Where to Host a Baby Shower for Cheap or Free

A reader emailed asking for help finding an inexpensive place to host a baby shower that would allow them to bring their own food and decorations.  I asked on the Springs Bargains Facebook page and got some great responses:

MeLissa, Anna, and Christina all recommended the library, which has meeting rooms available for free!  Library 21C in particular has a lot of rooms available, but most branches have rooms available.  You can see the various rooms each branch has available, as well as make your reservation online, on the library’s website.

Park pavilions are another option: both the City of Colorado Springs and El Paso County Parks have lots of great covered outdoor options available for rental.  You can see photos of available pavilions at city parks here and El Paso County’s pavilions here.  Reserving a pavilion does start around $100 (with a small number costing less than that) so it’s not the cheapest option on this list.

You can also rent rooms, some with kitchens, at a few community or senior centers in the Springs.  Here’s the list of available facilities.  You may also be able to reserve rooms at fire stations.

A couple of readers mentioned local businesses that may offer rooms to rent for events: Holly recommended San Miguel Wellness and Terji mentioned All Breed Rescue and Training.  Obviously, room rental is not their every day business but it’s worth thinking outside the box!

Some churches allow their regular attenders to use rooms for free or a nominal cost, and YMCA members also have rooms that they can rent, according to reader MeLissa.

Finally, if you’re not set on providing your own food, some local restaurants have rooms you can reserve for events (some may have a minimum food order).  I know that Decadent Dessert Bar and Wild Goose Meeting House have nice rooms that can be reserved – others probably do as well, but it’s not often something listed on a website so you may have to think creatively about restaurants that may have rooms to reserve.

Readers also emailed to suggest Third Space Coffee and Marco’s Pizza Briargate as restaurants with rooms that can be reserved.

If you have another suggestion of a place to host a baby or wedding shower that’s free or cheap, feel free to email me so I can add it to this post!

Photos by Natalie Chaney and Kelly Neil on Unsplash