Manitou Springs Penny Arcade

January 24, 2020

Tucked in behind the galleries and gift shops that line the main corridor of historic Manitou Springs is Arcade Amusements’ Penny Arcade, an anomaly of gaming nostalgia that might just rival those of your own childhood. Right from the moment you walk up, it feels like a summer night in a small corner of Coney Island, each building jam-packed with tight clusters of gamers huddled around vintage mechanical machines of the blinking, buzzing, and quarter-sucking variety. Except it’s January in Colorado, and you’re dressed in puffed layers of ripstop and wool.

Skeeball, pinball, Zoltar, horse racing—some of the games date back to the 1930s, and many of them are so strange and curious you can’t help but feed in a dime (yes, a dime) just to see what they do.

And if you don’t look closely while zipping through downtown Manitou, somehow this multi-building complex is easy to miss. I’m always surprised by what long-time and even life-long residents haven’t discovered right in their own state, and this place is no exception. Maybe that’s because the longer we live in a place, no matter where it is, we lose our ability to see it anew. But then there’s also the simple fact that there is a lot to see and explore in this part of Colorado. Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs, Old Colorado City, Cave of the Winds, Manitou Cliff Dwellings, and the Manitou Incline all draw a steady influx of visitors and new residents alike.

To discover more unique and off-the-beaten-path destinations, check out Colorado’s Best Hidden Gems.