Copper Country Music Festival (Labor Day Weekend)
Each year over Labor Day Weekend, Copper Mountain Ski Resort hosts the free Copper Country festival, with two full days of country, blues, and folk music from top name performers.
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: 
Leadville Ski Joring Festival (annually in March)
The Leadville Ski Joring Festival is one of the truly great annual ski competitions in Colorado. Well maybe not quite up to professional athlete standards, but what professional athlete would ever try this? Skiers are pulled at breakneck speeds by horses and attempt to spear rings that are hanging from the course as they jump over obstacles.
I don't know about you but I couldn't even do one of those things on an ice covered course. Watching athletes bring it all together is absolutely thrilling. The compeition is just as fierce as an x-games and the danger level is as extreme as it gets. The only thing missing is ESPN.
The Leadville Ski Joring Festival is a family oriented festival with many events and activities in addition to the ski joring. It's a
great way to spend a weekend in the mountains and a must see if you're a ski enthusiast who has seen enough slaloms for one season.
When:
Saturday and Sunday March 1-2, 2014.
Where:
Downtown Leadville, Co.
For more information check the Leadville Ski Joring site:
Pueblo Chile Festival
The Pueblo Chile & Frijoles Festival in Southeast Colorado is guaranteed to burn your eyes with fun! Besides being overcome with tears in the chili roasting area, you will find a diverse selection of music and dance performances as well as local vendors.
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!
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.
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Aurora History Museum (always free)
The Aurora History Museum is free and open every day except Monday and certain holidays. There is a permanent display of Aurora history as well as changing displays. This is a great Denver area free attraction, where you can gain a perspective on the real Colorado and the early days of settling this landscape.
Avery House, Fort Collins (free Saturday and Sunday)
The Poudre Landmarks Foundation has some of the best Fort Collins attractions for history buffs. Their historic Avery House in Fort Collins offers free tours on Saturdays and Sundays from 1pm to 4pm. The tour guides provide a wealth of information about the city's early days, and what life was like in the front range in the late 1800's. This is one of the great historical things to do in Colorado, as Fort Collins has a rich and colorful early history in the settling of Colorado.
When:
Year-round Saturday and Sunday
1pm to 4pm
For 2014, the Poudre Landmarks web site is incomplete and it is unknown whether Avery House tours are still taking place. Hopefully they will release an updated schedule soon. Call them to check on the latest situation: 970-221-0533
Where:
328 West Mountain Avenue
Fort Collins, CO 80524
Avery House Web Site:
Prospect Artists Studio Tour
Art tours are always popular in Colorado, with several art centers located throughout the state. One of the main art districts on the front range is Prospect New Town in Longmont. The Prospect Artists in Longmont, Colorado open their studios each year for the last weekend of June. You will have the opportunity to view each artists' latest work and see the interior of each member's home or store front in this architecturally unique community. This is a special community of artists with unique expressions to match the unique architecture where they live and work.
2012 Schedule:
Saturday June 30 and Sunday July 1, 2012.
12 noon to 6 pm each day.
Where:
Prospect New Town.
Near Pike Road and North 107th Street
Longmont, Colorado, 80504.
Look for the green studio tour signs in front of the studio locations.
A map of the tour is available at www.prospectartistsassn.com.
For the latest details check the Prospect Artists Association web site:
Lookout Mountain Nature Center (always free)
This free nature center on top of Lookout Mountain in Golden is one of the top things to do in Colorado with the kids.
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:
Denver Botanic Gardens (free days)
Free days for Colorado residents are held throughout the year at both the Denver Botanic Gardens and the Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield.