Scavenger Hunt in Fort Collins: Colorado's Craft Beer Capital and Old Town Adventure
Fort Collins has a strong claim to being the best college town in Colorado and one of the most walkable mid-size cities in the Mountain West. The Old Town district, the preserved Victorian commercial core that inspired Walt Disney's designers when they planned Main Street USA at Disneyland, has the right combination of historic architecture, independent retail, outdoor seating, and craft brewery concentration to make it an excellent city scavenger hunt environment.
The Cache la Poudre River running through the city, the Colorado State University campus immediately south of Old Town, and the Front Range mountains visible to the west give Fort Collins a setting that enhances every outdoor exploration.
Best Areas for a Fort Collins Scavenger Hunt
Old Town Square and Linden Street, the pedestrian core of Old Town Fort Collins, with the commercial buildings from the 1870s-1920s and the lively public square, is the primary scavenger hunt area. The variety of Victorian commercial facade styles, the historic storefronts with original detail, and the concentration of street-level activity make this one of the most pleasant urban walking environments in Colorado.
Linden Street, the brick street immediately north of Old Town Square, with the former warehouse buildings now converted to restaurants and breweries, has the most atmospheric architecture in the district. New Belgium Brewing's headquarters and tasting room is just south along the river.
What a Fort Collins Scavenger Hunt Reveals
The Questo city quest in Fort Collins covers the city's founding as a military fort in 1864 (Fort Collins was established to protect the Overland Mail Route during the Indian Wars period), the agricultural history of the Poudre Valley (the sugar beet industry was the economic engine of Larimer County for decades), and the craft brewing heritage that has made Fort Collins one of the most important cities in the development of American craft beer, New Belgium (Fat Tire), Odell, and Breckenridge Brewery are all headquartered here.
The connection to Disney is a genuine piece of Fort Collins history: Harper Goff, the designer of Disneyland's Main Street USA, grew up in Fort Collins and modeled the original design on the city's Old Town streetscape.
Fort Collins Scavenger Hunt Tips
New Belgium Brewing's visitor center and bike-in tasting room (the brewery is accessible via the Poudre River Trail by bicycle) offers free tours and is one of the most sustainably designed brewery facilities in the country. The morning CSU Farmers Market (Wednesday and Saturday, May-October) is excellent. Coopersmith's Pub & Brewing, which opened in 1989 as one of Colorado's first brewpubs, is the most historically grounded post-quest option in Old Town.