2017-12-14 04:42:19
Breweries are as much a part of Fort Collins as the surrounding prairies, mountains and canyons. With near-constant blue skies and more than 280 miles of bike trails and lanes, bikes and beer are natural companions here. In fact, Fort Collins produces 70 percent of all craft beer in Colorado, so whether you ride a cruiser, fixie or just a plain old bike, hop on, grab your ID and get pedaling! MORNING Pick up your method of transportation for the day at the Fort Collins Bike Share (bikefortcollins.org). Then, kick-start your morning in Historic Old Town (1) and ride up to The Bean Cycle, where you can sip a steamin’ cup of ethically sourced coffee and peruse books at Wolverine Farm Publishing in the same building. Other places to investigate Fort Collins’ exploding craft-coffee arena include Harbinger Coffee, Bindle Coffee and Everyday Joe’s. Spend the morning exploring Old Town’s bookstores, galleries and shops. Historic homes like the Victorian-style Avery House (come for tea on the lawn in the summer!) and the adobe Museo de las Tres Colonias tell stories of gold seekers, immigrants and sugar beets. AFTERNOON For lunch, stop into the historic Norther Colorado Feeder Supply building,a new foodie haven, replete with a coffee and pie shop, and two restaurants as well as a small retail store, wine cellar, tasting room, teaching kitchen and banquet room. Stop by the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, focusing on the history of science and the science of history. From here, hop on the Poudre Bike Trail and point your handlebars east. Odell Brewing and New Belgium (3) are cherished breweries within very short pedaling distance of each other. Most of the city’s breweries offer free tours and tastings — pick up a tasting journal from the Downtown Visitor Center to guide you through Colorado’s Craft Beer Capital. If you’re craving beaches more than beer, visit Horsetooth Reservoir. Red-stone cliffs flank the 6.5-mile lake, a favorite of hikers, bikers and rock-climbers. Or hop in a raft to ride the Class III and IV rapids down the Cache la Poudre (2), Colorado’s only nationally designated Wild and Scenic River. Goose Hollow and Tanglewood are two new natural areas open for exceptional birding and raptor and other wildlife viewing. EVENING Check out The Modern Tavern, whose farm-to-fork menu offers local fare. For new brews, check out McClellan’s Brewing Co. for cask ales brewed in traditional Celtic style by the Scottish-born head brewer, and Three Four Beer Co., a one-of-a-kind brewpub with 49 tap handles, including several offerings brewed on site in the three-barrel brew house. Ideas for sweet treats abound: Check out Nuance Chocolate in Old Town, which makes smallbatch chocolates from beans that are roasted and ground on site; Revolution Artisan Pops (4) uses locally sourced ingredients to create its frozen treats; and from savory to sweet and offering nearly 200 unique flavors, Rebel Popcorn makes small-batch, handcrafted, artisanal popcorn. See what band is playing at the Aggie Theatre or, on select Thursday summer evenings, head to New Belgium for the Bike-In Cinema Series — riders spread out on blankets beneath the stars to sip beer and watch a movie. You can also catch a riverside concert at Mishawaka Amphitheatre. WINTER FUN Winter sends Fort Collins’ active residents into neighboring Roosevelt National Forest for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing and even snowy horseback rides. SIDETRIPS Located northwest of Fort Collins, the rustic mountain village of Red Feather Lakes is far from hectic city life and popular with campers and boaters. Surrounded by the 612,000-acre Roosevelt National Forest, the area is a year-round outdoor playground that offers beautiful scenery, diverse wildlife, hiking trails and cozy mountain retreats. STAY & PLAY OPTIONS Bellvue (page 189), Fort Collins (page 196), Red Feather Lakes QUICK TIP Jessup Farm Artisan Village boasts locally crafted goods from coffee to bread, T-shirts, watches, photography, barrel-aged beer and more, along with a few places to grab a bite. The village is just one of the reasons the city has been recently named a Certified Colorado Creative District.
©Colorado. View All Articles.