The other day, I heard a 20-ish person say “Fort Collins is way more hippie than Boulder.” While that might be true for the current college set, this northern Colorado hub has come a long way toward hip (or hippie) since I was in college here in the ’80s. It has a lively arts and music scene, increasingly interesting restaurants and waaay more beer and bikes than it used to. In fact, they now call it the “Napa Valley of beer.” Whatever your interest, this college town is worth the one-hour drive from Denver. Kristen Browning-Blas
SHOPPING IN OLD TOWN
Locals call the area Old Town, promoters call it Downtown. Whatever you call it, the historic district that emanates in all four directions from College and Mountain avenues is full of cute shops for nearly all interests. Our favorites for clothes and home goods: Perennial Gardener/Sense of Place, and (136 to 164 N. College Ave.).
sells interesting jewelry and has a friendly dog (130A S. College Ave.). has cool clothes for guys (130B S. College Ave.).
Fort Collins has not one, but two spice stores: Savory Spice Shop (123 N. College Ave.) and (220 Linden St.). Be sure to stop in (114 N. College Ave.)
BEER
With 23 breweries in northern Colorado, the Poudre River might as well be full of beer. Many offer tours and tastings. is entertaining and informative (500 Linden St.). ‘ tiny tasting room is lively and intimate (1900 E. Lincoln Ave.). The local paper even has a dedicated beer reporter whose authoritative blog, , offers a list of tours and activities in the area.
HIKING AND BIKING
is home to the state’s first dirt jump/pump track park, the , with 69,000 square feet for mountain bikers. The surrounding park has 26 miles of hiking and biking trails, for beginners to experts, some of which connect to the 2711-acre .
To get to Lory: Take Harmony Road west. Turn right on 23 N. Go north to T-intersection. Turn left at stop sign onto 42C. Go north to Lodgepole Drive, turn left. Go 1.6 miles to the park entrance.
To get to Horsetooth: Take Harmony Road west to where it becomes County Road 38E at the Taft Hill Road intersection. Continue west on County Road 38E about 4 miles to the entrance at the south end of the Reservoir.
If city biking is more your speed, check out a loaner at the in Old Town Square (at the corner of Walnut and Linden streets, 970-419-1050). The program is closed in the winter, but reopens Saturday. All you need to borrow a bike for up to seven days is a photo ID and to fill out an online form.
COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
The very picture of academia,‘s Oval (Laurel and Howes streets) is lined by one of the country’s oldest stands of American elms. It’s a nice place for people-watching and a picnic on the grass. Some of the tress are more than 130 years old and survived the Dutch elm disease that killed so many trees in the 1960s. October’s heavy snow damaged many of their limbs, and now the university is hoping to raise $500,000 for the .
BIG AL’S BURGERS AND DOGS
Downtown Fort Collins boasts a thriving dining scene with a variety of independent restaurants. One local fave is (140 W. Mountain Ave.), where meat eaters and vegetarians alike will find something to satisfy their cravings. The Parmesan-truffle fries are not too truffle-y, the burgers never frozen and the hot dogs are made in Denver.
