Sitting at 5,000 feet of elevation about an hour North of Denver, lies the quaint town of Fort Collins, Colorado. AKA Colorado’s Craft Beer Capital, home to Colorado State University, the inspiration for Main Street Disney World and my home for 5 years.
Ya, one more year than I planned for, however the summers there were quite spectacular. With summer here now, I wanted to share my top 10 summer must do’s while in Fort Collins, Colorado.
I know 95% of my reader are either currently in Fort Collins or have spent also 4 summers there, so share this with someone who’s just moving there or just read it anyways cause you’re my family 😀
Tube the Poudre
Short for Cache a la Poudre (POOH-DER). You’ll need tubes, a dry bag, 2 cars (Make sure you bring the keys with you!) some duct tape, sunscreen and a fifth of rum in a plastic bottle. You can enter the river in multiple locations, but you’ll want to pop out at Picnic Rock. Be warned some parts can be a little suspect & you shouldn’t go too far up the canyon. Late summer will the best to traverse it. There is a “kiddie” section of the river that you can enter just North of Old Town you can test out as well if you’re feeling skittish. You’ll be wanting to go every weekend, even if you pop your tube.
Another option on the Poudre is to white water raft! Whether you’re just visiting or full time living, it’s a right of Coloradan passage. I highly recommend Mountain Whitewater, great staff with a high level of communication, good times, inclusion and of course the ever famous paddler’s pub waiting at the end.
The Mishawaka
About 45 minutes past the city of Fort Collins lies The Mishawaka, a restaurant, bar and concert venue synonymous with the ultimate Colorado mountain experience. Take a beautiful winding road into the canyon to sing, drink and dance along the Poudre River while leaving all cell-service behind.
Food Truck Tuesdays
Every Tuesday from May-September City Park hosts a Food Truck Rally. Justify spending $20 on Angry Hippie Tacos (an actual food truck) because you are supporting local business. Or don’t and just bring your own food. No shame. Regardless, It’s a great time to meet up with people in the community, listen to local performers and enjoy quality time outdoors.
Chipper’s Lanes
Yes, Chipper’s Lanes. They have laser tag, bowling, live music and now axe throwing but what I’m here for is their volleyball.
For $10 every Friday night they offer drop-in somewhat competitive volleyball games. Whenever someone messes up, they’re out! Make no mistakes? You play however long you want! Don’t worry even if you do make a mistake you rotate back in super quick like less than 1-2 minutes. Score an Ace? Get a free shot! FREE!
It’s such a great atmosphere. Easy going people, just enjoying sport while having a couple drinks and meeting new friends. I recommend it to anyone no matter what level.
Sun Dance
If you know me you know how much I RAVEEE about Sundance. Not only do they host rodeos during the summer happening May 13, 20, 27, June 3, 9, & 10 weather permitting, they also do line dance lessons every Thursday! They used to do Ladies drink free on Tuesday’s too but doesn’t look like they do that anymore (another big reason why I loved them). Regardless, if you like to dance, grab dinner, watch some cute mutton busting and some wild (literally) bull riding Sundance is a great place to visit.
Rocky Mountain National Park
If you’re up for a road trip, about 45 minute away is Rocky Mountain National Park another must. Unfortunately, RMNP is still on a timed entry system which you can apply for here. This means you need reservations to enter the park. Though if you are unable to reserve one, the town of Estes Park right outside also has a lot to offer like the Stanley Hotel, the Aerial Tramway, hiking, climbing and fly fishing.
If you do make it into Rocky Mountain, there are an abundance of like lake hikes like Chasm, Bear, Dream or Emerald as well as waterfall hikes like Cascade and Alberta that I recommend. Ambitious people can challenge themselves to a 14er or maybe it’s better you stick to the scenic drive and hopefully see some wildlife from the car.
Horsetooth Reservoir
If you’re trying to hike, boat, climb, tan, paddle, swim, hammock, camp or bike Horsetooth Reservoir is just the place. About 15 minutes from downtown, Horsetooth offers a multitude of activities with breathtaking views of the reservoir and foothills. Head towards the North end for paddle board rentals during the summer. Whereas head towards the south end for camping & boat rentals. This is our climbing group the “Indiana Stones” climbing Duncan’s Ridge. The cover photo for this page also is Horsetooth Reservoir.
Taste of Fort Collins
Coming up quick on June 10th & 11th is the Taste of Fort Collins festival. Celebrate local food vendors, businesses and bands while hanging out right in downtown! Day tickets start at $15 or get a weekend tickets for $28. This year Lil Jon and All American Rejects will be performing too! It’s a great way to meet people, get introduced to the town and just have a fun time enjoying summer in Colorado.
Cheyenne Frontier Days & Greeley Stampede
Okay, not so much Fort Collins, but both notably close events. Cheyenne Frontier Days is a 9 day rodeo competition hosted in late July coupled with concerts, carnivals and constant entertainment. The Greeley Stampede is a very similar rodeo, carnival, concert, parade, extravaganza going on for 2 weeks July 22 to July 4th.
My buddies and I went up to Frontier Days 2 years ago and had the best time watching the rodeo, chugging shooters and riding the carnival rides. The concerts are hosted in the arena right after the rodeos have taken place making it an awesome spot to be dancing, drinking and socializing with friends right in the pit. This year’s line up includes Eric Church, Cody Johnson, Zach Bryan, Jon Pardi, Carly Pearce, Old Dominion, Tim McGraw, Kip Moore & more! Haha
Breweries & Old Town
DUH! Craft Beer Capital of Colorado! Even if you don’t like beer, suck it up and try man.
If you’re just visiting Fort Collins for the day, head into Old Town, visit a brewery and go on a tour. Trust me so many free samples.
Between New Belgium pictured to the right, Odell, Maxline, Prost, Anheuster-Busch, Horse & Dragon, Crooked Stave, Scrumpy’s there are a plethora of places to quench your craft thirst. In addition most of these places offer outdoor seating, lawn games, table games and sometimes even food trucks. Some other great places for food and drinks also include Social, Jessup Farm, The Still Whiskey Steaks, Beaujo’s, Rainbow, Ace Gillett’s The Major of Old town, The Exchange and Silver Grill.
If you’re able to visit Colorado for an extended amount of time Fort Collins has to be on your bucket list. I could seriously keep going there are so many amazing businesses, events and things to do during the summer in Fort Collins. I hope this keeps your summer busy! Comment below if you’ll be visiting these places this summer!
One response to “10 Summer must do’s in fort collins, Colorado”
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My friend TJ says – Avagadro’s Number????
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