Most lists of things to do in Colorado Springs for adults are really lists of bars with a brewery tour at the end. The city has more than that, and a fair amount of it has an age rule attached that nobody tells you about until you are standing at the counter.
So this one is sorted by the rule. What you can do at 18, what genuinely needs 21, and where the group can land afterward. Addresses are included where we have them, because half the battle here is the drive.
If you want the general version, things to do at night covers the evening, and date night covers two people.
First, the Age Rule That Actually Applies
In Colorado you need to be 21 to drink or to gamble. Almost everything else on an adult list here is open at 18, and a few things are open younger with a signed waiver.
That matters more than it sounds, because “adults only” on a venue website usually means one of three different things: a legal 21 requirement, an 18 requirement the business set itself, or a liability waiver that a parent can sign for a minor. Only the first one is law.
A practical note. Kava at our bars is 18 and up, and we do not serve it to anyone who is pregnant. That is our own rule, not a state one.
Things You Can Do at 18
The most interesting adult activities in this city have no drinking attached, which means most of them open at 18.
CityROCK, at 21 North Nevada Avenue downtown, is the climbing gym, and it also runs yoga and wellness sessions. It works for one person with an afternoon or a group of six who want to find out who is secretly good at this.
Escapology, at 123 Spectrum Loop up near the north end, runs a long list of escape rooms, each private to your group. There is no general minimum age, and players under 18 need a waiver signed by a parent or guardian, so a group of adults can just book and go.
Sherwood Showdown, at 3520 North Academy Boulevard, is archery dodgeball, which is exactly what it sounds like and is harder than it looks.
Rocky Mountain Tank Battles, out at 2350 South Franceville Coal Mine Road east of town, is the one nobody has done. It is a drive, so make it the plan rather than a stop on the way to something else.
SunWater Spa in Manitou Springs is the recovery option. The soaking area is a quiet zone open to ages 14 and up, and the sauna area is 18 and up, so check which part of it you are booking.
The 21 and Up List
Three things in this area genuinely require 21, and the casinos are the only ones worth driving for.
Cripple Creek is about an hour west via Highway 24 and Highway 67, and it is where the casinos are, because Colorado Springs itself has none. You need to be 21 to gamble in Colorado. The town is a former gold camp with a historic main street, so there is something to look at between rooms.
Taprooms and distilleries are the obvious 21 category, and most of them now pour something without alcohol for whoever is driving. Worth asking rather than assuming.
Comedy shows at Loonees Comedy Corner, the city’s long-running comedy club, are usually an adult room, though the age rule can change by show, so check the listing before you buy for a group.
Learn Something Instead
A class is the most underrated adult night in this city, because you leave with something you did not have.
The French Kitchen, at 4771 North Academy Boulevard, runs cooking classes, including private ones for a group. It is the sort of thing that sounds like a lot until you have done it once.
CityROCK’s intro climbing sessions fall in the same category. So does an art session, and several local outfits will come to a space you already have if the group is big enough.
Where the Group Lands After
The gap in this city is not activities, it is somewhere to sit afterward that is still open and does not require everyone to drink.
Our bar at 3434 North Academy Boulevard is open from 8am until 2am every day and has no alcohol in the building. There are darts, a shelf of board games, a Nintendo Switch usually hooked up to one of the TVs, Wi-Fi and outlets. Kava is 18 and up, which makes it one of the few rooms in town where a mixed-age group of adults all get served the same thing. Monday and Wednesday from 6 to 9 the kava is half off, and whatever else is running that week is on the specials page.
If you are still there at 1am, the whole room drinks a shell together, in 60 seconds or less. Hours and directions are on the Colorado Springs page.
One last thing. Call ahead on every item here. Winter hours in this city are shorter than summer hours nearly everywhere, and age policies are set by the venue rather than by the state, so the only reliable answer is the one you get from them.
Frequently asked questions
What is there to do in Colorado Springs for adults?
Climbing at CityROCK downtown, escape rooms at Escapology, archery dodgeball at Sherwood Showdown, tank driving east of town at Rocky Mountain Tank Battles, soaking at SunWater Spa in Manitou Springs, cooking classes at The French Kitchen, comedy at Loonees Comedy Corner, and the casinos in Cripple Creek about an hour west.
What can you do at 18 in Colorado Springs?
Most of the activity list. Climbing, escape rooms, archery dodgeball, cooking classes and the SunWater Spa sauna area are all open at 18, and kava at our Colorado Springs bar is 18 and up. Drinking and gambling are the two things that require 21 in Colorado.
Are there casinos in Colorado Springs?
No. The nearest casinos are in Cripple Creek, roughly an hour west via Highway 24 and Highway 67, and you must be at least 21 to gamble in Colorado.
What is open late in Colorado Springs for adults?
Later hours are the exception here. Kavasutra on North Academy is open until 2am daily with no alcohol in the building, and a handful of downtown food spots run past midnight. Most everything else closes earlier than people plan for.
Where can a group go that does not involve drinking?
Escape rooms, archery dodgeball, climbing and cooking classes all take a group and none of them involve alcohol. For sitting afterward, our Colorado Springs bar has darts, board games and a Switch, and serves no alcohol at all.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Kava is served to adults 18 and up and not to anyone who is pregnant.