Manitou Springs Penny Arcade: Free Walk-In, Pinball, and More

The Manitou Springs Penny Arcade is free to walk into. You only pay for the games you play. I go a couple of times a year from the west side of Colorado Springs, and it is the old pinball that pulls me back — machines I played as a kid, still running.

They call it a penny arcade, and a few real penny machines are still there, but most of the pinball and video cabinets take quarters now. You can wander the whole place and not spend a dime until something grabs you.

It sits at 930 Manitou Avenue in downtown Manitou Springs (Arcade Amusements on their own site), a short hop west of Colorado Springs. More than 400 coin-operated machines across a cluster of buildings: pinball, video games, skee-ball, kiddie rides, photo booths, and a horse racing game where you roll a ball into scoring holes. Last time through I skipped the horse race and went for the cabinets I grew up on.

What I actually play

Last evening there was late July with friends. We played Asteroids, Space Invaders, and Defender. If you grew up on those, you will want them, plus the pinball.

Bring cash. There is an ATM on site that hands out $10 bills, and they will break cash into quarters, dimes, and pennies. I am not inventing a per-person budget. Walk in, look around, then feed the machines you actually care about.

Hours (check before you go)

Open seven days a week. Closed Christmas Day.

As of mid-September 2026, the arcade’s own site lists fall hours (September 8 through November 5): Monday–Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday–Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Summer was 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Hours shift again for winter/spring, so check their site or call (719) 685-9815 before you drive over, especially around a holiday. The horse racing game is old and goes down for maintenance from time to time — they ask you to call or text ahead if that is your main reason for the visit.

How I’d make an evening of it

Right next door is Border Burger, at 934 Manitou Avenue. After you play, walk over and eat. I had the Coloradan, a green chili cheeseburger with avocado. Really good. Their menu lists it as a hatch green chile burger with Swiss and avocado.

Afterward we got ice cream at the gift shop next to the arcade. I think they call it a Creamery. The ice cream is Scoops, and it is good.

That is the night: play, burger, ice cream. Not a mineral-springs tasting loop I never walked, and not a ranked list of restaurants I have not eaten at.

What this page is not

This is not a Manitou Springs day-trip dump. I live on the west side of Colorado Springs, and I come over here for the arcade.

If you want shops on the west side, that is Old Colorado City, a few minutes back toward town. I walk that stretch for the little shops and La Baguette. If you want the train up Pikes Peak, you catch the cog railway right out of Manitou. Parking for that can be tight in busy season — that is a separate trip on a separate day.

For the wider visitor list, start with things to do in Colorado Springs. I am not rebuilding that hub on this page.

Give the Penny Arcade an evening. Walk in free. Play the machines you actually remember.

Related guides

• Old Colorado City shops
• Manitou Springs visitor guide
• Pikes Peak Cog Railway
• Norbu’s Himalayan Hut (Manitou, a firsthand favorite, a different night than the arcade)

Author: Dominic