Discover Classic Games at Manitou Springs Penny Arcade

We love finding hidden gems. And that’s exactly what we found at the Manitou Springs Penny Arcade.

Manitou Springs is a couple of miles west of Colorado Springs. The town is a popular tourist destination, replete with hot springs and the steepest step incline you’ll ever see.

But, these were not what drew us to Manitou Springs. Our family loves arcade games. You name it, we love it. Everything from Skee-Ball to classic video games like Ms. Pac Man. We found all of this and more at the Penny Arcade. It was a step back in time for us as parents, and a chance for all of us to discover some games we’d never seen before.

And yes, there are machines that cost just one penny to play.

Getting to the Manitou Springs Penny Arcade

The arcade is in the heart of downtown Manitou Springs. That makes it easy to find, but it can be difficult to park. However, there are a number of public parking lots in town, and if you’re lucky, you might find some street parking parallel to the arcade.

Fortunately for us, we found a parking spot right in front of the arcade. Parking cost was $1 per hour.

The Layout of the Arcade

The Penny Arcade is actually located in six small buildings off the main street. But that’s not all. There also are a number of kids rides and other games outside of the buildings. So even if you go after hours, your kids could still ride a carousel or a rocket ship for 50 cents.

One of the buildings has antique Skee Ball machines and a prize center. Some of the games give tickets which you can redeem at the prize center. Our kids mixed it up, playing some machines that gave tickets, but many others that did not. At the end of our trip, our son chose to cash in his tickets for some candy prizes. Our daughter chose to keep her tickets for a return trip, hoping to earn a better prize next time.

Discovering the Oldies

If you have any interest at all in games, you’ll need to see the old games at the Manitou Springs Penny Arcade. There are games and rides from the 1930s to today. It was a hoot looking at the older games, many of which we had never seen.

We especially loved hunting down the penny, nickel and dime machines. We made sure to play most of these games. The kids played soccer, basketball and pinball machines nearly 100 years old. It was worth the penny or nickel invested for them to try their skills on these classic machines.

There are change machines in each building. The machines accept $1, $5, $10 or $20 bills.

Every member of our family loves Skee Ball. We had a blast playing on the old machines at the penny arcade. Our kids are used to the newer machines with a computerized score. But it was fun for them to play these older Skee Ball games that had a far simpler counting mechanism.

My wife and I took a look at the scandalous peep show machines. For a nickel, you could see a figurine scene with a porcelain lady in a bikini being wooed by a sailor on shore leave. By today’s standards, there is nothing here to make you blush. We got a kick out of watching the peep show of a far more modest era.

Carnival Games Too

In addition to these older machines, we also discovered old carnival games. Honestly, some of these games were around when my wife and I were really young (I mean really young) and we went to the carnival or fair. Some of the games were somewhat familiar to our kids, who have played modern, more mechanized versions of these carnival faves.

Each building has a ticket counter machine. Feed you tickets into the machine and get a receipt tallying your tickets.

Pinball Wizard

It’s not just carnival games. The penny arcade also has pinball machines. We have a soft spot in our hearts for pinball machines. So it was fun to see the machines, and get to play them as well.

The Video Games We All Know and Love

Pac-Man. Donkey Kong, Galaga. The penny arcade has these classic video games we all know and love. Adults enjoy the journey back in time to play these games. But, the kids enjoy playing these games as well. They might laugh at the simplicity of the machines, but there is no denying the fun.

But, the arcade is not all about classic and antique games. You can play some of the fresh new video games too.

Claw Machines

Our daughter absolutely loves claw machines. And, she’s pretty successful with them as well. So she was delighted to see all of the claw machine games at the penny arcade.

Some of the machines give you a guaranteed win. Others leave things to chance. Either way, if you are in to claw machines, you’ll love the choices at the penny arcade.

Props to the Decor

Make sure you look up at the walls at the penny arcade. That’s because there are a number of posters and other artwork on the walls that hearken to another time. Even the light fixtures on the ceiling take you back in time. It’s like visiting an museum. The decor definitely adds to the allure of the penny arcade.

A Final Look

Here’s one final look at the Manitou Springs Penny Arcade. We would love if you watch the video below to see all of the scenes we have not already included in this article.

You Might Also Enjoy:

Love carnival games? Take a trip to Elitch Gardens Theme Park in Denver.

Discover other fun family adventures in Colorado.

Join us for an hour inside the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas.

All photos and content are by Family Well Traveled and use of photos or content without permission will result in legal action.