Free & Cheap Things to Do in Colorado Springs

Parks & Nature

Three-hundred-foot red sandstone fins tilt out of the earth against a Pikes Peak backdrop at America's most famous free city park — deeded to Colorado Springs in 1909 on the condition it remain 'forever free.' Fifteen miles of trails wind the formations, and the main Perkins Central Garden loop is paved and wheelchair-accessible.

Address: 1805 N 30th St, Colorado Springs, CO 80904

Tip: Park at the free Visitor & Nature Center first for the view across the whole garden, then drive in. Sunrise turns the rocks neon red and beats the tour-bus crowds. The center's geo-exhibits and films are free; only the optional theater show charges.

History & Museums

The 1903 El Paso County courthouse — restored courtroom, marble staircases, and all — now holds a completely free museum of Pikes Peak regional history, from Ute and Cheyenne homelands through gold rush, tuberculosis-sanatorium boom, and Olympic City present. One of the best free museums in the Mountain West.

Address: 215 S Tejon St, Colorado Springs, CO 80903

Tip: Open Tuesday through Saturday. Ride the restored Otis birdcage elevator and find the courtroom where Burl Ives once testified. Downtown's Tejon Street restaurants and shops are steps away for an easy half-day pairing.

Parks & Nature

Garden of the Gods' quieter neighbor — 1,474 free acres of red rock canyons, old quarry walls, and some of the region's best-loved hiking and mountain-bike loops, plus off-leash dog trails and a free-ride bike park. Locals often prefer it to its famous neighbor for the smaller crowds.

Address: 3550 W High St, Colorado Springs, CO 80904

Tip: The Red Rock Canyon and Sand Canyon loops give the classic quarry-wall views in under three miles. Eighty technical climbing routes exist but require free registration through the Garden of the Gods visitor center. Snowy days turn the trails into cross-country ski runs.

Parks & Nature

A granite canyon park climbing into the foothills with two free nature centers and the city's signature waterfall — Helen Hunt Falls, viewable from the road or from the bridge directly over the drop. The short, steep trail above continues to Silver Cascade Falls for a two-waterfall hike.

Address: 2120 S Cheyenne Cañon Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80906

Tip: Starsmore Visitor and Nature Center at the canyon mouth runs free exhibits and seasonal programs; the falls visitor center opens Memorial Day to Labor Day. Gates lock at night, and there's no cell service at the falls — download maps first.

Outdoors

The infamous staircase — 2,768 railroad-tie steps gaining 2,000 vertical feet in under a mile up Pikes Peak's foothills. It's brutally hard, weirdly beloved, and completely free with an online reservation. The summit view across Manitou Springs and the plains is the payoff.

Address: 10 Old Man's Trail, Manitou Springs, CO 80829

Tip: Book the free reservation and waiver online — slots release on the 1st of each month, up to 8 weeks out. Descend via the Barr Trail switchbacks, not the steps. Take the free Manitou shuttle from downtown; Incline-area parking is scarce and paid.

Quirky Landmarks

Eight naturally carbonated mineral springs bubble up through public fountains scattered around downtown Manitou Springs — each tastes different, all run 24/7, and drinking your way through them is a free self-guided tour. The Victorians built a whole resort town on this water.

Address: Downtown Manitou Springs, CO 80829 (map at 354 Manitou Ave)

Tip: Grab the free map and mineral chart at the Visitors Bureau, 354 Manitou Ave — a collapsible souvenir cup is $3. Twin Spring is the local favorite for taste; Navajo Spring hides behind the candy store. Pair with free shuttle rides around town.

Shopping & Strolling

The 1859 town that predates Colorado Springs is now a National Historic District of brick storefronts, galleries, and 100+ independent businesses along tree-lined Colorado Avenue. Free to stroll, with Bancroft Park's bandshell hosting free Summer Nights concerts every Thursday in June.

Address: Colorado Ave between 24th & 27th Sts, Colorado Springs, CO 80904

Tip: It sits directly between Garden of the Gods and downtown, so make it the lunch stop of a free-attractions day. Thursday Summer Nights bring live music and vendors; the historic plaques along the avenue tell the rowdy saloon-town backstory.

History & Museums

The American Numismatic Association's national museum on the Colorado College campus holds gold-rush-era coins, a working 1860s-style coin press, colonial currency, and 1804 silver dollars worth millions — and kids 12 and under always visit free. America's largest museum dedicated to money.

Address: 818 N Cascade Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80903

Tip: Groups of eight or more drop to $5 a head. Free mini-courses and kids' activities run through the year — check the calendar. Pair with a free stroll through the Colorado College campus and its public sculpture.

History & Museums

Colorado Springs' working space museum — Science On a Sphere planetary shows, a Mars rover yard, spacecraft models, and artifacts from the space race — run by the Space Foundation headquartered here in the military-space capital. Hands-on labs make it a favorite with school-age kids.

Address: 4425 Arrowswest Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80907

Tip: EBT cardholders pay $3 through Museums for All (up to four tickets). Open Tuesday–Saturday. Check the calendar for launch-watch parties and family workshop days, which are often included with admission.

History & Museums

A 27-acre campus of working steam engines, stamp mills, and mine machinery tells the story of the gold and silver booms that built Colorado — with gold panning included in admission and guided tours free with your ticket at 10am and 1pm. Burros Nugget and Chism patrol the grounds.

Address: 225 North Gate Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80921

Tip: Time your visit to the 10am or 1pm guided tour — the machine demonstrations are the whole show. Gold panning is included, and whatever flakes you find, you keep. It's near the Air Force Academy's north gate for an easy double stop.

Historic Sites

A living-history farm at Garden of the Gods' doorstep interprets four eras of Pikes Peak life — American Indian encampment, 1860s homestead cabin, 1880s working ranch, and a 1907 Edwardian estate. The grounds and trails are free year-round; costumed-interpreter days cost less than a sandwich.

Address: 3105 Gateway Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80904

Tip: Summer Living History days (June–August) are when the blacksmith shop, cabin, and ranch house come alive — worth the $8. Trails connect directly into Garden of the Gods west of the orchard. First-Thursday preschool programs and special events dot the calendar.

History & Culture

The national shrine of America's original sport — saddles, champion buckles, rodeo art, and live retired bucking horses and steers grazing out back. Multimedia galleries cover everything from 1800s ranch work to modern pro circuits, right off I-25 on the city's north side.

Address: 101 ProRodeo Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80919

Tip: Say hi to the retired rodeo livestock in the outdoor pens — feeding times are posted at the desk. Military, veterans, and first responders pay $10. The gift shop's western wear is cheaper than tourist-town leather shops.

Parks & Nature

Forty minutes east of the Springs, badlands gullies hide candy-striped hoodoos in pink, orange, and purple clay — colors American Indians collected for paint as far back as 9,000 years ago. It's a free 750-acre county park, otherworldly at golden hour and never crowded.

Address: 29950 Paint Mine Rd, Calhan, CO 80808 (~35 mi east)

Tip: Stay on trails — the clay formations are fragile and climbing them is prohibited (and ticketed). No shade and no water out there, so carry both. Sunrise and the hour before sunset light the hoodoos like stained glass; storms make the clay impassably slick.