Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs (always free)
Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs is probably the most beautiful small park in the state. Paved trails make it easy to wander around and check out the amazing cliffs and spires. Picnic areas, paved and unpaved hiking trails, horseback riding, a trading post, and a visitor's center with amazing views; Garden of the Gods is a great place to spend a day.
Wassail Days, Frisco | Dec 8-16, 2012
Frisco's annual Wassail Days celebrate the coming holiday season in typical Frisco style with a chili cookoff, free winter activities, and free cups of an Old English cider and spice mixture called Wassail. Local shops compete for your vote as the best Wassail in Frisco.
For 2012, Wassail Days takes place December 8th through 16th.
Some highlights of this week long event:
December 8th: Santa Dash for Cash annual run.
Tree lighting.
Chili Cook-off.
December 12th: Wassail night at Frisco's history park.
December 13th: Free Tubing at Frisco Adventure Park.
Free sleigh rides at Frisco Adventure Park.
Free Nordic skiing at Frisco Nordic Center! (I'll be at this one!)
Advance reservations are required for many of the events.
See the Wassail Days web site for reservation info: 
Bluff Lake Nature Center, Aurora (always free)
Bluff Lake Nature Center is a free wildlife and nature center park in Aurora in the Stapleton area. Hiking trails wind their way through the park, passing a seasonal lake and overlooks. This is an excellent Denver area attraction for nature watchers.
Golden Super Cruise Car Show (first Saturday monthly May-October)
The South Golden Road area around the Sonic drive-in is home to a very large monthly car show called the Golden Super Cruise. They typically hold this event on the first Saturday of every month from May through October. One of the best things to do in Golden on a Saturday evening.
Evergreen Chamber Orchestra (Saturday February 2)
The Evergreen Chamber Orchestra will have a free performance on Saturday Feb. 2, 2013, 7pm at Evergreen High School. Talented students from area schools will participate with the Evergreen Orchestra in this free concert.
The Evergreen Chamber Orchestra Web Site:
http://www.evergreenchamberorch.org/
Punkin Chunkin Colorado | Aurora Jack-O-Launch (annually, 2nd Saturday in October)
This October festival has become a Denver tradition.
Western Welcome Week, Littleton (Aug 8-17, 2014)
Western Welcome Week is a festival in Littleton Colorado that celebrates our western tradition of community cooperation. This is the premier event in the Denver area for clubs, charities, and other non-profit organizations. Instead of the typical endless line of vendor booths, you will find tents set up to gain your interest and participation in various non-profit organizations. Finding a new hobby or charitable cause to get involved with is one of the rewarding things to do at Western Welcome Week.
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The Littleton History Museum (always free)
The Littleton Museum is a 14 acre indoor and outdoor history museum depicting Colorado pioneer history. Two historic farm sites featuring a schoolhouse and blacksmith shop bring history to life in a way that consistently rates this museum as one of the top living history museums in the United States.
Underhill Museum | Idaho Springs | Always Free
The free Underhill Museum is a small but quaint depiction of early life in downtown Idaho Springs, with several rooms set up to display a typical home setting in the early 1900's. The kitchen in particular is very elaborate, and during better weather the Victorian Garden is open to the public. In addition, there is an old vault, antique cash register, and many photos of Idaho Springs through the years.
This free museum earns revenue for the History Society of Idaho Springs with a bookstore located at the entrance. They have an excellent selection of Colorado books as well as a large used book inventory.
This is a nice free historical museum to visit while browsing the shops in downtown Idaho Springs. I'm no fan of tourist trap shops that are full of cheap imported junk, like many of the shops in more popular Colorado tourist destinations. The shops in Idaho Springs are not like that. Many feature locally made artisan works for reasonable prices.
Fall and Winter hours 2011-2012:
Saturday, Sunday, and Monday 11am to 5pm.
Location:
The Underhill Museum is at the western end of the strip in downtown Idaho Springs on Miner Street. Look for the sign that says "Books".
While you're in the area check out the Visitor Center and Heritage Museum at 2060 Miner Street.
Historic Idaho Springs site:
Denver Restaurant Week 2016 (Feb 26 - March 6)
For 2016, Denver will be celebrating Restaurant Week in February and March. Denver Restaurant Week features top downtown restaurants for a reduced price.
Denver Art Museum (Free First Saturday)
The Denver Art Museum has a free day on the first Saturday of every month. The Denver Art Museum is a great place to spend an afternoon with friends in downtown Denver.
Euclid Hall Denver Happy Hour (Downtown Denver)
OK, I normally make it a policy to only check out Denver happy hours that have food specials with drink specials. However, when I saw that that 5280 had deemed Euclid Hall the best Denver happy hour, I had to check it out for myself. I went in skeptical, and came out satisfied and stuffed.
New Belgium Brewery Tours (Tuesday - Saturday)
The New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins has had to greatly modify their previously awesome tour and beer sampling system. They never said why they changed, but it was obvious what the problem was when I visited. Because of the free beer samples, the place was overrun with college kids who wanted to party hard for free.
Now to get a small free sample you must take the full brewery tour, and reservations fill up online weeks or months in advance. If you go there without being signed up for a tour, you can still buy beer at the bar for a discounted rate.
Despite the changes, this is still an excellent small brewery to see and learn about.
Location: 500 Linden Street in old town Fort Collins.
Liquid Center Hours:
Tuesday - Sunday 10am to 6pm
Closed on Sundays until Feb 9th, 2014.
Guided Tour Hours:
Tuesday - Sunday 11am to 4:30pm
Closed on Sundays until Feb 9th, 2014.
New Belgium Beer Web Site:
Peterson Air & Space Museum, Colorado Springs (always free)
The Peterson Air and Space Museum has one of the better displays of vintage and historic military aircraft in the western United States.