay for skate rental or bring your own skates and pay nothing! Saturdays, 6-8pm.
Also, Ft. Carson has cheap bowling Tuesday nights. $1/hr and $.50 hot dogs. I’m not sure of the times on that one.
Peterson Kids’ Bowling on Sunday afternoon is GREAT! Only the kids get the discount of $1 per game and $1 shoe rental, but our entire Sunday School class and adults (18 people) bowled 2-3 games for $75!! For a group–call for lane reservations.
You can bowl for $1 a game everyday at Peterson from 11am-5pm in the summer. Always call them before you head over there too. Sometimes they book the entire bowling center for a party for a couple of hours. So make sure it’s available before you head there.
Carmike Cinema in Chapel Hills Mall just started $5 Tuesdays—all shows every Tuesday just $5. We went to the theatre thinking we’d be paying the advertised web site price of $7.50 and go a nice surprise. I believe they also have $1 soda and $1 popcorn every Tuesday.
I think it should be posted Lil Bigg Town has been out of business. Your reviews are kind of old also. I still like to read peoples reviews. Tks.
Actually, what you are referring to was Lil Biggs, which was out on Powers and that did close. What Carrie was referring to is Little Big Town, which is a part of Mr. Biggs off I-25. As far as I can tell, Little Big Town does still exist (has its own page on Mr. Biggs website), though the link in the post is dead.