Golden Clear Creek Kayak festival (Wednesdays in June)
The "Golden Community Rodeo" is a weekly kayak competition in downtown Golden along Clear Creek at the Golden kayak park. You can sit or stand along the creek and watch the competition. It's pretty amazing what these kayakers can do, and definitely worth taking some time to watch. Can you think of a better thing to do on a warm spring Wednesday?
Competitors are arranged according to class. This year the classes are:
Juniors
Masters
Men: Sport, Intermediate, and Expert
Women: Sport, Intermediate, and Expert
Colorado Free Fishing Weekend (First Weekend in June)
On the first weekend of June each year, Colorado waives fishing license requirements. This is a great chance to grab your gear out of storage and take the family to a nearby lake or stream for some serious trout fishing!
Colorado Dragon Boat Festival (end of July)
Held annually at the end of July, the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is a colorful and tradition-filled celebration of Asian culture. The adult and youth boat racing competitions have grown every year and are an amazing event to watch. The performing arts stages feature the talent of Asian dance and music performances as well as martial arts exhibitions. A colorful and amazing festival and a great thing to do on a summer Denver weekend.
Don't miss the 2016 Colorado Dragon Boat Festival!
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: 
A Taste of Colorado (Labor Day Weekend)
A Taste of Colorado is Colorado's largest Labor Day Weekend festival. This festival highlights diverse cuisine from Colorado restaurants, offering bite size tastes to full meals.
Jefferson County Open Space Parks (always free)
Jefferson County Open Space Parks are probably the best park value in Colorado. A tremendous variety of parks and activities, such as hiking, mountain biking, climbing, and geocaching, all free to anyone.
Here is a list of their parks, maps, details, etc...
Creek at the Peak Rafting Festival
The Creek at the Peak raft and kayak race takes place on June 23rd, 2012 and provides a great opportunity to watch rafters and kayakers compete for prizes while supporting a great cause. Come check out the race and the after race festival in Idaho Springs on Saturday June 23rd. The festival takes place on the east side of the Springs at the ball fields. The race finishes just west of Idaho Springs and begins in Lawson.
The festival begins at noon and will feature live music, food from local restaurants, and Idaho Springs' famous Tommyknocker beer!
When: Saturday June 23rd, 2012.
The festival begins around noon and continues through the evening.
The races begin at 5pm and will probably finish around 7:30pm.
Where: Idaho Springs at the ball fields on the east side of town.
For all the details, check the Creek at the Peak site:
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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:
Keystone Ski Resort Free Scenic Chair Lift Rides
Keystone Ski Resort offers free summer scenic chair lift rides every Friday from 3-7pm, starting June 14 and continuing until summer activities close at the end of August. The views are incredible so I would definitely recommend taking a Friday to check out Keystone.
McCormicks Fish House and Bar (Downtown Denver)
I am a sucker for old buildings, and McCormicks Fish House and Bar, located in LoDo in downtown Denver, has everything I'm looking for.
Loveland Ski Hooky Days (Second Thursday Monthly)
For the 2015 ski season, Loveland Ski Area and 95.7 The Party FM are offering $25 lift tickets on the second Thursday of each winter month.
They also offer a 2 for 1 ticket for the following week if you can't attend on Thursday. To get the $25 price, or the 2 for 1, you have to sign up as a "Party VIP" on the 95.7 web site, then print the coupon.
When:
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Thursday, April 16th, 2015
Where:
Loveland Ski Area is located off of I-70 just before Eisenhower Tunnel. Take the Route 6 exit (Exit 216) and you can't miss the ski area. Loveland is broken up into 2 distinct areas with a shuttle bus that runs between them. Loveland Valley (left off the exit) is considered the learning and training area and Loveland Basin (right off the exit) is the main ski area. A shuttle bus runs between both.
Click here for the 95.7FM coupon site:
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder (always free)
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has created a beautiful nature preserve on their property on Table Mesa Drive in Boulder, at the base of the Flatirons.
Denver Zoo Free Days
The Denver Zoo free days are by far the most popular Denver free days for families with kids, and are typically held during the fall and winter.
Children's Museum of Denver Free Days (first Tuesday monthly, 4-8pm)
One of the best free Denver attractions for kids, the Children's Museum of Denver's free day takes place from 4pm to 8pm on the first Tuesday of every month, known as Target Tuesdays.