Louisville Street Faire
The downtown Louisville Street Faire in Louisville, Colorado brings great music to the Front Range every summer Friday from mid-June to mid-August. This fair's last performance of the year is usually the biggest with internationally known headliners.
In addition to the concert, the fair features excellent food and drink vendors, and children's activities such as arts and crafts.
When:
Summer Fridays from 5 to 10pm.
Music is typically 6:30 - 9.
Where:
Downtown Main Street in Louisville.
Schedule:
The 2013 Louisville Street Faire schedule is as follows:
June 14: CJ Chenier
June 21: Young Dubliners
June 28: Richie Furay
July 12: BoDeans
July 19: The Samples
July 26: Samantha Fish
August 2: Tab Benoit
August 9: Fireball
August 16: Dickey Betts and Great Southern (CANCELLED DUE TO ILLNESS)
I was really looking forward to seeing Dickey Betts again and hope he gets well soon and can come back to Colorado.
Chris Daniels and Freddi will be stepping in at the last minute for this concert.
More Info from the downtown Louisville web site: 
Dinosaur Ridge in Morrison (always free)
This park in Morrison, Colorado (southwest of Golden) is really an outdoor museum, where you can hike or ride a shuttle as you examine evidence of Dinosaur activity in Colorado. One of the popular Colorado attractions for kids.
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...
Parker Oktoberfest
The 8th Annual Parker Oktoberfest will be held in O'Brien Park in Old Town Parker Colorado on September 14th & 15th, 2013.
Manitou Springs Great Fruitcake Toss Festival (annually in January)
Colorado is known for it's goofy festivals and the Great Fruitcake Toss is certainly one of the headliners. This Manitou Springs tradition is held every year after the holidays in an effort to dispose of certain unwanted confections you may have acquired.
Some people prefer to launch their cakes by hand but many choose to build elaborate contraptions to give their fruitcakes the send off they deserve. There are various cake launching categories as well as competitions for the best and prettiest fruit cakes.
When:
The 2014 Great Fruitcake Toss festival has been cancelled. Hopefully it will be back in 2015.
Where:
In Manitou Springs at the Manitou Springs High School track.
401 El Monte Place
Manitou Springs, CO 80829.
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:
Snowmass Summer Concerts
On summer Thursdays and Fridays the laid back atmosphere of Snowmass Colorado comes alive with their free Snowmass Village Summer Concerts. The music, set up on a Snowmass ski run stage near the upper village, is loud and wild.
When:
Summer Thursdays (and sometimes Fridays) from 6:15 to 8:30pm.
Where:
Snowmass upper village.
Schedule:
The 2013 Snowmass Village Free Summer Concert schedule is as follows:
June 20: Freddy Jones
June 27: The Dunwells
Friday July 5: CJ Chenier
July 11: The Revivalists
July 18: Mountain Standard Time
July 25: J.Boog
August 1: Tab Benoit
August 8: Nigel Hall
August 15: Robert Walters
More Info from the Aspen Snowmass web site:
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Longmont Studio Tour (September 29-30)
Coors Tour: Golden, Colorado (always free)
The Coors tour is one of Colorado's most famous free tours, and one of the top Colorado attractions. If you are in the Denver area, try to make the trip west to the Coors tour in downtown Golden.
After parking, you will be picked up by a small bus and taken on a short tour of downtown Golden. The driver will provide information about Golden and Coors along the way.
After exiting the bus, you go into the Coors tour center, where you will receive an audio device that you listen to as you follow the self-guided tour.
The Coors tour is very in depth, taking you through the history of Coors and the stages of brewing and packaging. You will see the huge brewing vats and other facilities critical to the process. The packaging area is one of the most dramatic aspects when it is in full operation.
In the middle of the Coors tour you enter a room which serves a small sample of the freshest beer you will likely ever taste, recently off of the production line. At the end of the tour you enter the bar area where you receive three free drinks of your choice! And don't worry, they have root beer and other drinks for the designated driver and the children.
The Coors tour is so popular that it can be very crowded with long wait times at the bus and bar. Consider attending earlier in the day or on a weekday.
When:
Winter Hours:
Thursday 10-4
Friday 10-4
Saturday 10-4
Sunday noon-4
Monday 10-4
Closed Tuesday, Wednesday and all major holidays.
Summer Hours (May 29 through Labor Day):
Monday - Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 12noon - 4pm
Closed on all major holidays.
Specific Closure Dates:
April 20th.
May 26, 27, 28.
July 4th.
September 1, 2, 3.
November 28-29.
December 24-25.
December 31-January 1.
Where:
The Coors tour is located in the middle of downtown Golden. The gigantic concrete buildings are impossible to miss.
Parking for the tours is in a large lot at the intersection of 13th street and Ford Street. The line for the Coors tour bus forms near this intersection.
Information about the Coors tour from the MillerCoors site:
Half Fast Subs (Boulder)
Half Fast Subs in Boulder has one of the largest menu choices I've ever seen at a restaurant. The hardest thing to do at this place it to make a decision between the hot subs, cold subs, veggie subs and even salads. Whatever you chose, you won't be disappointed.
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.
Smithsonian Free Museum Day
Every year some of the best museums in the USA take part in the Smithsonian Museum Day.
Monarch Mountain Free Day (April)
For 2013, Monarch Mountain is offering a free lift ticket in April if you purchase a $10 GEMS card.
Get the details and order your GEMS card here:
Location:
Monarch Mountain is located in South Central Colorado near Salida. Map
Learn more about Monarch Mountain Ski and Snowboard Area at their web site:
Colorado Ski Museum & Snowboard Museum at Vail (always free)
The Colorado Ski Museum & Snowboard Museum in Vail Village celebrates Colorado's rich ski history with a huge collection of artifacts and exhibits covering the whole of ski and snowboard history in Colorado.