Fort Collins, Colorado: Free and frugal adventures

Summer travel in 2025 doesn’t have be a drain on your bank account.

Northern Colorado’s Fort Collins offers abundant natural scenery and fun without the steep resort price tag.

This hip, craft-focused college town is home to myriad affordable adventures for visitors of all ages, making it possible to relax and enjoy the fleeting weeks of summertime in Colorado.

Free weekly outdoor summer entertainment:

Tuesdays – FoCo Food Truck Rally at City Park, featuring free live music presented by The Mishawaka Amphitheater. Runs through Sept. 16, from 5:30 p.m. to dusk.

Wednesdays – The 2025 Musicians in Residence (MUIR) program from Wolverine Farm Publishing and Wolverine Farm Publick House features weekly concerts from four resident artists at 6 p.m. throughout the summer. Free, but donations and tips are encouraged.

Thursdays – Free Bohemian Nights Thursday Night Live at Old Town Square from 7 – 9 p.m. through Sept. 4, featuring emerging and established artists from Colorado and beyond.

Fridays – Free Music on the Lawn at Foothills takes place throughout the summer at 6 p.m. The free New Belgium Friday Live Music Series returns to New Belgium Brewing Co. from 5 – 7 p.m. every Friday.

Sundays – Free Sunday Summer Series at the Mishawaka outdoor stage takes place on select Sundays throughout the summer. Shows take place from 1 – 4 p.m.; no reservation needed, however, shuttle reservations are available. Odell Brewing Company hosts free Live Music Sundays at 3 p.m. through early Sept., featuring live performances by local musicians.

Rotating – New this summer, FoCo POP (Parks and Outdoor Performances) turns the neighborhood park into an outdoor stage. A variety of free, family-friendly performances are offered on a rotating schedule in parks across the city.

Splash Pads: Fort Collins is home to a plethora of free playgrounds and three splash pads, all of which are open every day from late spring (Memorial Day) through October (weather permitting).

Oak Street Plaza Splash Pad: Centrally located, the park features a dancing water spout splash pad in the middle of downtown.

Spring Canyon Park Splash Pad: The newest community park, Spring Canyon Park in southwest Fort Collins, features an inspiration playground (adaptive playground) with an adjacent touch sensor-activated water feature.

Fossil Creek Park Splash Pad: This splash park in south Fort Collins has a waterfall and multiple dancing water spouts, all nestled next to a lake with large boulders and natural features.

Fort Collins Museum of Discovery: The Fort Collins Museum of Discovery offers a Free Zone featuring a restored grand piano from the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, a comprehensive collection of books, photos, maps and more that tell the story of Fort Collins, and the Natural Areas Visitor Center, which has an interactive map of the city’s natural areas and two black-footed ferrets.

The 42-feet-high Observation Deck offers views of Old Town Fort Collins, the Poudre River and more. FOR more fun, including permanent and rotating exhibits, admission to the museum is only $15.50 for adults and $12.75 for kids, students and seniors.

Weekend ‘Toons at The Lyric: The Lyric hosts free Saturday and Sunday morning (10 a.m. – noon) cartoons weekly, along with a cereal bar, mimosas and a full breakfast menu (for a little extra dough). Donations of $5 are appreciated but not required.

Fort Collins’ Natural Areas: Fort Collins is home to over 50 protected Natural Areas encompassing more than 36,000 acres and more than 100 miles of trail. Natural Areas are pockets of land that are perfect for grandparents, parents, and kids to explore together hiking, biking, boating and more. Volunteer master naturalists lead eagle watches, skygazing and other events at the Natural Areas (registration required). Spot bison in pristine grassland at Soapstone Prairie Natural Area or look for wildlife ranging from great blue herons to bats, foxes, or even deer in the center of the city at the Gustav Swanson Natural Area. Download a Natural Areas Explorer guide.

See the bison: A decade ago, 10 foundation bison were released at Soapstone Prairie Natural Area. It was the first herd established using assisted reproductive technologies and the only known university program (CSU) utilizing Yellowstone bison or their genetics; Yellowstone bison are most closely related to the animals that originally roamed the nation’s grasslands. Visit Soapstone Prairie Natural Area from March – November for a chance to see the herd.

CSU’s Annual Flower Trial Garden: Step into a vibrant oasis at Colorado State University’s Annual Flower Trial Garden. This breathtaking garden is also a hub of innovation, inviting students, researchers, industry experts, homeowners, and extension personnel to explore, educate, and evaluate groundbreaking horticultural research. Open daily and free to the public, it’s a must-visit destination for anyone passionate about nature and science.

Poudre River Whitewater Park: The popular Poudre River Whitewater Park is located just north of Old Town in the booming river district. The free park includes a boulder-lined boat chute, rock features, holes for kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) and tubing, and a shallow play area along the shore.

Pianos About Town: This cool collaboration combines art and music, featuring pianos painted by artists throughout the year. The completed pianos are rotated to locations around Fort Collins and people are invited to play a tune while admiring the musical works of art. There are currently over 100 painted pianos in and around Fort Collins.

Transformer Cabinet Murals: Introduced in 2004 as a graffiti abatement program, the Transformer Cabinet Mural Project helps lower maintenance costs while adding colorful art installations in unexpected places. Local artists and non-profit groups paint the cabinets in this collaboration between the City of Fort Collins Art in Public Places Program and Utilities Light and Power. There are over 400 transformer cabinet murals throughout the city.

Self-Guided Art Tours

Art in Public Places Tours – Explore the over 400 transformer cabinets, over 100 Pianos About Town, murals on public buildings, and sidewalk artwork underfoot.

Art Tour for Music Lovers – Before the show, explore the musical arts scene that lines the streets and alleyways of Fort Collins. Play your own tune along the way.

Murals Tours – From faded ghost signs on historic buildings to meaningful works of art on the walls of private businesses, Downtown Fort Collins is filled with murals by local artists, community organizations, and collaborating and international artists. Many of the Downtown murals were created by the Fort Collins Mural Project.

Fort Collins Art Walk – For over 20 years, the Downtown Fort Collins galleries have hosted a First Friday event. Download details and personalize the tour.

Historic & Architecture Tours – Explore local art through Fort Collins architecture with a walking tour that includes buildings from the late 1800s, historic pioneer cabins, and architecture spanning the 20th and 21^st centuries.

Culinary Arts Tours – The FoCo Creative District is filled with passionate culinary artists who specialize in crafting, blending, distilling, fermenting, and hand-selecting a variety of artisan foods.

Art in Minutes: Take the free 30-minute Downtown Public Art Tour. The self-guided tour highlights paver art, sculptures, murals, Pianos About Town, water quality boxes and transformer cabinet murals, all located in downtown Fort Collins.

Must-visit museums: Fort Collins is home to museums featuring out-of-the-ordinary artwork in some unexpected locations. The collection includes: the totally rad Totally 80s Museum at Totally 80’s Pizza; experiential kid-friendly exhibits at The Fort Collins Museum of Discovery; rotating and permanent exhibits at Museum of Art Fort Collins and the Global Village Museum of Arts and Culture.

Fishing in FoCo: Between the Cache La Poudre River and Horsetooth Reservoir, Fort Collins offers sublime fishing. The Poudre is perfect for fly-fishing, though there are a few spots where you can bait fish. At Horsetooth, try your hand at catching smallmouth bass or walleye from the shore or a boat. Fort Collins also has 15 Natural Areas that allow fishing, including Riverbend Ponds, a popular fishing spot with easy access from the trailheads. It’s one of two Natural Areas where gizzard shad (part of the herring family) are found.

Frugal activities

Biking: Fort Collins is a Platinum-rated Bicycle Friendly Community and maintains more than 200 miles of dedicated bike lanes and 50 miles of marked or signed bike routes. If you’re visiting Fort Collins and need a bike for your adventure, check to see if your hotel offers cruiser or e-bikes for guest use or consider renting from:

Recycled Cycles, which features two locations in Fort Collins

Spin, an e-bike and e-scooter share program.

Brewery Tours: If you’re curious about the inner workings of the brewing process, sign up to take a brewery tour. Odell Brewing Company, New Belgium Brewing Company and several other local craft breweries offer tours. You’ll learn about everything from sustainable practices to water and green energy initiatives on the tours.

Butterflies: The Gardens on Spring Creek is a 12-acre botanical oasis in the city with nominal admission fees ($12.50 for adults, $10.50 for seniors, students and children). In addition to a variety of garden habitats, workshops, concerts and speaker series, the gardens are home to the Conservatory Butterfly House, a 1,500-square-foot glass enclosure that’s the first and only permanent facility of its kind in Northern Colorado. Discover 400-600 free flying butterflies and moths, including Monarchs, Longwings, Swallowtails and more, plus a chrysalis window, moth and caterpillar displays.

Farm fun: At The Farm at Lee Martinez Park (open year-round; $5 for visitors ages 2 and up; $8 pony rides) kids can pet and feed the horses, goats, sheep, pigs, and chickens. There are pony rides on weekends from April through October, and a few indoor areas to explore.

Drive-In movies: Get nostalgic at the iconic Holiday Twin Drive-In Theater, open nightly through October. One of the few remaining drive-in theaters in Colorado (and the country), the Holiday Twin features the latest films at a reasonable cost ($12 for ages 10 and up; $9 for age 6-9 and over 65).

Nestled at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Fort Collins blends rich history with an unpretentious, welcoming vibe, surrounded by epic scenery.  There are over 280 miles of trails, the scenic Horsetooth Reservoir, and the Cache la Poudre – Colorado’s only nationally designated “Wild & Scenic River”, ensuring adventurous outdoor activities at every turn. 

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