Whew! We’ve covered a lot of cheap and free things to do in Colorado Springs, and today we’ll wrap up the series with the “Best of the Rest” – the unofficial list of things to do, from taking a drive down a mountain road to watching the airplanes at the Academy.
- Watch Sky Sox fireworks after Friday night home games. No need to pay for a ticket if you just want to watch the fireworks, just find a safe place to park in the stadium area and watch for free!
- Watch college sports events for free.
- Get some culture by attending an art walk in Old Colorado City or Cottonwood Gallery.
- There’s letterboxing and geocaching, or in the wintertime you could go sledding.
- Attend storytime at Barnes and Noble, or participate in one of the library’s many programs.
- Take a walk around the Broadmoor. Park a block or so away from the hotel so you don’t have to pay for parking, and enjoy the shops inside the hotel, the lake behind the hotel, and all the beautiful old homes.
- Feed the ducks at Palmer Lake. Victory said they are always hungry, plus there’s a a nice playground.
- Go to Chuck E Cheese, skip the pizza, and play the games. Beth said the slide is free!
- Play disc golf at Cottonwood Creek Park.
- Beth says wiffleball and kickball are more fun when you play them on a “real” ball field, like the ones at Dublin Park and Fremont Park.
- Another great suggestion from Beth: “in the summer and spring, go to “thunderbird overlook” at the Air Force Academy (easily accessible via the main road from the south gate) and watch the airplanes, gliders, and parachuters. A good time is 8-9 AM in the summer.”
What are your favorite “unofficial” cheap things to do in Colorado Springs? I had a reader email and ask for suggestions on cheap date nights, so if you’ve got suggestions on that, please share them as well!
Check out the entire list of Cheap Things To Do In Colorado Springs – from hikes to parks to indoor fun to museums and more! Plus, you can also see almost all of these activities on the Cheap Things Map.
And of course, keep reading Springs Bargains for the latest on cheap things to do. If you’re not already receiving the free daily email, please sign up! It contains everything that’s posted here on the site and is a great way to keep up-to-date. Go here to sign up.
Does anyone know about what time the fireworks will usually start on Friday’s at Skysoxs?
Erin, the fireworks times vary depending on the length of the game. For those of us who live on the east side, there is usually a game once a summer that goes long and wakes us up! A good key is to listen to 1300 AM (they carry the Sky Sox games) and you can follow the game’s progress. Or find a park nearby and enjoy the evening while you wait.
For a cheap date night, go to $2 Tuesdays ($2 per ticket) at the ballpark. Parking is only $2 or you can walk in and save $2. A $4 date and 3 hours of quality time is good in my book! The key is to eat before you go! :)
We’ve also enjoyed a picnic and hiking at Garden of the Gods… plenty of time to enjoy each other’s company.
Try a movie at the dollar theater or go sit by the lake at the Broamoor.
Take a stroll around Manitou or Old Colorado city and stop for an ice cream cone or piece of chocolate.
Or bring a volleyball and enjoy the sand court at Monument Valley Park.
Go to any of the dozens of COS parks with the kids for a couple of hours…then take a trip to Rizuto’s Ice Cream shop (southwest corner of Oro Blanco and Barnes) for their GINORMOUS soft-serve cones. We use the 20% off printable Entertainment book coupon to buy a 25 cones for $20 punch card=$0.64 per cone. And we get them upside down in cups because (1) they’re too big to eat in one shot, and (2) so the kids don’t make a sticky mess in the car. I’ve never gotten a single complaint. :^ )Enjoy!!
Just a heads up about kickball at the parks. Park and Recreation has games scheduled at most if not all of the parks here in town usually starting around 5:30 pm going till about 8:30-9:00ish pm. Monday – Friday. Starting June 7th going till almost the end of July. You are always welcome to cheer for the teams that are playing but remember that league teams with scheduled games have the field first. If it is not a sanctioned game then the fields are first come first serve, this includes kickball teams!!
Something our family does in the summer is the outdoor movies at the shops at briargate on thursday evenings. There is always a kid and adult friendly movie and its a COMPLETELY free event put on by the management of the shops, all you do is bring comfy chairs and some snacks! There are even usually some vendors like maggie moos and rocky mountain chocolate factory if you wish to purchase treats. Do get there early though since space fills up fast! This event usually starts in june and goes through early august but their website should offer details soon.