Directory

Restaurant

Pie, bakery, market, coffee shop and cafe under one roof on Linden Street in the River District, Tuesday to Sunday 7 to 9, with The Cache steakhouse Tuesday to Saturday evenings and a teaching kitchen that runs classes.

Restaurant

Fort Collins' oldest restaurant, serving breakfast and lunch on Walnut Street since 1933: the giant cinnamon roll, pancakes, skillets and hash browns, daily 7 am to 2 pm.

Restaurant$$

The south-side branch of the Fort Collins rotisserie-and-grill standby on East Harmony: half a rotisserie chicken at $22.95, bison burgers and steaks, skillet cornbread with honey butter; open daily from 11.

Restaurant$

Old Town's burger counter since 2010: the 60/40 bacon burger, Chicago dogs, hand-cut fries and hand-scooped shakes, with a $5 happy hour on the signature burger, dog or shake from 2 to 5 daily.

Restaurant$$

Wine bar and restaurant on South College with more than 200 wines and a chef-driven menu of small plates, salads, pizzas and sandwiches: lunch 11:30 to 3, happy hour 2 to 6 with a $10 burger-and-wine special, dinner from 5; closed Sunday and Monday.

Restaurant$$

Neighborhood restaurant beside the Armstrong Hotel since 2004, known for its burgers (a Best of NoCo nominee): burgers around $20, sandwiches $17 to $19, a weekday lunch special at $18; lunch 11 to 4 and dinner 4 to 9, closed Tuesdays.

Restaurant$$$

Sustainable seafood and an oyster bar on North College, open from 3:30 daily: chargrilled oysters at $5 each, salmon and scallops in the high $40s, and happy hour 3:30 to 5:30 every day and all night on Tuesdays.

Restaurant

Campus West pizza joint on West Elizabeth open every day from 10:30 am to midnight: pizzas, grinders and wings, with a second Fort Collins shop on South Timberline.

Restaurant

Old Town's vegetarian restaurant since 2009, a self-described friendly botanical eatery on West Oak Street serving plant-based comfort food, closed Mondays.

Restaurant

Slider bar on South College open daily 11 to 10: gourmet sliders, poutine, wings and sweet potato fries with Colorado beer on tap, and work by regional artists on the walls and for sale.

Restaurant$$$

American brasserie and walk-through wine market on Walnut Street: a coffee bar from 6 am, breakfast 7 to 3, lunch 11 to 3, happy hour 3 to 5 daily, and a dinner menu that runs from fish and chips at $32 to steak béarnaise at $54.

Bar

The Fat Tire brewery's home taproom on Linden Street, open daily noon to 8: Fat Tire, IPAs, sours and non-alcoholic beers on tap, a different food truck every day, brewery tours by booking and a lawn for the big events.

Bar

The founding home of Odell, brewing on East Lincoln since 1989: 90 Shilling, Lagerado and the IPA on a patio with mountain views, a food truck every day, and tours Friday to Sunday at 1 and 3.

Bar

The cocktail lounge in the basement of the Armstrong Hotel on College Avenue, open Wednesday to Sunday evenings with happy hour from 5 to 6:30; the hotel's daytime cafe is upstairs at 239½.

Bar

Old Town Square's brewpub since 1989: ales, lagers, stouts and seasonals brewed on site, an English-pub-meets-American menu with vegetarian options, and a billiards hall across the square with pool tables, board games and pizza.

Bar

Small Old Town brewery on Remington Street with a shaded beer garden, more than a dozen taps, Detroit-style pizza from Postcard Pizza on Thursday to Sunday evenings, and trivia on Thursdays at 7.

Bar

Harmony Road taproom brewing saisons, sours, IPAs and lagers, with a dog-friendly patio, food and cocktails, and live music every week.

Bar

Prohibition-styled cocktail bar beneath Old Town Square, open daily from 4 pm: a seasonally rewritten list of 34 cocktails, punch bowls, wine and small plates; no reservations and limited seating.

Bar

Craft beer bar on South Mason with 100 beers on tap, a full food menu, indoor seating and patios; a Fort Collins staple for fifteen years and counting.

Bar

South Fort Collins brewery specializing in German-style lagers and weissbiers alongside contemporary craft beers, with a taproom, a patio and food trucks on site, open from 11 every day.

Coffee & Sweets

Fort Collins roaster's cafe at Jessup Farm on the east side, weekdays 7 to 5 and Saturdays 8 to 5; its roastery and bakehouse on East Harmony adds scratch-made pastries and brunch.

Coffee & Sweets

Fort Collins roaster since 2012, pouring in Old Town across from the Armstrong Hotel every day 7 to 4; the beans are roasted at its Harmony Road shop.

Coffee & Sweets

Harbinger's south shop at Harmony and Lady Moon, home of the roaster and the roasting team, open every day 7 to 4.

Coffee & Sweets

Fort Collins roaster (since 2018) in the Campus West shopping center beside CSU, daily 7 to 5; the same menu as its Old Town and Midtown shops, including a Peruvian Geisha that won gold at the 2026 Global Coffee Awards.

Coffee & Sweets$$

Bean-to-bar chocolate maker on Pine Street: single-origin bars from about $10.50, whiskey-infused spirit bars, hand-made truffles and French-style drinking chocolate, all roasted and ground in Fort Collins.

Shop

The family-owned outfitter's big store just north of downtown on North College: more than 140 brands across footwear, clothing, fishing, hunting, camping, cycling, winter sports, climbing and boating, an indoor archery range, military surplus and a coffee bar by the pond.

Shop

Fort Collins' independent bookstore, in the old firehouse on Walnut Street: new and used books, special orders, trade credit for the books you bring in, and a steady run of author events.

Shop

Colorado-designed and -printed apparel brand with its shop on Old Town Square: tees, hoodies, jackets, hats, beanies, socks, blankets and drinkware, the souvenir locals actually wear.

Shop

Family-run used book and record store across College Avenue from CSU, open daily 10 to 7: vinyl, CDs, cassettes, comics, DVDs, stereo gear and old posters, bought, sold and traded (buying hours 11 to 6).

Shop

Family-owned kitchen store on College Avenue since 1972: cutlery, cookware, kitchen tools, specialty food and home decor, with knife sharpening, gift wrap and a gift registry.

Trail

The hike to Horsetooth Rock, the landmark visible from the plains: 29 miles of trail on 2,711 county acres above the reservoir, with Horsetooth Falls running in spring. $10 vehicle permit; the lot fills early on weekends.

Trail

The City's 12.3-mile paved trail along the Cache la Poudre from North Overland Trail to East Drake Road, part of the regional trail that runs from Bellvue to Timnath. Restrooms and water at Lee Martinez, Heritage and Buckingham parks.

Trail

A stretch of prairie kept open on the south side of the city, crossed by the paved Fossil Creek Trail (2.4 miles one way, Shields Street to Luther Lane), with a raptor observatory built into the hillside near the Shields entrance. Free; open 5 am to 11 pm.

Trail

The City's natural area in the lower Poudre Canyon where the North Fork joins the main river: picnic tables with grills, a canoe and kayak launch, fishing, two short trails and a natural playground. Open dawn to dusk; the only City natural area with a fee, $8 a vehicle.

Trail

The middle link of the Foothills Trail: a 1.5-mile stretch of the 9.6-mile trail that joins Pineridge to Reservoir Ridge along the hogback, on a City natural area where the rare Bell's twinpod grows. Free; open 5 am to 11 pm.

Trail

City natural area on the first ridge west of town: seven miles of soft-surface trail including the 1.8-mile loop around Dixon Reservoir, and the southern end of the 9.6-mile Foothills Trail. Free; open 5 am to 11 pm.

Trail

The northern end of the Foothills Trail: about five miles of soft-surface trail on the ridge, with an easy 1.4-mile flat trail from the Overland Trail lot. Free; open 5 am to 11 pm, gated lots dawn to dusk.

Trail

Seven old gravel-pit ponds and a stretch of the Poudre on East Prospect Road: three miles of natural-surface trail and a boardwalk, bass, crappie and catfish fishing, and more than 200 bird species including white pelicans. Free; open 5 am to 11 pm.

Trail

The 6.6-mile paved trail across the middle of the city, from Spring Canyon Park at the foothills to the Poudre River east of Timberline Road, through Cottonwood Glen, Rolland Moore, Spring and Edora parks.

Park

The six-and-a-half-mile lake in the hogbacks west of town, run by Larimer County: boating, fishing, two swim beaches, more than 150 campsites and a $10 daily vehicle permit.

Park

The big park around Sheldon Lake on West Mulberry, with the outdoor City Park Pool and its 30-foot waterslide, the nine-hole City Park Nine, four lighted pickleball courts, ball fields and the city's Independence Day celebration.

Park

The park on Spring Creek beside EPIC, the City's pool and ice center: an 18-hole disc golf course, a skate park, tennis, ball fields, fishing, a community garden and the Spring Creek Trail running through.

Park

The community park on the Poudre just north of Old Town, with The Farm, the City's working farm of 40 to 60 animals open Wednesday to Sunday, an accessible nature playground with a chair zipline, sport courts and a direct link to the Poudre River Trail.

Park

Colorado Parks and Wildlife's 2,574-acre park beside Horsetooth Reservoir, open daily 5 am to sunset: 28.1 miles of trail for hikers, riders and mountain bikers, five picnic areas and six campsites. $10–$12 a vehicle with Colorado plates.

Park

The City's racquet-sports park on South Shields: eight lighted tennis courts, three outdoor racquetball courts and a platform tennis court, plus a fourplex ball field, five basketball courts, sand volleyball and a playground, next to Spring Creek and two natural areas.

Park

The big park under the foothills at Horsetooth Road and Overland Trail, home of the adaptive Inspiration Playground and its splash pad, a dog park, a skate park and bike pump track, the Veterans Plaza of Northern Colorado and the west end of the Spring Creek Trail.

Park

The City's 12-acre botanic garden on Spring Creek, with a tropical Butterfly House, themed gardens, summer concerts, Pumpkins on Parade in October and Garden of Lights in winter. Adults $12.50, children and 65-plus $10.50; closed Thursdays.

Venue

The science and history museum at the north end of Mason: hands-on exhibits on the region's first peoples, music, wildlands and agriculture, the OtterBox Digital Dome Theater and a courtyard of historic buildings. Adults $15.50, ages 2–18 $12.75.

Venue

The pedestrian plaza at the heart of Old Town, built in 1984 and rebuilt in 2015 by the Downtown Development Authority: a performance stage, a splash pad, a communal fireplace, patios on every side and the city's festivals, from FoCo Fall Fest to the Chili Cook Off.

Venue

The Old Town concert hall for touring bands on College Avenue, booked by Z2 Entertainment: indie, rock, electronic, country, hip-hop, reggae and comedy. Box office Mon–Fri 10–5 and on show nights.

Venue

Colorado State's on-campus football stadium, opened in July 2017 at a cost of $238.5 million: 812,000 square feet that also hold the Iris and Michael Smith Alumni Center and classrooms, between Pitkin and Lake streets at the south edge of campus. Clear-bag policy.

Venue

The art museum on College Avenue, with rotating exhibitions, late hours on Fridays and free admission for anyone 18 and under. Adults $10, or $8 for Fort Collins residents.

Venue

The Poudre River Public Library District's downtown branch in Library Park: two floors of books, computers, meeting and study rooms, 3D printing, an outdoor story stroll and the Friends of the Library's Old Town Nook. Open seven days.

Venue

The 1879 home of Franklin and Sara Avery on West Mountain Avenue, kept as a house museum by the Poudre Landmarks Foundation and open for tours Saturdays 11–2 and Sundays 1–4. $6 adults, $5 seniors, $4 children.

Venue

The City's performing arts center at Mulberry and Meldrum: a Performance Hall and the smaller Magnolia Theatre, an art gallery and sculpture garden, and the LC LIVE season of touring Broadway and concerts. Box office Tue–Sat 1–6 pm.

Lodging

A bed and breakfast in a 1904 neoclassical foursquare on West Mountain Avenue, designed by Montezuma Fuller for Alfred Edwards and an inn since 1993. Gourmet breakfast included.

Lodging

The 1923 hotel on College Avenue in Old Town, with Ace Gillett's cocktail lounge underneath and the Ace Café. Check-in 4 pm, check-out 11 am; dogs welcome for $75 a stay; parking $20 a night.

Lodging

The 164-room music-themed hotel in Old Town, with a lending library of guitars and records for guests, the Emporium brasserie, jazz on the Sunset Lounge rooftop and live bands at Magic Rat. Check-in 4 pm, check-out 11 am.

Service

Transfort's northern hub on North Mason, where the MAX bus rapid transit line and the city routes meet: customer service counter, printed schedules, restrooms, an indoor waiting room and bike racks. Riding Transfort is currently fare-free.

Service

The City's drop-off recycling center on South Timberline: a free yard for bottles, cans, cardboard, glass and paper open seven days, and a $5-entry yard Tuesday to Saturday for electronics, batteries, paint, motor oil, wood and yard waste. Open to non-residents.