Nightlife
Once upon a time, the saying here was, “If you want to see some nightlife, go to Denver.” That’s no longer true. Colorado Springs offers a wide range of evening entertainment, with a full slate of events to rival any city of its size. Two large venues—the Pikes Peak Center downtown and the Colorado Springs World Arena on the south side of the city—fill the bill when it comes to major concerts. Two major college venues offer top-notch shows on a regular basis: Colorado College opened its Cornerstone Arts Center a few years ago and it (along with other venues on campus) offers everything from poetry readings to avant-garde productions, hip and funky music, and much more, all open to the public and many events are free. UCCS has the Dusty Loo Bon Vivant Theatre, home of Theatreworks. All this makes for a packed performing arts calendar.
The trendy bar scene tends to be focused on and around Tejon Street downtown—at least the bars visitors would want to frequent. Those mentioned here tend to have a less-rowdy clientele, but many offer live music, dancing, and general frivolity. For upscale bars, cruise The Broadmoor hotel complex, which has a newly remodeled lobby bar in Broadmoor West, the classy renovated Hotel Bar in the main building, and various other spots scattered throughout the vast property. Dancing? You can dance to live ballroom-style music in the Penrose Room (but then you’d have to drop a couple hundred bucks for dinner) or you can do the cotton-eyed Joe at Cowboys. And there’s a wide variety from which to choose in between. If you’re looking for a micro-brewed beer, this town has it. If you just want to meet other singles, there also are a few good options. Hookah lounges are the latest craze among the 18 to 30 crowd. Cripple Creek’s casinos, where gambling really is the main form of entertainment, also occasionally offer live concerts, too.
1. Jack Quinn’S Irish Pub
City: Colorado Springs, CO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (719) 385-0766
Address: 21 S. Tejon St.
Description: Ever hear of a bar where the patrons run a race before drinking? Well, that’s the deal at Jack Quinn’s, a popular downtown watering hole that sponsors a running club. A thousand runners have been known to show up on a Tuesday night to do the 5K run through downtown before ending up at the pub. (OK, you don’t have to run, but it’s fun!) Typical Irish grub is served, along with imported libations. Irish-themed bands often play live music here, starting about 7 p.m. And we won’t even talk about what happens here on St. Patrick’s Day.
2. The Loop
City: Colorado Springs, CO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (719) 685-9344
Description: Famous for its huge margaritas (they claim the largest in the world), The Loop—a Manitou fixture since 1903—also is known for having the best ones in town. Some folks especially like their “Skinny” Margarita, made with pure agave juice, fresh squeezed lime juice, and, of course, tequila. It started out as a wild game restaurant serving bear, venison, elk, and rabbit, among other dishes. Today, it specializes in burgers and burritos. It was called The Loop because the local trolley car system looped around the restaurant before heading back to Colorado Springs. And as far as some locals are concerned, it’s still the end of the line when looking for a place to dine.
3. Old Chicago
City: Colorado Springs, CO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (719) 634-8812
Address: 118 N. Tejon St.
Description: Yeah, we know it’s a chain, but the downtown version (there are three other locations) doesn’t feel like one. And the beer selection alone makes it worth a mention. The food is decent, too. Located in a historic building on Tejon Street (where else?), it feels like a local bar. It has great drink specials and many regular patrons are taking the World Beer Tour. Once they sample all 110 beers, they get their name emblazoned on the Famous Hall of Foam. No prize, just braggin’ rights.
4. Rico’S Cafe & Wine Bar
City: Colorado Springs, CO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (719) 632-7721
Description: Love wine? Love chocolate? Rico’s Cafe & Wine Bar offers the best of both worlds and is a favorite with the downtown and Colorado College crowd. It’s a hip, but friendly, place to sample wines by the glass and pursue your chocolate passion (eat or drink it). They also have food—pizza, hummus, salads, and such. Sometimes they have live music, too.
5. Sodo
City: Colorado Springs, CO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (719) 314-0420
Address: 527 S. Tejon St.
Description: What can we say in a G-rated publication about SODO? Well, it’s a singles meat market, proud of it, and recently voted the best place to meet men/women in town. SODO plays up the sexy vibe in its advertising and the thumping beat that emanates from the club most nights. It’s not sleazy, though—leather couches and private cabanas give it a rather upscale feel. They play a variety of music, from rap to rock to world music, and have high-tech features, such as full video integration on several large screens that allow for VJ-ing. The club does allow the 18 to 20 crowd, but says it employs systems to prevent underage drinking.
6. Southside Johnny’S
City: Colorado Springs, CO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (719) 444-8487
Address: 528 S. Tejon St.
Description: Despite all the motorcycles parked outside, Southside Johnny’s really isn’t a “biker bar.” It may be a little rough around the edges, but it has lots of room for gatherings large and small. Good parking (a rarity downtown) and good local bands draw customers in for happy hour—and beyond—on a regular basis. The music starts about 7 p.m. and goes till around midnight. They serve decent, if typical, bar food (wings, quesadillas, nachos) that won’t knock your socks off, but isn’t bad, either. And it’s a companionable place—you’ll never drink alone.
7. Triple Nickel Tavern
City: Colorado Springs, CO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (719) 477-9555
Address: 26 S. Wahsatch Ave.
Description: For punk and rockabilly shows, you can’t beat The Triple Nickel Tavern. It’s tiny, but a great place for drinks on an off-night and fun for shows on weekends. Owned by a guy who calls himself JJ NOBODY (the bass player for Drag the River and THE NOBODYS) and his family, it’s a place where you’ll find comfy chairs, cold beverages, and sometimes rowdy conversation—in other words, it’s a place where you can go and relax and be yourself.
City: Colorado Springs, CO
Category: Nightlife
Address: 2 E. Pikes Peak Ave.
9. Pikes Peak Center
City: Colorado Springs, CO
Category: Nightlife
Address: 190 S. Cascade Ave.
Insider Pick:
Description: The Pikes Peak Center, built in 1988, is the acoustically exceptional home to the Colorado Springs Philharmonic and a touring Broadway series, and also is the perfect place for concerts by such greats as Arlo Guthrie, Michael Bolton, Chris Isaak, or the Judds. Its Studio Bee (named after a longtime patron of the arts, Bee Vradenburg) hosts local performing groups and bands, often for free. Comedians, choral concerts, dance, and second-tier performers are perfect for this lovely, 1,950-seat hall.
10. Stargazers Theatre & Event Center
City: Colorado Springs, CO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (719) 476-2200
Address: 10 S. Parkside Dr.
Description: Stargazers is a relatively new addition to the venue scene, opening in its current incarnation in 2009. Though it was originally a movie theater, it now works well as an entertainment venue for concerts, films, comedians, and all kinds of music, from blues and jazz to salsa and classic rock. It seats up to 550 people for concerts.
11. The Underground
City: Colorado Springs, CO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (719) 578-7771
Address: 110 N. Nevada Ave.
Description: There aren’t a lot of nice gay bars in Colorado Springs, but the Underground is probably the best one for a great mix of people, fun events, and decent music. There’s something special going on every night of the week, from karaoke to free pool and poker tournaments. Local polls have voted it the best gay bar in the region 6 years running.
12. Hooked On Hookah
City: Colorado Springs, CO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (719) 886-7107
Address: 6406 N. Academy Blvd.
Description: The first hookah bar in town, Hooked on Hookah is on the north side of town. It has been named by a local paper as “Best Hookah Bar” for a number of years running. The over 18/under 30 crowd in town like it because of its comfortable, happening atmosphere that keeps happening well into the night. An online store also sells various hookahs and supplies.
13. Copperhead Road
City: Colorado Springs, CO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (719) 659-9099
Address: 3330 N. Academy Blvd.
Description: One of Colorado Springs’s newest clubs also is reportedly the wildest! Bartenders (and sometimes customers) tend to hop up on the bar and dance at will. A John Deere tractor helps decorate the place—for no specific reason we can determine—along with a Confederate flag bearing the word: Redneck. But they serve up live rock and DJ country music on a regular basis and have become one of the most popular new clubs in town. There’s a $5 cover after 8 p.m. weekends and occasionally an extra charge for live shows. Be warned: The place gets so packed on weekends that they have security directing parking outside and patrolling the masses inside to stop any trouble before it starts. It’s a mob scene, but if you’re into that sort of thing, this is the place!
14. Cowboys
City: Colorado Springs, CO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (719) 596-1212
Address: 25 N. Tejon St.
Description: Put on your best dancin’ boots and practice your Texas two-step if you want to fit right in at Cowboys, a local nightclub that started in 1986 and moved downtown in recent years. Country music—both live and recorded—will get your toes to tappin’. It can get a little rowdy at times, but that’s just the way cowboy clubs are. Some nights are concert nights and you’ll need tickets, others are just for fun, but there is a $10 cover charge. If you are two-step impaired, they give free Western dance lessons if you get there before 7 p.m. on Sunday. Cowboys doesn’t open till 5 p.m. most nights and doesn’t answer phones before then. They do list upcoming bands and other events on their website, so you can check those for yourself.
15. Motif Jazz Bar
City: Colorado Springs, CO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (719) 635-5635
Address: 2432 W. Cucharras St.
Description: Cool, urban, hip, sophisticated—these are not descriptions used everywhere in Colorado Springs. But this jazz club, bar, and restaurant (with a tapas-style menu) embraces them all. Motif, like any good club too cool for full-on exposure, is situated behind The Food Designers in Old Colorado City, with an entrance through a gate, into a patio, and finally through big garage doors. Once inside, the vibe is small venue in a big city, with warm, deep colors and high-tech lights. The music is rich and smooth, the martinis are dry, and the food hits a number of high notes, especially the frequent fish specials. The white truffle fries, Salmorejo Shrimp, and beef dishes also are crowd favorites. Open Fri and Sat only.