What's there for a couple to do on a day trip to Ft. Collins?

[theGinsue]

With all of the Hickenlooper election bad news I thought I diversion was in order, so here it is...I need intel.

The wife & I like to take day trips around the state. Somewhere around Nov 14th or 15th we'll both be off work and she wants to check out Ft. Fun. Since she's never really been North of Denver except through Boulder/Lyons to Estes Park/RMNP, she thought the Ft. Collins area would be a cool place to check out.

I've convinced her that we should just go ahead & check out Cheyenne, WY since we'll be most of the way there. It's been a few years, but I've been TDY to F.E. Warren a few times, so I know enough about Cheyenne for a couple of hours of exploration. Thing is, other than the Budweiser brewery, I know nothing about Ft. Collins/Greeley/Loveland area (I know those towns aren't that close to each other, but we might as well check 'em all out).

I know Ft. Collins has the CSU campus which might be worth a drive past, but probably wouldn't interest us enough for more than that.

So, what else is there to do around there, and what's a good yet inexpensive place to eat lunch at around there? Keep in mind the "target audience" here is a ~50yo couple - not college aged kids.

[Irving]

From where you're coming from? Mostly driving.

People will likely have you check out some of the brewerys up there. I think Left Hand is in Fort Collins. Jax in Loveland (on the way) is cool, but it's really just REI mixed with Ace Hardware that sells horse food.

[Guylee]

If you guys are into beer I would recommend a tour of the New Belgium plant. There's also apparently lots of good microbreweries there, but I can't name any.

[bryjcom]

You can hike Horsetooth if you're up for a 3 hour hike up, 2 hour down. Horsetooth reservoir is close by for some fishing. If you're in the mood to check out the downtown area, there are plenty of shops downtown with icecream shops, candy, clothing, nicknack shops etc. There are a few pawnshops I frequent and I'll occasionally find a deal there. Park somewhere around college ave(287) and Mountain ave if you're in the mood for downtown walking around.

Right down town in town square there is a place called "Pinball Jones" which is a pinball arcade located in the basement at Mountain and College. I always manage to blow some quarters there, every time I go down there.

Also there is a food truck called "Waffle Lab" and its the greatest shit on earth! Just google it on you're phone to see where they're at.

[Great-Kazoo]

Call when it gets closer, maybe meet for eats. .
FORGET about old town on a friday night, insanity is being polite.. Saturday drive up early catch a late lunch. Or take that exciting ride up 25 to cheyo. Wonder if the Albany still serving good food?
Better yet
If you're thinking Estes that would be a good choice for a friday late afternoon walk around, dinner and stay overnight. Then do ft fun saturday, while 2/3rds are still sleeping off their hang over.

[bryjcom]

Almost forgot that Jensen Arms is located in Loveland

[cableguy11]

If your into beer, I can get you some names.... I have buddies that love beer and go tasting all the time.

[TheGrey]

The only time I've been to Fort Collins was for a funeral. There were a LOT of bicyclists on the road.

I've done a little digging- do you guys like museums? There are a couple of them:

http://www.fcmod.org/

http://globalvillagemuseum.org/


There are art galleries, walking tours, and a bunch of other stuff that appear to be weather-and-season-dependent. Here's a listing of things I've found; I don't know about the hours of operation, days open or even if they are still there. First hand knowledge would be far more valuable than this site, but in the event that there are few responses, maybe this can fill in some blanks.

http://www.visitftcollins.com/things-do

[theGinsue]

Clarifications:
I've got to only consider things SHE'D be interested in doing.
She won't touch beer & I'd never get her into a brewery/microbrewery.
Neither of us are into physical stuff like hiking - if we can't drive to it & it 's more than, say, a mall, we won't walk it.
We'll be back home in COS long before night time (pub activities) begin.
Other than maybe Loveland & Greeley, we'll be sticking close to the I-25 corridor - no Estes this trip.
No overnight stays as we have a 19yo cat that needs a special diet & my wife won't trust feeding her to anyone.(A full day/evening outing will be pushing it)

Stu - Jax might be doable for a very quick walk through.

Guylee/Cableguy11 - See above about wife & beer. It's a shame too, New Belgium made my favorite bottles when I used to homebrew.

Tan - thanks for the links. A museum may be something she'd be interested in.

Bryjcom - Jensens, maybe. Thanks. "Google it on my phone". That's cute. Apparently you haven't heard the (true) rumors about how theGinsue is too cheap to pay for a data plan & won't get a smartphone.

Great Kazoo - Meet up's are problematic as she gets pissed when I do meet-ups on our trips. The last time I did a meet-up on one of her & my trips was with Stu in Blackhawk. I heard about it from her for weeks.

Thanks folks.

[bryjcom]

Clarifications:
She won't touch beer & I'd never get her into a brewery.
Neither of us are into physical stuff like hiking - if we can't drive to it & it 's more than, say, a mall, we won't walk it.
We'll be back home in COS long before night time (pub activities) begin.
Other than maybe Loveland & Greeley, we'll be sticking close to the I-25 corridor - no Estes this trip.
No overnight stays as we have a 19yo cat that needs a special diet & my wife won't trust feeding her to anyone.(A full day/evening outing will be pushing it)

Looks like hanging out downtown will be it then.... Plenty of shops to keep you busy. Make sure you check out the pinball arcade. They have some old ones in there that are pretty cool.