Fort Collins: Hiking, Attractions & Historic Old Town

Horsetooth Mountain Open Space is a 2,711-acre park with 29 miles of biking, hiking, and horseback trails on land homesteaded in the early 1900s by the Culver, Herrington, Soderberg, and Wathen families. It is made up of three open spaces including Culver, Hughey, and Soderberg Open Spaces and is located west of Horsetooth Reservoir.

The scenic area ranges in elevation from 5,430 feet to 7,255 feet. The area is well known for the spectacular Horsetooth Rock, which can be seen from the plains below, for the views from Front Range, and for Horsetooth Falls. Hikes range from easy to full day trips.

Located on West Mountain Avenue, the Global Village Museum of Arts and Cultures displays exhibits of international folk art. The Main Gallery contains a collection of objects from Southeast Asia while the Hall Gallery features a rotating exhibit. Another popular attraction is the Mundoville Gallery, which showcases a collection of miniature houses, dolls, and other objects, while the Village Arts Gallery exhibits folk art from various places around the world including Asia, Africa, and Oceania. The museum offers several programs such as Story Time at the Museum and the Fort Collins Gallery Walk. Group tours are available by appointment.

200 West Mountain Avenue # C, Fort Collins, Colorado, Phone: 970-221-4600

Mountain Whitewater Descents is a tour guide company that offers whitewater rafting trips on Cache La Poudre River. The company offers several tours such as the Plunge trip, a half-day tour that includes four Class IV rapids and one Class III rapid. The Mishiwaka tour is a full day trip with several Class IV rapids and several Class III rapids while the Poudre Falls is a two-day trip with Class II, III, and IV rapids that includes meals and tent accommodations.

The company also offers equipment rentals such as canoes, kayaks, paddles, tents, wetsuits, and much more. The Paddler’s Pub, the onsite restaurant, provides food, drinks, and musical entertainment. 970-419-0917

The Annual Flower Trial Garden began as the W.D. Holley Plant Environmental Research Center in 1971 and moved to its current site in 2000. The garden contains test areas and outdoor displays and has a goal of educating and reaching out to students of Colorado State University as well as the community.

From May to October, the gardens feature stunning annuals. Pansies planted in the fall can be seen through spring, while perennials are planted in front of the Center for the Arts and can be admired throughout the year.

1401 Remington Street, Fort Collins, Colorado, Phone: 970-491-7179

The Fort Collins Museum of Discovery is a culture, history, and science museum located on Mason Court. Established in 1941 as the Pioneer Museum, the Fort Collins Museum moved to the old Carnegie Library Building in 1976.

Founded in 1989, the Discovery Science Center is an interactive science center that merged with the museum in 2005 and moved to its current location in 2011. The museum’s collection consists of more than 30,000 artifacts that showcase and celebrate the culture of the people of the Cache La Poudre River Valley.

These artifacts include clothing, farming devices, household goods, paintings, and much more. There are permanent and temporary exhibits as well as four historic buildings, including a schoolhouse and three cabins.

408 Mason Court, Fort Collins, Colorado, Phone: 970-221-6738

Located on West Mountain Avenue, the Fort Collins Municipal Railway is a historic railway that runs a restored streetcar on summer weekend afternoons between City Park and Howes Street in downtown Fort Collins. An all-volunteer organization operates the 30-minute ride on Birney Car 21, which is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. If you are wondering what to do in Fort Collins with kids, this is a great way to get around the city and see the sights.

The original streetcar service ran from 1919 until 1951, and the heritage streetcar service commenced operations in 1984 after the track and Birney Car 21 had been restored. Several additional cars have been restored and put into service since then. The streetcars run on Saturday and Sundays from May through September.

Phone: 970-224-5372

The Gardens on Spring Creek is an 18-acre area of botanical and community gardens that feature displays of plants from the local Front Range region. The gardens include the Children’s Garden, Community Gardens, Entryway Garden, Rock Garden, and a few others. Adults can take advantage of several programs such as Garden to Fork Cooking Classes and Plant It Forward, and there are also children’s programs like Read & Seed.

Special events include Articulture Walking Tour, Halloween Enchanted Garden, NoCo Urban Homestead Tour, and many more. Several of the gardens and the Evelyn Clark Classroom can be rented for private events like birthday parties, meetings, and weddings.

2145 Centre Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado, Phone: 970-416-2486

Located on West Mountain Avenue, the Avery House is a historic building constructed in 1879 by Franklin and Sara Avery. Mr. Avery was responsible for founding the First National Bank in Fort Collins, for making the wide streets of the city, and for helping stimulate agriculture in the area by creating various water projects.

The Averys made several additions to the two-story sandstone house over the ensuing years including the noteworthy Queen Anne Tower, which was the final addition. Today, the house, the fountain, the carriage house, and the Margaret Merrill Memorial Gazebo are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

328 West Mountain Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado, Phone: 970-221-0533

Established in 2008, Beer & Bike Tours is a tour company located on Stanley Court that leads visitors by bicycle on guided tours in Colorado and other places in the U.S. and abroad. Tours include cycling on routes through scenic areas to pubs and other places where cyclists can enjoy a variety of beers after a hard day of pedaling.

Tours either last for one day, or they can be multi-day adventures. Some of the local tours available include Fort Collins Brew Cruise, Fort Collins Day Tour, and Front Range Hiking Adventures. Other tours include The Maine Adventure, Vermont Fall Leaves Tour, and Beer, Bikes, and Bayous in New Orleans.

970-201-1085

Located on North Sherwood Street in the heart of downtown Fort Collins, The Farm at Lee Martinez Park is an educational zoo that provides exciting interactive experiences for visitors of all ages. Established in 1985, the farm has animals that children can feed and pet, farm equipment and implements, pony rides, hayrides, and interactive adventures such as the Farm Game where children can test their knowledge of farms and farm animals.

The farm also features several programs like Milk and Cookies Story Telling, the Pony Club, and the Adopt an Animal program. The farm can be rented for children’s birthday parties.

600 North Sherwood Street, Fort Collins, Colorado, Phone: 970-221-6665